Woolf's 'A Society' and Plath's 'The Bell Jar': A Comparative Essay

This essay provides a comparative analysis of Virginia Woolf's short story, 'A Society,' and Sylvia Plath's novel, 'The Bell Jar,' focusing on their portrayals of societal oppression and expectations in the 20th century. Woolf's story depicts a patriarchal society where women seek equality, while Plath's novel explores the theme of depression and mental illness within the context of mid-century American society. The essay highlights the contrasting worldviews presented in each work, with 'A Society' emphasizing the struggle for female empowerment and 'The Bell Jar' depicting the isolating effects of mental illness and societal pressures. Ultimately, the essay argues that both authors successfully capture distinct yet significant aspects of the 20th-century human experience, inviting readers to connect with the protagonists' narratives and reflect on the societal forces shaping their lives. Desklib offers a variety of solved assignments and study resources for students.

Running head: ANALYTICAL ESSAY
ANALYTICAL ESSAY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ANALYTICAL ESSAY
The twentieth century writers of short stories and novels often put forth in their writings
the various ways of oppression that were faced by the resident members of the society. The
following essay deals with the comparison of the short story, A Society composed by Virginia
Woolf and the celebrated novel The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath on the basis of the various matters
that pertain to the worlds that have been portrayed by the eminent writers in this case.
In her celebrated short story, A Society, Virginia Woolf, the eminent female writer of the
short stories, novels and poetries tend to put forth the discussion on the matters that pertain to the
themes of the change, control, determination, dominance, equality and oppression (Graff,
Birkenstein & Durst, 2006). The short story in discussion has been extracted from the collection
of short stories named The Complete Shorter Fiction and is observed to be having a first-person
narrative by the protagonist of the story. The author puts forth the fact the then society was
known to be a patriarchal society wherein the female members of the society have been known to
be demanding an equal footing with the men who have been residing within the country. The
author portrays the various female characters who were found to be attempting to establish an
equality for themselves. The story describes the society to be a very strict one wherein the young
female members of the society could not have “dined out without asking her parents and
carefully noting his replies” (Woolf, 1989). The world view depicted through the concerned
short story relates to the patriarchal world wherein the concerned female members were
dominated upon and considered to be the weaker section of the society. The author further puts
forth the fact that the concerned female characters in the story are observed to form a society that
would aim at the decision as to whether the female members of the society are “justified in
continuing the human race” (Woolf, 1989). The concept of the equality as demanded by the
female members of the society have been observed to be a stepping stone in the matters that

2ANALYTICAL ESSAY
pertain to the matters that deal with the loss of the control from the male members of the society
to members belonging to both the genders.
On the other hand, the novel by the eminent writer, Sylvia Plath in her novel, The Bell
Jar had put forth the facts that are related to some of the life incidents in the life of the author
herself. The novel deals with the experiences of the protagonist that might have led to the
diagnosis of the concerned mental illness that might be termed to be clinical depression or the
bipolar disorder. The society that is depicted within the novel pertains to the American Society
and considers the female members of the society to be on the same footing as the male members
of the society. The novel, in contrast to short story, A Society composed by Virginia Woolf
depicts the equality that was existent in the twentieth century America. The major theme that is
depicted within the novel is the theme of depression that gradually leads to the development of
the mental illness of the protagonist. The feelings of the protagonist are very well depicted in the
words “the silence depressed me” (Plath, 2008). The protagonist is depicted to be closer to the
nature and not to like the hustle and bustle of the city. This is clearly depicted through the
statement, “I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people”
(Plath, 2008). The compositional style of the novel helps the readers to catch a glimpse of the
then society and therefore analyze the workings of the mind of the concerned protagonist (Graff,
Birkenstein & Durst, 2006). The theme of the madness that is depicted within the novel provides
the readers with an insight into the matters that are related to the suicidal depression that is
experienced by the concerned protagonist of the novel. The Bell Jar, unlike A Society depicts
the gloomy and depressing atmosphere that was present within the world after the completion of
the second world war.

3ANALYTICAL ESSAY
Thus, from the above discussion, it might be pointed out that both the authors who have
been considered have been successful in the depiction of the two different scenarios that were
present within the concerned society of the twentieth society. The depiction of the demand of the
equality as demanded by the female members of the society and the life of a young woman who
suffers from suicidal depression has been very vivid resulting in the conditions wherein the
readers might connect with the protagonists through the narratives.

4ANALYTICAL ESSAY
References
Graff, G., Birkenstein, C., & Durst, R. (2006). They say, I say. The Moves That Matters in
Academic Writing.
Plath, S. (2008). The bell jar. Faber & Faber.
Woolf, V. (1989). The complete shorter fiction of Virginia Woolf. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.