Sylvia Carrh : A Biography Of Sylvia Plath

Saying Sylvia Plath was a troubled woman would be an understatement. She was a dark poet, who attempted suicide many times, was hospitalized in a mental institution, was divorced with two children, and wrote confessional poems about fetuses, reflection, duality, and a female perspective on life. Putting her head in an oven and suffocating was probably the happiest moment in her life, considering she had wanted to die since her early twenties. However, one thing that was somewhat consistent throughout her depressing poetry would be the theme of the female perspective. The poems selected for analysis and comparison are, ”A Life”(1960),”You’re”(1960), “Mirror” (1961), “The Courage of Shutting-Up” (1962) and

Sylvia Plath was a troubled writer to say the least, not only did she endure the loss of her father a young age but she later on “attempted suicide at her home and was hospitalized, where she underwent psychiatric treatment” for her depression (Dunn). Writing primarily as a poet, she only ever wrote a single novel, The Bell Jar. This fictional autobiography “[chronicles] the circumstances of her mental collapse and subsequent suicide attempt” but from the viewpoint of the fictional protagonist, Esther Greenwood, who suffers the same loss and challenges as Plath (Allen 890). Due to the novel’s strong resemblance to Plath’s own history it was published under the pseudonym “Victoria Lucas”. In The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath expresses the

Sylvia Plath is known as a profound writer, depicted by her lasting works of literature and her suicide which put her poems and novel of debilitating depression into a new perspective. In her poem “Lady Lazarus,” written in 1962, her mental illness is portrayed in a means to convey to her readers the everyday struggle of depression, and how it affects her view of her world, herself, and even those who attempt to tackle her battle with her. This poem, among other poetry pieces and her novel The Bell Jar, identify her multiple suicide attempts, and how the art of dying is something she has become a master of. Plath’s “Lady Lazarus,” about her trap of depression and suicide attempts, is effective and thought provoking because of her allusions to WWII Nazi Germany and the feelings of oppression and Nazism that the recurring images evoke.

In 1963 on a cold winter day of February 11th, Sylvia Plath ended her life. She had plugged up her kitchen, sealing up the cracks in doors and windows before she was found with her head inside of her gas oven inhaling the dangerous fumes. She was only thirty years old, a young woman with two small children and an estranged ex-husband. A tragic detail of her life is that this is the second time she had tried to commit suicide. Plagued with mental illness her whole life, which is evident within her poetry. She would write gripping, honest portrayals of mental illnesses. Especially within Ariel, the last poetry book she wrote, right before she took her life. Although it’s hard to find a proper diagnosis for Sylvia Plath, it is almost definite that she at least had clinical depression with her numerous suicide attempts and stays in mental hospitals undergoing electroshock therapy. Sylvia Plath is now famously known for her writing and the more tragic parts of her life. Such as the separation from her husband, Ted Hughes, mental illness, etc… Plath may not have intended for her life and art to become inspiration to many people but that has become the end result. Sylvia Plath writing shows symptoms of her suicidal thoughts. To study specific moments in Sylvia Plath’s life, it can be connected to certain writing’s of her’s, such as “Daddy”, The Bell Jar, and “Lady Lazarus”.

Sylvia Plath, a successful confessional style poet, struggled throughout her life with issues revolving around her father’s death, unsuccessful and unfulfilling relationships with men, and her mental illnesses. Throughout her struggles, Plath wrote, sometimes writing as much as 10 drafts a day. Despite welcoming into the world two children, whom she loved dearly, Plath still felt unfulfilled by her duties as a housewife. As she wrote more poems, it became clear she was unhappy in her life and in the grips of a serious mental illness. Sylvia Plath’s writing is deeply influenced by her experience with mental illness and the death of her father in her early life.

Sylvia Plath’s wit, sarcasm, and myriad of emotions in The Bell Jar are all shown throughout. Esther Greenwood, whom represents Plath in the novel, feels trapped in a bell jar that is society. Esther never truly learned how to be an independent individual herself, so she is simply dependent on others and follows their way of life being that she is highly indecisive. Esther Greenwood’s insanity is influenced by her role within the society of the 1950s and by the dominance of males which she had to learn to coexist with. Her state is a repercussion of her standing as a female in society during the 1950s.

Sylvia Plath’s novel, “The Bell Jar”, tells a story of a young woman’s descent into mental illness. Esther Greenwood, a 19 year old girl, struggles to find meaning within her life as she sees a distorted version of the world. In Plath’s novel, different elements and themes of symbolism are used to explain the mental downfall of the book’s main character and narrator such as cutting her off from others, forcing her to delve further into her own mind, and casting an air of negativity around her. Plath uses images of rotting fig trees and veils of mist to convey the desperation she feels when confronted with issues of her future. Esther Greenwood feels that she is trapped under a bell jar, which distorts her view of the world around her.

