"She wants... to be everything"Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayA sense of individuality is essential to surviving the many emotional and physical obstacles encountered in daily life. A unique identity is perhaps one of the only true defining characteristics of an individual and is certainly a key principle for understanding and responding to their atmosphere. In “Bell Jar,” Esther struggles not only with deteriorating mental stability, but also with a lack of sense of individuality. Esther is a sensitive and intelligent young woman who feels oppressed by the obvious social restrictions placed on women and the pressure she feels regarding her future. There is no doubt that these emotional burdens result not only in Esther's social and intellectual isolation, but also in her impending mental breakdown. Clearly, Esther is deeply troubled by the hypocritical and often vicious world around her, and feels overwhelmed and powerless to break free from her inner world of alienation. Instead of firmly establishing a true identity, Esther adopts and scrutinizes the images and personalities of the women in her life, which neither match nor reflect her rightful character. Throughout the novel, Esther is faced with many possibilities regarding her future aspirations. Although she is an extremely insightful and brilliant woman, Esther has no sense of looming direction and instead imagines herself becoming and achieving a multitude of successes simultaneously. Upon meeting her boss, Jay Cee, Esther is immediately impressed by her thriving balance between career and marriage, and begins to imagine herself achieving similar achievements: “I tried to imagine what it would be like if I were Cee. ..Cee, the famous editor, in an office filled with potted rubber plants and African violets that my secretary had to water every morning (p. 36)Esther idolizes Jay Cee for his wisdom and prosperity, however, she is. indecisive and paranoid about choosing the only path to follow in life Esther views her life as a fig tree from which she cannot choose a single branch: “I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree... I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving, just because I couldn't decide which of the figs I would choose. I wanted every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest. , and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs. began to wrinkle and turn black, and one by one they fell to the ground at my feet. » (p. 73) Jay Cee symbolizes the urbane and refined achievements that Esther desperately wishes to embody. Despite her inability to bring herself to pursue any particular goal, she eventually learns of Esther's incompetent decisiveness when she states, "She wants... to be everything" (page 97). As a scholarship recipient, Esther feels obligated to impress everyone and live up to the standards that the outside world has imposed on her. Consequently, Esther plunges into a state of depression and total disillusionment, believing that she could not be. living up to the standards expected of her Even when she is interned, Esther cannot escape the intense pressure of her visitors: “I felt the visitors measuring my greasy, stringy hair against what I had been and. what they wanted me to be." Detached and isolated from her inner self, Esther focuses her hopes and dreams on the anticipations of others. Esther exists in an insightful and cerebral world which consequently separates her from many social aspects of his life essentially excluded,Many of Esther's attempts to conform socially fail because her self-image is incomplete and contradictory. Esther considers herself a pure and naive "good girl" and feels exhilarated by experiencing Doreen's lifestyle. She sees Doreen as worldly, sophisticated, intelligent and a "bad girl" and is enchanted by the prospect of constant emotional and sexual freedom. As Esther says: “…being with Doreen made me forget my worries. I felt wise and cynical as hell” (p. 7). Doreen symbolizes Esther's need to rebel against her obsession with sexual purity and following the rules, and for a short time she benefits from her adaptation to this lifestyle. Although Esther seems captivated by Doreen's lifestyle, she quickly determines that she cannot harmonize with Doreen's flirtatious nature and wild escapades, and instead longs to join the straight-laced Betsy. In many ways, Esther and Betsy's lives are very similar. Both are young women on scholarship who, to some extent, exist in a world of purity and innocence. However, unlike Betsy, Esther does not appreciate her femininity as she refuses to marry or start a family. Just as Esther cannot adapt to Doreen's world of seduction and rebellion, she cannot adapt to the feminine role of mother and wife that Betsy welcomes. Betsy is a sweet, innocent woman who happily accepts the role of women in society, which Esther periodically wishes she could take on as well. Instead, she bitterly rejects Betsy's beliefs and sarcastically calls her "Pollyanna Cowgirl" (p. 108). Esther's insecurity is ultimately the cause of her division of Betsy and Doreen's environment. Throughout the novel, Esther is upset by the sanctity of society and the role that women have been designated to follow. Esther despises the superiority that men maintain over women and the maternal role that women are supposed to fulfill. Although Esther does not seek to emulate the attitudes of her mother and Mrs. Willard, Esther is nevertheless affected by their ideology to which she is constantly subjected. Additionally, Mrs. Willard and Esther's mother simply suggest roles that Esther should play. Esther's philosophy revolves around feminism, which states that women should have the same opportunities and privileges as men. Unfortunately, Esther discovers the realities of a deceptive civilization in which her naive views and ideals are shattered. Mrs. Willard is a wise and sensible woman who has devoted her life to being a devoted wife and mother. She preaches to Esther that: “What a man is is an arrow to the future and what a woman is is the place from which the arrow goes” (p. 67). Disgusted and enraged by this concept, Esther is amazed that the needs and interests of a woman in society are constantly neglected. Mrs. Willard also instills in Esther the idea that men and women should remain pure toward each other until they are married. Tragically, Esther is devastated when she learns of Buddy's romance with an older woman and feels betrayed by the idea of ​​a double standard for men and not women. Mrs. Willard personifies the very feeling that Esther rejects. Not only does Mrs. Willard devote her life to her husband and children, but her distinct emotions and actions are ignored, as Esther states: "And I knew that despite all the roses and kisses and dinners out , a man threw himself on a woman before. When he married her, what he secretly wanted at the end of the wedding service was for her to flatten under his feet like Mrs...