The Analysis of Social Expectations and Identity Crisis in Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar

Abstract

Social expectation is described as an accepted societal norm about what an individual needs to do for people and the community. In other words, social expectation is the accepted opinion of the community about what individuals need to do. Accordingly, it is related to gender, as well. That is, gender-based social expectations relate to the anticipated behavior of an individual. Besides, identity is a person’s self-image, which is defined by a set of distinct physical, mental, and social characteristics, as well as a network of relationships and social positions. An identity crisis is a personal conflict about one’s social role, and generally, a sense of the absence of one’s personality. Social expectations and identity crises are related to each other. When someone cannot meet the social expectations, and is therefore depressed, he or she may have an identity crisis. Likewise, social expectations are seen in The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, and especially the protagonist Esther has difficulty in meeting the expectations; therefore, she lives an identity crisis. Although she wants to be a writer, the community and her family expect her to learn conventional skills, stay virgin, get married, bear children, and care for a husband, all of which cause oppression for Esther. Contrary to these expectations in line with her gender, she feels depressed and cannot cope with the expectations. She feels breathless in a bell jar; therefore, in a crisis. After several treatments, she feels some relief; however, she still is not sure someday or anywhere if the bell jar will descend again. Ultimately, the feminist criticism method is used in this study since Esther experiences identity crisis because of the gender-based social expectations. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to explore the identity crisis that the main character Esther experiences because of the gender-based social expectations in Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar.

Keywords

• Social Expectations
• Identity Crisis
• Sylvia Plath
• The Bell Jar
• Gender

Sylvia Plath’in Sırça Fanus Eserinde Sosyal Beklentiler ve Kimlik Krizi Analizi

Abstract

Sosyal beklentiler bireylerin insanlar ve toplum için yapmaları gereken kabul edilmiş toplumsal normlar olarak tanımlanır. Başka bir deyişle, sosyal beklentiler bireylerin ne yapmaları gerektiği hakkında toplumsal olarak kabul görmüş fikirlerdir. Buna bağlı olarak, toplumsal cinsiyetle de alakalıdır. Yani, toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı sosyal beklentiler bir kişinin gerçekleştirmesi umulan davranışıyla ilgilidir. Ayrıca, kimlik, sosyal statü ve ilişki ağlarının yanı sıra bir dizi fiziksel, zihinsel ve sosyal özellikleri olarak tanımlanan, kişinin öz imajıdır. Kimlik krizi ise bireyin genellikle benlik yokluğu hissi ve sosyal rolüyle alakalı kişisel çatışmadır. Sosyal beklentiler ve kimlik krizi birbiriyle alakalıdır. Birey sosyal beklentileri karşılayamadığında ve bu sebeple bunalıma girdiğinde, kimlik krizi yaşayabilir. Aynı şekilde, Sylvia Plath’in Sırça Fanus romanında sosyal beklentiler görülür ve özellikle ana karakter, Esther, beklentileri karşılamakta zorlanır ve bu sebeple kimlik krizi yaşar. Yazar olmak istemesine rağmen, toplum ve ailesi geleneksel beceriler öğrenmesini, bakire kalmasını, evlenmesini, çocuk doğurmasını ve kocasıyla ilgilenmesini bekler; bunların hepsi Esther’e baskıya sebep olur. Toplumsal cinsiyeti doğrultusundaki bu beklentilerin aksine, beklentilerle baş edemez ve bunalmış hisseder. Sırça fanusun içinde nefessiz, bu yüzden de krizde hisseder. Pek çok tedaviden sonra biraz rahatlar ama hala bir gün bir yerde sırça fanusun tekrar üzerine inip inmeyeceğinden emin değildir. Nihayetinde, Esther’in toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı sosyal beklentiler nedeniyle kimlik krizi yaşadığı için bu çalışmada feminist eleştiri yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Dolayısıyla, bu çalışmanın amacı Sylvia Plath’in Sırça Fanus romanında ana karakter Esther’in toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı sosyal beklentiler sebebiyle yaşadığı kimlik krizini yansıtmaktır.

Keywords

• Sosyal Beklentiler
• Kimlik Krizi
• Sylvia Plath
• Sırça Fanus
• Toplumsal Cinsiyet

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