The first of Plath’s poems that is comparable to The Bell Jar is “Lorelei”. In both of the works, death beckons to the characters. In “Lorelei”, siren-like creatures beckon for the speaker to drown herself. The speaker notes how their “ice-hearted calling” (Lorelei 31) is compelling her to commit suicide.

Sylvia Plath, a very talented writer and poet, focuses on two very prominent themes in her works: death, specifically suicide, and suffering. In her only novel, The Bell Jar, the protagonist, Esther Greenwood, takes the reader on a journey that explores the life and struggles of a young female poet and a tragic heroine. Esther's experiences reflect those of Sylvia Plath's. Plath describes her life as she saw it, confessing her thoughts and feelings to her audience. In her poems, "Perseus", "Lorelei", and "Lady Lazarus", Plath further explores the themes of death and suffering, and uses the portrayal of the tragic heroes/heroines in "Perseus" as symbolism.

Sylvia Plath subjects the main character of The Bell Jar, Esther Greenwood, to a wide array of events in the ninth chapter of the novel. Esther experiences sadness, depression, relationship violence, and a fight for purity in the timeframe of a single day. This odd plot combination seems from a distance like a jumbled series of unfortunate events. However, each occurrence, along with a common emotional background of genuine sadness, proves that Esther has begun to distance herself from her reality and her future by matters that only she can control.

he Bell Jar, written by Sylvia Plath, is a dark and emotional semi-autobiography novel (“Poet: Sylvia Plath”). Although it may appear to be a dark oriented story, there are moments in the book where it can be humorous. Taking another perspective on the book, The Bell Jar could be viewed as a dark comedy as readers witness the events right through the protagonist’s eyes. Plath incorporates subtle instances of dark comedic elements into the book through the protagonist’s satirical outlook of the environment around her. Thus giving the protagonist a more realistic and compelling character which keeps the reader intrigued throughout the book.

Sylvia Plath was a troubled young poet who wrote mostly about the difficulties within her family and marriage. Plath was born in Boston, Massachusetts on October 27, 1932 and died on February 11, 1963 in London, England. In her early life she faced many obstacles, one being her father passing away when she was only 8 years old due to complications from diabetes (poets.org). Plath, herself struggled with depression as she tried to kill herself many times. Therefore these feelings of hers reflected in her poetry. Having a high expectation to be perfect, Plath’s depression was often a result of writers block (PAL).Plath’s poems continued to encourage her large audience of readers who were facing the same issues with depression and other struggles.(Poetry Foundation). Plath was a loving wife to Ted Hughes and later a wonderful mother to her two children (poets.org). Plath gave birth to two children in 1960 and 1962, Frieda and Nicholas Hughes (poets.org). Also in 1962 her husband, Hughes left her for another women,

Wrapped in gaseous mystique, Sylvia Plath’s poetry has haunted enthusiastic readers since immediately after her death in February, 1963. Like her eyes, her words are sharp, apt tools which brand her message on the brains and hearts of her readers. With each reading, she initiates them forever into the shrouded, vestal clan of her own mind. How is the reader to interpret those singeing, singing words? Her work may be read as a lone monument, with no ties to the world she left behind. But in doing so, the reader merely grazes the surface of her rich poetics. Her poetry is largely autobiographical, particularly Ariel and The Bell Jar, and it is from this frame of mind that the reader interprets the work as a

Ariel, The Bell Jar, Daddy. Sylvia Plath had an extremely complicated lifestyle, and it very much reflected in these books and poems she published. Each one represented a different hardship Plath experienced, yet one in particular stood out above them all. ‘The Bell Jar’, a novel about a young woman named Esther, living in New York City for a one month internship, who is lost and depressed in her world, feeling like no one understands her. The book’s writing techniques include imitating personal events Plath went through.

In August 1953, Sylvia won a contest for the Mademoiselle magazine, also winning herself a job as the guest editor for the magazine. During her time in New York she became more depressed with signs of anxiety and bipolar disorder. One day, she tried to commit suicide by swallowing sleeping pills. She survived this attempt and was hospitalized, and while there received electroshock therapy. She later published her novel, The Bell Jar, which explains her breakdown and recovery. After fully recovering, she returned to Smith College and finished her degree. She then received a Fulbright scholarship to Cambridge University in England. While there, she met poet Ted Hughes, and they were married in June 1956. This was the happiest time of her life. She and her husband loved each other dearly, and soon they had two children. They moved back to New York and Sylvia devoted herself to writing poetry. Her poems became personal and dark. She wrote of suicide, death, and the assumption that her father was a Nazi. At the end of 1962, Ted left Sylvia and their two children for another women. This drove Sylvia back into her depressed state. On February 11, 1963, she put out two mugs of milk and a plate of buttered bread for her two children and stuffed a towel under the kitchen door. She then committed suicide by inhaling gas from her kitchen stove (“Sylvia Plath Biography”).