@article{article_1471654, title={The Analysis of Social Expectations and Identity Crisis in Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar}, journal={Bulanık MYO Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi}, volume={2}, pages={17–26}, year={2024}, author={Arslan, Dilek}, keywords={Sosyal Beklentiler, Kimlik Krizi, Sylvia Plath, Sırça Fanus, Toplumsal Cinsiyet}, 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.}, number={1}, publisher={Muş Alparslan Üniversitesi}