The Plath to Success; A Thematic Analysis of Belonging and Individuality in Sylvia Plath’s Initiation
There is no shortage of media encouraging adolescents to ‘be themselves’, promoting self-worth regardless as to what others think. And yet while many may be fed this message throughout music and film, rarely ever is it conveyed to have a lasting effect on one’s personal views quite like Initiation. Sylvia Plath’s short story follows the development of insecure and vulnerable Millicent Arnold, a girl who longs to be part of her high school sorority, even if it means suffering through humiliation and subjugation to do so. Although formulaic, Plath’s uniquely optimistic short story warns against an obsession with belonging and explores the importance of individuality through the protagonist’s initial insecurities, the cruelty of the sorority girls, and the symbolism of the heather birds.
In order to express the importance of the theme, the reader is introduced to Millicent’s initial dependence on belonging as a result of her self-conscious character. When she first learns of her invitation to the sorority, Millicent compares her situation to waiting outside a dance floor “looking in through the windows at the golden interior … wistfully watching … couples waltzing to the never-ending music, laughing in pairs and groups together, no one alone” (Plath 200). Millicent emphasizes that in her vision no dancer is left on their own, and that her desire to enter the sorority is
Millicent is an average girl who no one really notices, when one day, a sorority group decides to allow her to join, but she must past their initiation test first. At first, Millicent is ecstatic, and proud that she can finally be a part of society, but slowing, and in the beginning
At home her divorced parents get into many conflicts and she is the center of conflict forced to frequently choose sides. Feeling taken advantage of by parents at home, Clarisse tries to gain additional attention and approval from her peers. She tries to fit in with other popular girls by acting a certain way to reassure herself that she belongs and is supported. She flaunts her father's wealthy to prove her hierarchy over others, proving she is superior to others and that she is entitled to be popular due to her socioeconomic background. After opening up and suggesting how her parents don’t pay much attention to her unless it involves her parents personal benefits, she begins to realize searching for approval through conformity isn’t justifiable.
Douglas describes Sophia Auld’s change “under the influence of slavery” her “cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery… soon became red with rage” her “voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that [her] angelic face gave place to that of a demon” (Douglas 78). Despite her good nature, his mistress succumbed to the power that came with being a slave owner. One’s nature may play a part in his disposition, but who one actually becomes depends on his or her temptations and environment. Bradbury conveys this through the mindless culture of his world that “nips most of them,” “the queer ones” who are “exceptionally bright” and think for themselves, “in the bud.” Simply exposure to the school environment suppresses the intelligence and curiosity in children and them empty, pleasure driven drones. They are corrupted by their society, not necessarily by their own disposition. Thus both authors show In summation, Douglas and Bradbury similarly express the importance of one’s environment and situation to their his or her
This illustrates the unfair manner in which individuals faced judgment as worthy or unworthy of belonging. No one besides an individual should determine their worthiness to belong. The author elucidates how society presumes the right to determine one's belonging. Society targeted women for finding their own means of making a living. The story clarifies, "I regret to say that some of these were ladies.
She imagines herself after initiation week as she “answer[s] her invitation to enter the ballroom through the main entrance marked “Initiation”” (Plath 3). In her dream, “entering] the ballroom” can be an analogy to getting accepted into the sorority. Millicent enters this ballroom “through the main entrance marked “Initiation”.” The entrance “marked “Initiation”” refers to Rat Court, the process where the girls either accept or decline her. From the tone of the daydream, we understand that being in the sorority is a dream to Millicent. All aspects of her fantasy indicate that it is like a fairytale to her. Being able to see into Millicent’s mind helps the reader know how badly she wants to be in the group. Plath’s brilliant usage of point of view cues in the reader to see that getting accepted to the sorority is all Millicent wants.
It tends to be the trend for women who have had traumatic childhoods to be attracted to men who epitomize their emptiness felt as children. Women who have had unaffectionate or absent fathers, adulterous husbands or boyfriends, or relatives who molested them seem to become involved in relationships with men who, instead of being the opposite of the “monsters” in their lives, are the exact replicas of these ugly men. Sylvia Plath’s poem “Daddy” is a perfect example of this unfortunate trend. In this poem, she speaks directly to her dead father and her husband who has been cheating on her, as the poem so indicates.
Sylvia Plath worked as a guest editor during the summer of 1953 in New York for the magazine Mademoiselle. Shortly after her stint as a guest editor, she attempted suicide by taking sleeping pills ("Sylvia Plath Biography”).
Firstly, the story introduces Millicent at the end of her grueling initiation about to be granted entry into a very prestige social group. She states “her case would be different” (199) implying that despite getting so far in her initiation, something changes her mind and her ultimate decision to not join the sorority. She is clearly quite proud of herself and is amused at her exclusive position being one of the elect. This sense of pride is further enhanced by her best friend, Tracy’s support and encouragement. It is evident how badly Millicent wants to be part of the sorority considering that “Millicent had waited a long time for acceptance, longer than most” (200). After years of wistfully looking
At the start of the new school year, Millicent Arnold, a typical teenage girl, receives an invitation to join the elite and exclusive girls’ sorority at Lansing High School. Before she becomes an official member however, Millicent must demonstrate she is fit to join the sorority by finishing the initiation process: a series of ridiculous and rigorous tasks that pushes her to her limits. During a mission, Millicent discovers the nasty truth and reality of the “prefect” sorority at her high school, and ultimately decides that being herself is most important and rejects entering the sorority altogether.
Upon hearing the word daddy, pleasant thoughts such as love, support, and dependence usually come to mind. Daddy is the person that little girls relate to, and count on to fix anything from boo-boos to a broken heart. In Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” one would expect to read about the love and comfort that a daddy can bring to a child, but after reading the first stanza it becomes clear that “Daddy” is far from anything lovely and beautiful. The speaker in “Daddy” is a girl who is emotionally torn. She has mixed emotions towards her father— deep love and strong hate.
Her last encounter said something that inspired Millicent to be an individual and to not continue with her initiation with the exclusive social group. "Heather birds live on the mythological moors and fly about all day long, singing wild and sweet in the sun. They're bright purple and have very tasty eyebrows." She realized that the heather birds get to fly around all day doing whatever they like. They can be free from others and be spontaneous. A person that’s not a part of a group is more memorable to people than someone that is. An individual is more of their own leader but in a group, there is usually one leader and several of followers. It’s the freedom of being an individual is what makes it great. “Swooping carefree over the moors, they would go singing and crying out across the great spaces of air, dipping and darting, strong and proud in their freedom and their sometime
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 influenced to write poems early on in her life. One of the biggest influences within her writing include her father, Otto Plath. Otto Plath had died from an illness caused by diabetes in 1940. After this traumatizing event, Plath had written very vivid poems explaining her problematic relationship with her father, and her feelings after he had died. She wrote a poem named Daddy (“Sylvia Plath” Poetry). Daddy is a poem including a characteristic person representing Plath’s father in real life. Her father in the poem is a dark person that Sylvia Plath has to “kill” (Ardagh, Emily). Plath was very upset about this sudden death of her father, so she thought the perfect idea was to write a poem about him. Another important person
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, a great American author, focuses mostly on actual experiences. Plath’s poetry displays feelings and emotions. Plath had the ability to transform everyday happenings into poems or diary entries. Plath had a passion for poetry and her work was valued. She was inspired by novelists and her own skills. Her poetry was also very important to readers and critics. Sylvia Plath’s work shows change throughout her lifetime, relates to feelings and emotions, and focuses on day to day experiences.