Marriage and the Exploitation of Women: A Case-Study of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Abstract

The present is a case study with a special focus on the institution of marriage which is inflicted upon women for their exploitation as represented in the selected text. This objective has been realized through a text-based exploration of the exploitation of female members of the society in the name of marriage. The selected text has been analyzed in light of feminist ideology. The research highlights the exploitation of women in the 1950s. The institution of marriage has been viewed as a hard chain that restricts female members of American society from flourishing as individual beings. The outcome of this exploitation has been seen in the negation of this institution by the protagonist and her negative impression of this institution. The study has consulted the perspectives of feminists such as Josephine Donovan, Kate Millet and Sheila Cronan to critically evaluate the suffering and its consequences for the protagonist