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“The Role Models of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar” Throughout the novel Esther Greenwood has trouble deciding who she wants to be. Her search for an identity leads her to look at her female role models. These women are not ideal in her eyes. Alt ....

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.... that Esther sees as the binary opposite of ugly seems to have been acquired through her “millions and millions of dollars” (38). Jay Cee has “brains, so her plug-ugly looks [don’t] seem to matter” (5). But, Philomena has money so nothing else matters. Mrs. Willard is portrayed as the ultimate wife and mother. We are given the impression that Mrs. Willard embodies sensibility. She is what every little girl is supposed to grow up to be. But Esther sees differently. Mrs. Willard represents the inevitable outcome of marriage and motherhood – to flatten out under the husband’s foot like a kitchen mat (80) ....