Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2008 0:55:28 GMT -5
So I'm not really positive where this should go, but I felt as though I needed to share it with all of you. I'm writing the rough draft for my term paper on Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar and desired to begin it with a quote from THS. However, as I began the introduction, I realised that I wanted to detail the parallels between Holly and Esther. A lot of this relates to the story, but I figured a paragraph for english language and composition with a ton of THS quotes would be worth sharing. In retrospect, I should put more about Sylvia Plath herself in, but I can do that for the final draft.
“She says that she’s sick, but she won’t get specific./ The sutures and bruises are none of my business” (The Hold Steady, Lord I'm Discouraged). The Bell Jar, set in the 1950s before the 60s feminist movement, draws the picture of a “stifling culture in which women's freedom is limited”(Christian Perring, Rev. of The Bell Jar), creating the narrator's, Esther Greenwood, unhappiness as she tries to avoid conforming to expectations. Similar to the story of Holly in The Hold Steady's albums, Esther Greenwood becomes something she never expected. Where Holly falls into drugs and partying, Esther finds herself mentally cracking and depressed with the turns her life has taken. Where the narrator of The Hold Steady goes off to college, Holly remains in her hometown with “all those stickpin dolls” (THS, Party Pit) in a bad scene with drugs. In a parallel scene, Esther remains in her hometown to write rather than go back to school, falling into a bad scene of depression. While Holly “was looking round for something she could take up to a party” (THS, Charlemagne in Sweatpants), Esther was attempting to transcribe herself into her novel. At one point, Esther turns to Catholicism for answers or guidance, much like Holly in Crucifixion Cruise when she goes to confession as says “Lord what would you prescribe?/ to a real soft girl who's having real hard times”. Both Esther Greenwood and Holly embody a nice girl caught up in a bad scene: Esther's depression and Holly's partying. Holly “disappeared for years./ she finally came back” (THS, How A Resurrection Really Feels) parallels Esther's disappearance in her own cellar before being discovered. While Holly returns to a church and to her hometown, Esther finds herself checking into an asylum for guidance. With a mirror image in Holly, the fictional character throughout The Hold Steady's released albums, Esther Greenwood learns “how a resurrection really feels” (THS, How A Resurrection Really Feels) through her recovery and rebirth – something Holly doesn't necessarily receive. However, both must worry about their problems descending upon them once again; Esther's bell jar will not rest and Holly's addictions are hard to get over. “The mental problems that can befall a woman with ambitions that the surrounding culture will not allow her to fulfill” (Feminism in Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, 1) cause the unfortunate fates that occur to all too many ladies. Esther receives a mental illness and Holly falls in with the wrong crowd. Though the 1950s discrimination attributed to Plath's novel, it is still prevalent today in modernised ways. Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar explores a young woman's struggles to gain bearing in a male-dominated society and the unfortunate fates born of discrimination with her intricate character analysis, clearly stated tone, and jagged organisation.
Now to take on the conclusion! Any suggestions?
“She says that she’s sick, but she won’t get specific./ The sutures and bruises are none of my business” (The Hold Steady, Lord I'm Discouraged). The Bell Jar, set in the 1950s before the 60s feminist movement, draws the picture of a “stifling culture in which women's freedom is limited”(Christian Perring, Rev. of The Bell Jar), creating the narrator's, Esther Greenwood, unhappiness as she tries to avoid conforming to expectations. Similar to the story of Holly in The Hold Steady's albums, Esther Greenwood becomes something she never expected. Where Holly falls into drugs and partying, Esther finds herself mentally cracking and depressed with the turns her life has taken. Where the narrator of The Hold Steady goes off to college, Holly remains in her hometown with “all those stickpin dolls” (THS, Party Pit) in a bad scene with drugs. In a parallel scene, Esther remains in her hometown to write rather than go back to school, falling into a bad scene of depression. While Holly “was looking round for something she could take up to a party” (THS, Charlemagne in Sweatpants), Esther was attempting to transcribe herself into her novel. At one point, Esther turns to Catholicism for answers or guidance, much like Holly in Crucifixion Cruise when she goes to confession as says “Lord what would you prescribe?/ to a real soft girl who's having real hard times”. Both Esther Greenwood and Holly embody a nice girl caught up in a bad scene: Esther's depression and Holly's partying. Holly “disappeared for years./ she finally came back” (THS, How A Resurrection Really Feels) parallels Esther's disappearance in her own cellar before being discovered. While Holly returns to a church and to her hometown, Esther finds herself checking into an asylum for guidance. With a mirror image in Holly, the fictional character throughout The Hold Steady's released albums, Esther Greenwood learns “how a resurrection really feels” (THS, How A Resurrection Really Feels) through her recovery and rebirth – something Holly doesn't necessarily receive. However, both must worry about their problems descending upon them once again; Esther's bell jar will not rest and Holly's addictions are hard to get over. “The mental problems that can befall a woman with ambitions that the surrounding culture will not allow her to fulfill” (Feminism in Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, 1) cause the unfortunate fates that occur to all too many ladies. Esther receives a mental illness and Holly falls in with the wrong crowd. Though the 1950s discrimination attributed to Plath's novel, it is still prevalent today in modernised ways. Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar explores a young woman's struggles to gain bearing in a male-dominated society and the unfortunate fates born of discrimination with her intricate character analysis, clearly stated tone, and jagged organisation.
Now to take on the conclusion! Any suggestions?
