First Impressions of Sylvie

At this point in the novel, Lily and Nona are trying as hard as they can to find a replacement to take care of the girls so that they can go back to their peaceful life. Even though they don’t think that Sylvie would likely be a good fit, they still try to contact her because they are desperate to leave. I understand that Lily and Nona don’t want to stay, but I also think that they are being kind of insensitive to Ruth and Lucille’s feelings. Their mother just killed herself and their father was already gone, so it would be nice if they could have someone stay with them who cares just for a little bit.

When Sylvie arrives, I think that the girls are desperate for someone who can act like a mother figure and not leave, and even though Sylvie doesn’t exactly seem to fit that description, she is the only chance the girls have. This is why the way they act around her makes sense to me, even though it may be a little bit weird if you don’t understand where they are coming from. Whenever it seems like Sylvie is leaving, the girls follow her and make sure she comes back.

I also always forget that Ruth and Lucille are only around 10 or 12 at this point in the novel, so the fact that they are so dependent on their guardian makes even more sense. When reading the book, I often forgot how young they are because it is written in a way that makes Ruth sound older. I think that it’s a really interesting dynamic between Ruth and Lucille and Sylvie because even though Ruth and Lucille are the children, they act in a lot of ways like the adult while Sylvie often acts like the child. Considering this in a coming of age context, it would definitely cause the girls to grow up or “come of age” faster than they would have to in a normal family because they have to be responsible for worrying about Sylvie when that really shouldn’t be their job at that age. They also haven’t mentioned any friends they have of their own age so far in the book, so their coming of age seems even more isolated and different from others we have read or talked about.

Double Standards

One of the realizations that really affected Esther’s view of the world was when she realized that there was a clear sexual double standard between men and women. Even today, when men perform sexual acts with girls they are often praised but when women do the same, they are called “sluts” or “whores” if they are not married.

Esther first experienced this double standard when Buddy Willard confessed to having slept with another girl, even though he had always acted like the innocent one in the relationship. She describes how his mother really cares about virginity before marriage: “... Mrs. Willard was a real fanatic about virginity for men and women both. When I first went to her house for supper she gave me a queer, shrewd, searching look, and I knew she was trying to tell whether I was a virgin or not” (Plath 71). Buddy later says that he is still friends with his mom, probably because she doesn’t care as much about his virginity than his girlfriends. When Esther realizes this unfairness, she rightfully gets mad and thinks about getting even by sleeping with someone else. I think that this is a really strong decision for Esther to make, because she doesn’t care about what society will think if she has sex, she just wants to do it for the experience.

After this moment in the book, Esther’s view on the world changes and I think that it is part of what made her feel like she was living in a bell jar. If she did what she wanted to do, society would judge her so she felt trapped. Of course, a lot of other things affected her, but I think that this realization was a big deal for Esther and affected her actions throughout the rest of the book.