The Bell Jar 1

At first i was really skeptical about reading this novel because I was not thrilled about the fact that it was a feminist novel. Although I liked Catcher and the Rye better, I did underestimate this book. One of the things that I do like about it is that there are a lot of metaphors and descriptive figurative language incorporated into the writing. Because it is first person narrative, it is a little bit harder to detect the gender discrimination of the time because she is a woman, but there were details such as the fact that the windows in the all women hotel were barred shut, that indicated that women were always trapped. I was also shocked by the obvious attempt of murder that occurred at the luncheon. It was obviously wrong and targeted at a group of pretty intelligent women, and yet there was hardly any consequence. I think that Doreen reminds me of Tinsley, a character in the "It Girl" series. You can also tell the gender discrimination because of certain metaphors such as when Buddy's mom says that a man "is an arrow into the future and [what a] woman is is the place the arrow shoots off from." I also think that because she hates the idea of serving men and always finds faults in men and doesn't like marriage, many people will think that Esther is insane for this reason. I am curious though as to who the Rosenberg's are and why Esther is so affected by their execution. Although not mentioned often, this situation is brought up at the beginning of the novel as the summer when the Rosenberg's are executed and she is very nervous the day that they are to be executed. Babies and children also seem to be mentioned pretty often in this book and I think that they may symbolize Esther's deviation from society. Because while all the women she knows are having babies and getting married she hates the concept of both and would rather be independent. Also the Zeit Geist is so important in this story because it shapes the mentality of society in terms of gender discrimination, which is much of the underlying cause of Esther's mental decline. Lastly, I think that in both Catcher and the Rye and The Bell Jar the protagonist parallels the author and represents their life. This is because in real life, Sylvia Plath went insane, and both novels focus on the mental decline of the protagonists, told in first person. Also though, in The Bell Jar, Esther begins to write a novel in which she wants to make the heroine herself in disguise. I think that this parallels what Sylvia Plath did with Esther in the Bell Jar.

Catcher and the Rye 2

overall, I really liked this book, but I liked the first half a little better than the second half. it was only in the second half of the book that the reader could see Holden's mental instability. because of the first person narration it was hard to detect this at first, however it became particularly evident when he was walking in the park and was scared that he would never get to the other side of the side walk. at the same time though, I feel like Holden maybe wasn't actually crazy, but he was put in a mental asylum because at the time, anyone who was viewed with the slightest abnormality was put in a mental asylum. also, I noticed that Holden tries to push away everyone that cares for him like Sally, Mr. Arlington, and even Phoebe towards the end. i liked how Holden didn't like "phonies" because it showed his innocence and I guess I can agree. This is an ongoing theme in the story and I know that some people would say that he has a problem because he doesn't really like anyone he talks to but I didn't like anyone he talked to either. Holden is confused and even though he says he is going to do all of these outrageous things, in the end he is a kid and he doesn't really know what he wants to do (deep down he just wants home and acceptance), so he is kind of a coward. i also liked the contrast of Holden to his surroundings because he thinks so innocently, but he is out in the real world. finally Holden doesn't like change because of what he says about how he loves museums because they always stay the same and he never does what he really wants, like calling Jane because there is always an excuse, so his ideals never become realities. he also thinks about Allie's death too much so at some points he feels guilty for insignificant mistakes that he made when Allie was alive. overall, i loved Holden's character but didn't really think he seemed that crazy. i still think that Holden's red hunting hat symbolizes himself, but now, i also think that it is representative of protection and love. this is because i think that he uses it when he is out in the real world, to protect himself from reality that is going on around him, and he also gives this hat to Pheobe who is basically the only person that he loves, and i think it was a sentiment that he will always protect her.

Catcher and the Rye Link

While I was reading Catcher and the Rye, I knew that Holden was in a mental institution. I was curious about how mental patients were usually treated during the time period (1951) and if it was a scary thing or not, so I looked up what insane asylums were like so I could imagine what kind of place Holden was in. This website discusses Lobotomy which was a really popular and dangerous procedure at the time. The 1950's had the highest number of patients in insane asylums. There was this other website that had an essay that talked about the insane asylums and Holden but you had to buy the essay, so I used this one instead (click on "The History of Lobotomy" above blog posts).

Catcher and the Rye 1

So far, I do like the book and I like Holden. The thing that most stuck out to me, as I read the first portion of the book, was the type of narration and language being used. Holden being the narrator affects many aspects of the story. The language used is extremely casual and in addition it helps to show Holden's character and personality. Grammar is of no importance because he narrates as if he is talking to the reader. You can tell that Holden is a cynical person because of his narration. In addition you can tell that he is extremely depressed but also somewhat innocent. I think that the book is somewhat suspenseful, but not in the conventional way. This is because at the beginning of the story, Holden talks about how he will tell the story of his mental deterioration, but all the details that he begins with seem insignificant and it makes you wonder what they will all amount to. I also think that Holden's descriptions of everyone and everything around him reflects how he feels. This is because he describes almost everything he does as depressing when really the reader gets the sense that he is depressed. Also, I noticed that his red hunter's hat is mentioned a lot. I believe that it is symbolic of Holden, because it is unique and individual to only him. He wears it because he wants to think that he is superior to all the other "phonies" in the world. He also shows his belief that he is superior to everyone because not only does he criticize everyone, but he also constantly says that he is sorry for everyone. Also, I thought that his curiosity about the ducks in Central Park was interesting because it is childish and innocent. This contrasts many of the things he tries to do to make himself seem older, like going to the nightclubs. Holden also makes many excuses for himself like when he is not in the mood to do anything. This alienates himself from everyone else. I think that the relationship between Jesus and his disciples is a parallel of that between Holden and the rest of the word because he says that the disciples keep letting Jesus down, while he never enjoys anything because everyone ruins things for him like Lillian at the nightclub. Overall, I think that the author uses the tangential stories that Holden describes to let the reader better understand Holden. Even though he is crazy, the reader understands him because they know what he is thinking. Also, no one knows Holden because he is constantly lying. I think he lies to himself and tries to undermine the importance of the death of Allie. His character reminds me of Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the Departed. This is because in both cases, they pretend that they are not scared, but in reality, they are both extremely frightened; Holden is scared of never finding his place and Leonardo is scared of his job. Because of this fear, they both alienate themselves from society. In addition, they both trap themselves because of their loneliness which is a prominent motif in both story lines; they are both misunderstood and believed to be mentally ill.