People Who Inspire Me- Sylvia Plath
She has been heralded by many depressed teenage girls, because she articulated the pain that she went through. (The Bell Jar does not shy away from some very harrowing things.) But that isn’t why I like her. The Bell Jar is one of my favorite books, but I love it because it depicted what it’s like to be an outsider, to lose oneself. I will never forget the part when Esther is sitting in the resturant and she sees her reflection, which to her feels like she is “melting into the shadows like the negative of a person I’d never seen before in my life.” There are many scenes from that book that I will always remember. I’m reading her journals, and it amazes me that I can completely relate to someone who was going through the exact same things over 60 years ago. She wants to be successful as an artist, she doesn’t want to be limited by a home life, she wants to know what the future holds for her. She doesn’t want to be completed because of a man, she wants to be completed because of her passion. It’s sad that she lived in a time where she was so limited. It makes me feel lucky that women are able to do so much more today. I’m sorry that her life ended so terribly, but I am glad she left so much behind. I just wish she was able to see the success that she ended up having.
This is a great post.
(via fuckyeahsylviaplath)
