Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath: An Analysis of Trauma & Suicide

This essay explores the imagery of depression, trauma, and suicide in the writings of Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath, two prominent female writers of the 20th century. It discusses how societal expectations and the male-dominated patriarchal society contributed to their mental health struggles and eventual suicides. The essay analyzes Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway" and Plath's confessional poetry, highlighting the autobiographical nature of their works and their use of literary techniques like stream of consciousness and personification to depict their personal experiences with mental illness and trauma. The analysis focuses on specific characters and themes within their writings, such as Clarissa Dalloway's internal struggles and Septimus's PTSD in Woolf's novel, and the exploration of personal trauma and mental breakdowns in Plath's poetry and "The Bell Jar."