Female struggle and appetite/body autonomy in The Bell Jar.

Abstract

This essay will look into the significance of Esther’s interaction with food in The Bell Jar and in doing so, argue that the many binge/purge cycles that Esther goes through is really an internalization of the denial of the fulfilment of female desire and appetite. In precisely the same way females with eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia deny themselves the fulfilment of their appetites to retain their waistlines in order to prevent themselves from getting larger than society deems, so do women who restrict their metaphorical appetites and desires do so in order to trim themselves down to the ideals of femininity set out for them by patriarchal society.