The Fig Tree
One passage that really stood out to me in The Bell Jar was the section about the fig tree on page 77. Esther is thinking about her life in New York and memories from college when she says, "I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked." These imagined futures include, "a husband and a happy home and children," "a famous poet," "Europe and Africa and South America," and, "many more figs I couldn't quite make out." Even though this sounds like it would be positive, she says she saw herself "sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but losing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet."
I thought this passage was really interesting because it shows Esther's mindset about the future. She lives in a society where people, especially women, have to choose one distinct future for themselves. You can't be a mother and a famous poet. You can't travel to Europe and get married and settle down. This is also shown when she gets her picture taken for the magazine in New York, and all the other girls hold up a single item that represents their entire futures. She's made to feel less passionate or driven than the other girls because she's not able to represent her goals in such a simple way. She feels like whatever she chooses she'll be trapped for life. The huge weight of this decision paralyzes her, and she can't find any way forward, so the figs "wrinkle and go black" even though she's "starving to death."
I think the metaphor of the fig tree is so powerful because it shows the urgency and hopelessness that Esther feels about her future during the New York section of the book. She can't control when the figs ripen or when they spoil, all she can do is watch. To her, sitting and waiting under the tree with all the possibilities still available to her is much better than regretting whatever decision she makes.
Good post! I definitely agree that one of the things that society and/or she imposes upon herself is the fact that in order to do any one of the things, she cannot do anything else in earnest. However, one thing that I think is interesting is that despite being in such close proximity to all those "figs", another source of her fear is that she seems to be also fearing of what happens after choosing a fig. Obviously, she says that "losing one meant losing all the rest" but yet she still does not take any step forwards.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis of the fig tree and how it shows how Esther feels so much pressure about her future that she feels like it's impossible to make a decision. Even though she needs to pick something before she loses all of them, she's too scared that she'll regret her decision to actually make one. I think it's possible the pressure to marry Buddy as well as learn shorthand was also contributing to this because they're pushing her in one direction. while she hates those ideas and doesn't want to feel restricted.
ReplyDeleteI this is a great point of view. I agree that Esther over thinks a lot throughout the book, but especially during her time in New York. In class we connected Esther's career uncertainty to high schoolers trying to figure out what to do with their lives. Esther feels like there are so many options but choosing one means that all others are lost, since it would be impossible to do two things at once. I think the visual of the figs turning black and falling represents how she feels time is withering away her choices, and if she waits too long she'll end up with nothing. This also places some pressure on her. Along with this, she enjoys sitting under the tree because it's better to sit and watch your options from a distance than to reach out and grab one.
ReplyDeleteThe fig tree is definitely one of the most interesting symbols of this novel! It is a perfect image of "paralyzing indecision" that a lot of us have probably felt. Although Esther is in a situation where she could take control by reaching out to a fig, she has no control over the passing of time, rendering her hopeless as the figs fall while she watches. It definitely relates to how she does not want to conform to the societal stereotype of having to choose just one path, but since in this society it is difficult to fathom reaching for more than one fig, she is struck with indecision. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHow did we manage to overlook this passage in our discussions? I'm glad you brought it to the group's attention: it's a great metaphor for Esther's paralysis over this summer, not just the wealth of options she can't choose between, but as you say, the idea that choosing ONE thing makes the other choices wither away. So, for example, the question of marriage: Buddy has confidently assured her (tone-deaf as usual) that once she's married she won't care about this silly poetry stuff. She therefore views marriage and related life-choices as a zero-sum game, where making one choice seals off all other possibilities.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this rigid view is mitigated somewhat by the passing mentions of Plath/Esther's child in the novel--we picture her (as indeed was the case) writing the book while taking care of a baby. As we discussed, this is a somewhat ominous prospect when she says things like "If I had to take care of a baby all day I'd go mad." But on a more positive note (and when she wrote the book, Plath was more or less making the balance work, publishing her poetry and fiction while raising her children), it could suggest that, once she's emerged from this ordeal, she no longer views these choices as mutually exclusive.
I really liked your post! And I really like your analysis of the fig tree. She hasn’t truly figured out her identity yet (like how we see her experimenting in New York), and it traps her further under the bell jar. I think her urgency also comes from when Esther sees the other girls in New York who seem like they have their future all figured out while she is still unsure.
ReplyDeleteI completely overlooked this passage of the novel. This really does clearly show Esthers view of her future and how that does correlate with her mental illness. The analogy does also emphasis the social expectations of the time, and how any path she goes she would feel trapped and regretful.
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