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The Bell Jar

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The world is filled with an infinite amount of human possibilities; however, this spectrum of "infinite possibilities" can slim down to one because an individual can succumb to peer pressure. Their thoughts and actions are altered according to the respective environment they associate themselves with. They may or may not face the reality at one point in the future, but the chances for that are slim because naive minds are susceptible to adapt according to their surroundings. In other words, the individual will conform to the social construct in order to fit in. The character Esther Greenwood, from The Bell Jar, a nineteen year old adult living independently in New York City experiences this. She suffers from the pressures of her society; this leads her to adjust her actions according to these pressures. She was expected to fit the “image” that was socially acceptable – a pure women until marriage, but a mother and wife after. Esther feels isolated from society if she attempts to be a “normal” girl, but this makes her stand out. Because of the hardships Esther faces with men and society, she has a hard time trying to figure out what to do with her future. Similarly, in A Room of One’s Own, by Virginia Woolf, women have to adjust to the expectations set for them by their societies. Woolf provides a “real life” story to demonstrate the ways in which women were looked down upon for writing rather than fitting the acceptable womanly image. The guidelines given by Virginia Woolf

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