Archetypes In The Bell Jar Essay

As the famous psychologist Carl Jung once said, “An archetype is something like an old watercourse along which the water of life flowed for a time, digging a deep channel for itself. The longer it flower, the deeper the channel, and the more likely it is that sooner or later the water will return”. This particular quote showcases the significance of archetypes by illustrating how they each run a similar path, much like a watercourse, and brings about the understanding that they are recurring tools used in written work. The concept of archetypes has been around for some time now thanks to psychologists like Jung. A popular example of archetypes in literature is Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, where a young Esther Greenwood recalls her time in

dealing with mental illness. In Plath’s The Bell Jar, female archetypes are illustrated through the portrayal of the warm mother, the prudish virgin, and the seductive temptress.
One of the most noticeable motherly archetypal characters in The Bell Jar is Dr.

Nolan. Dr. Nolan is introduced towards the ending of the novel as Esther is being treated, and upon their first meeting, Esther recalls thinking, “I was surprised to have a woman. I didn't think they had woman psychiatrists. This woman was a cross between Myrna Loy and my mother. She wore a white blouse and a full skirt gathered at the waist by a wide leather belt, and stylish, crescent-shaped spectacles.” (Plath 186). During the time period The Bell Jar was set in, it was not very common for women to have the same jobs as men, so Esther is naturally surprised to meet her new female psychiatrist. With her, Esther is able to develop a fondness she never truly felt she had with her own mother while growing up. The mother archetype is typically portrayed as a caring and patient female who tries to guide or escort her child through life properly. Much like a real mother, Dr. Nolan tries to be kind and helpful to Esther by listening and offering her opinion. She manages to act professionally while trying her best, with the limited resources and knowledge she has access to. Dr. Nolan treats Esther

better than her prior psychiatrist, Dr. Gordon, who seemed to show no real interest in Esther’s troubles. Like a mother feeds her child milk, Dr. Nolan feds Esther advice. Like a mother provides her child warmth, Dr. Nolan does the same for Esther even if it was only momentary. Furthermore, at this point in the novel Esther also feels that “She is the one woman able to fuse femininity with intellect, an attractive appearance and manner with successful dedication to a career. The picture Esther draws of her has an almost movie star ring. Dr. Nolan steps out of a film from the late forties, fancy spectacles and all.” (Bennett 1), As shown by this quote, Dr. Nolan is fascinating to Esther. Since Esther is not accustomed to having such a motherly role in her life, she is immediately awed. From Esther’s point of view, this woman seemed too good to be true, almost like a mythical creature or a celebrity, such as Myrna Loy. According to the Literary Devices website, in literature the motherly archetype is usually depicted as a fairy-like or heavenly character with the best intentions in mind, quite similarly to Dr. Nolan. Unlike Esther’s real mother, Dr. Nolan does not pressure Esther to follow the society at the time’s guidelines, such as the expectation of all women to have children of their own. In the end, despite Esther’s hesitation, her encounters with Dr. Nolan helped her mental health. Throughout her journey in getting help however, she encounters other female archetypes, such as the temptress.
Another female character is that of Betsy, the virgin. Esther meets Betsy in the beginning of the novel, during her time at New York for a summer internship. In Betsy’s first appearance, Esther says, “They imported Betsy straight from Kansas with her bouncing blonde ponytail and Sweetheart-of-Sigma-Chi smile,” (Plath 6). During this time period, women were expected to be like Betsy. She is a sweet, innocent woman who seems to be happy all the time and is willing to help others. She is also characterized as chaste and shows no interest in participating in sexual activities. This is typical of the virgin archetype across literature. Betsy is the average woman in this society and men tended to look for qualities like hers in a potential wife. Being a virgin means being pure, and for this reason Esther believes Betsy to be a good influence. Esther tries to become her friend, despite believing she is boring, in hopes of becoming more like her rather than Doreen. In addition, Betsy’s good girl image is highlighted through her actions, as “Betsy is the caretaker, the pious, helpful, perky, future housewife, the angel incarnation of the time. Betsy attends all of the internship activities, and encourages Esther to do the same. She becomes a cover girl for advertisements, an exemplary woman of her time,” (Carrillo-Rush 17). This illustrates the idea that Betsy is an admirable woman. Her depiction of the virginal archetype is one praised by society and she is viewed as “exemplary,” (Carrillo-Rush 17). In other words, the ideal woman of this time would be a virgin and share other characteristics with her such as being ebullient. Being a virgin is generally associated with the idea of saving oneself for marriage, which would eventually lead to a family¬ and because of Betsy’s characteristics the chances of her being a good mother and wife seem more favorable.
Moreover, an additional prominent archetype in The Bell Jar is the temptress, shown through Doreen.

She is first mentioned at the beginning of the novel and is a contrast to Betsy. Doreen is one of the first people Esther meets in New York and she fascinates Esther. On one particularly outing Esther says, “Doreen looked terrific. She was wearing a strapless white lace dress zipped up over a snug corset affair that curved her in at the middle and bulged her out again spectacularly above and below, and her skin had a bronze polish the pale dusting powder. She smelled strong as a whole perfume store,” (Plath 7). Part of the reason Doreen captivates Esther is because she is unlike the conventional female population of the time. The temptress is usually a beautiful woman who gets any man she wants, such as Lenny in Doreen’s case. Rather than behaving and dressing like Betsy and the majority of women, Doreen is the complete opposite. She wears more revealing clothing and acts like a seductress. Unlike Betsy, she did not plan on saving her purity for marriage or being tied down to one man. Doreen does not feel the need to follow society’s guidelines and instead acts freely.¬¬ seeking only to please herself rather than trying to please others. ¬Even though she may seem like a bad influence, “Doreen is an unconventional woman and yet it is she, along with the equally unconventional Doctor Nolan, who becomes a positive role model and nurturing figure for Esther. Thus, when the figure

performing the mothering is not acting as an instrument of conservative values, Esther sheds her matrophobia and responds positively to the other woman,” (Kriel 85). Doreen is unlike most of the other women Esther has met and therefore gives her a new outlook on life. Doreen’s portrayal of the temptress shows Esther that she does not always have to follow society and that she should be allowed to focus on meeting her own needs and pleasures. Esther’s own mother behaves accordingly to what is expected from women yet she does not support fully Esther .
Throughout The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, female archetypes are showcase through motherly Dr. Nolan, virginal Betsy, and the seductive Doreen. These threw archetypes are only a few among the novel but some of the most significant.