The Time Period and Esther's Feelings
Esther is one of those people that was born in the wrong time period. She doesn’t want the future that the time period she lives in has to offer. She also has severe mental health issues that are completely misunderstood and stigmatized. Women are supposed to get married and wait to have sex until then, and if a woman doesn’t want to get married, she has to be a hermit spinster who somehow supports herself on the few jobs that are socially acceptable. Esther feels completely stifled and trapped.
Esther’s mental health issues are described so vividly and it has been difficult reading about them for several reasons. Partly it’s been difficult because I feel like her life would be much better if she lived now. Obviously her mental health issues would not be cured and the pressure to find a job and marry is still real, but much less oppressive than in the 50s. Nowadays we have better mental health resources, more job opportunities, and a much more liberating outlook on sex.
This book also made me think about how we only read Esther’s perspective and how she describes everyone as almost blindly following what they’re supposed to, and acting superficial. Esther’s description of Dodo Conway especially made me question Esther’s perspective. She really seems to believe she’s the only deeply unhappy person, but from my point of view Esther does everything in her power to hide her struggles because she doesn’t feel like she could be open about them. I just have to question if a mother of seven who seemingly devotes everything to her children, and also deals with the scrutiny of other judgmental suburbanites would really be as happy as she shows the public. Esther has decided that because she can’t share her feelings with anyone, she must be the only one who feels so depressed, when in reality that’s the reason many people feel that way.
I totally agree with your assessment. Esther is totally aware that she lives in a man's world, but seems to be the only one around her that questions it. It's very true that even today she probably would have mental health issues, but perhaps not as severe. Even if the world was 100% equal, I think Esther might still have some issues with mental health.
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ReplyDeleteI agree she had very few career options as a woman in that time. She felt stifled and cornered into choosing between motherhood and being an author, which she feels like she has failed at. I think this is not the only cause of her mental state though. She would most likely have similar issues now, only they wouldn't be as aggravated by society and its strict gender roles.
ReplyDeleteI agree, she was definitely not the kind of person who would just go along with what you told her to do. She questions things, which is good in a person, but that also makes it so that she notices things that others don't really care about (in this instance, a sexist culture). I think it contributed to her feeling of general unfairness in the world, and made her depression worse, but I think she had other things that made her depressed.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a lot of really interesting points in this post, but I especially like what you said about Esther's assumption that nobody's life is as bad as hers is. Like you point out, this viewpoint isn't a result of Esther being conceited or self-centered, but instead it's a result of having no awareness of the way that others around her might feel because of the societal restrictions at the time. I never really thought about how Dodo Conway perceives her own situation, and like you said, I think it's safe to assume that she isn't the content mother that everyone thinks she is.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I don't think anyone born back then was born in the "right" time period. Everything sucked and it had negative effects on everyone. Obviously we see Esther's suffering up close, but there are plenty of examples. The girl who got a lobotomy, Joan and her girlfriend, even Buddy, who seems like a nice guy if not for the sexism his family passed onto him.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you draw connections between Esther’s struggles and the time period in general and how that would differ today. I totally agree and find it interesting to think about Esther and her story in this way. I especially thought that your point with Dodo Conway and Esther’s perspective of her was very compelling, and how even though Esther feels alone and that she has to keep her feelings to herself, others that seem “perfect” and “ideal” on the outside like Dodo Conway are probably struggling too. I also think that your points may connect and are supported by the ending of the novel as well, when Esther discusses how she realized that other girls, such as at college, also have bell jars of their own. When Esther feels recovered, I think she feels less alone overall and can better understand the world around her and questions her initial perspectives too.
ReplyDeleteThis was really interesting!
Esther's singular, self perspective definitely helps to illuminate what potentially many women experienced in the time period this book was set in. Even though many housewives and mothers look to be enjoying their lives, there has to be some that are internally struggling with societies expectations like Esther is. This is why I agree with you that Esther might have fared much better in the present, as she would have a bigger support structure to help her.
ReplyDeleteThe culture of a society can play a huge difference just as you said. It was a rough time where equality was scarce. I agree, Esther would've done a lot better in the present, where there's a greater understanding of mental illness and acceptance of such issues. While not perfect, women have gained their rightful status in today's society and they no longer must conform to the man's ideal.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think at the end of the day, Esther's depression and suicidal thoughts were caused by everything associated with the cultural norms coming together. Buddy treated her as men were expected to treat women at the time and laughed when Esther said she wouldn't marry. She was also at this point where there was no longer a clear next step, and in New York, she came across a very artificial society where everyone seems so happy in their bustling city life. All of these things came together and it was too hard for Esther to bear.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about Esther as a character, because the fact that she can acknowledge that the system she lives in is detrimental towards her well-being is important. But on the other hand, she seems to look down on other women because she thinks they are incapable of feeling the same way. Just because Dodo Conway, for instance, has chosen to buy into what society wants her to be (housewife with many kids) doesn't mean that she can't acknowledge that the system is flawed. The way Esther puts down other women who are in the same position as her rubs me the wrong way.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with you, especially the last part about how Esther can't seem to recognize that other people can feel the same way she does even if they don't look like it. Joan is such a blatant example of this, and actually many other women Esther encounters in the mental asylums. She's constantly thinking about how they shouldn't be there, about how they're completely fine. And if she's thinking this about people who are literally already in a mental hospital, it makes sense that she would misjudge a lot of people outside in the rest of the world. I think a lot of this is partially because of the stigma around mental health at the time, but also that Esther herself was just extremely disconnected from everyone else and in the mentality that she must be completely alone in what she's going through. The ideas of the time don't fit with Esther, and I also think she would have done a lot better if she were born later, but just because Esther doesn't agree with all of them doesn't mean a lot of the mentalities don't still manage to attach themselves to her, if to different degrees and in different ways.
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