Similarities Between The Bell Jar And Trifles

American identity is a complex term. It can be defined through the points of view of different eras, ethnicities and genders. Throughout time, the identity of the American woman has evolved. Stories such as; “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath, “The Yellow Wall-paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell, portray the different aspects of the identity of the American woman. They give insight into the lives of three women, who suffer from a mental illness and are then isolated from the world. Though, they seem to succumb to female oppression, and the expectations women had to adhere to dictated by a society of repressors, they all fight against those norms and ultimately find freedom in an unconventional way.

Sylvia Plath’s

In “The Bell Jar”, Esther Greenwood realized that Buddy Willard, the man she has been dating for several years, is an arrogant man. As Esther explains to Buddy her desire to be a writer, he simply dismisses her: “I also remembered Buddy Willard saying in a sinister, knowing way that after I had children I would feel differently. I wouldn’t want to write poems anymore” (Plath 85). His point was that women had no need for careers, it was their duty to be married and bear children. While in “The Yellow Wall-paper”, Jane begins to struggle with doing what is expected of her, “Nobody would ever believe what an effort it is to do what little I am able- to dress and entertain, and order things It is fortunate Mary is good with the baby” (Baym and Levine 488). She is afraid to reveal this last sentiment to her husband for fear of what he would do. The most blatant representation, of what is expected of a woman is said by George Henderson in “Trifles”. He is the county attorney investigating the murder of Mr. Wright; as he inspects the unkempt kitchen of Mrs. Wright he

Oppression isn’t blatantly stated but can be seen through the eyes of others. Such as how Mrs. Hale in “Trifles” recalls of Minnie, “She—come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself—real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and—fluttery. How—she—did—change” (Baym and Levine 750). Mrs. Hale continues to reminisce how Minnie, before marrying John Wright, used to sing and be a merry young woman. Mr. Wright oppressed Minnie so much so, that he slowly took away her identity. As for Esther, she realized that women were deemed impure if they explored their sexuality. She states:

It might be nice to be pure and then to marry a pure man, but what if he suddenly confessed he wasn’t pure after we were married, the way Buddy Willard had? I couldn’t stand the idea of a woman having to have a single pure life and a man being able to have a double life, one pure and one not. (Plath 81)

Apart from having to adhere to gender expectations, women also had refrain from making decision for themselves and behave as they are told