“My Mind Will Split Open”: Sylvia Plath’s Inner Conflict and the Development of Her Narrative Style at Smith College

My thesis focuses on Sylvia Plath’s years at Smith College between 1950 to 1955 to explore Plath’s shift to a more personal style of writing following her descent into depression, laying the foundation for her later creative works: The Bell Jar (1963) and Ariel (1965). The discussion draws on Plath’s journals and letters written during her time at Smith College, along with scholarship on the poet’s life (H. Clark 2020; J. Rose 1992). While the academic backdrop of Smith College enhanced Plath’s literary talents, inspiring her to write and publish countless works of fiction and poetry, her time at Smith College also marked the beginning of her suicidal ruminations and a lifelong battle against depression, resulting in her first documented suicide attempt in August, 1953. This thesis attempts to highlight her personal struggles as an aspiring female writer in the 1950s. The first chapter traces the influence of Smith College on Plath’s creative pursuits while also investigating the possible root causes of Plath’s depression during those formative years. This chapter will also provide an analysis of a few selected works which she created at Smith College, and her Bachelor thesis on Dostoevsky’s novels. The second chapter offers a close reading of The Bell Jar, arguing that the novel, drawing from a series of real-life events, illuminates Plath’s battles against depression. Moreover, this chapter also highlights how Plath projected her own conflicted identity upon her protagonist Esther Greenwood. Lastly, the third chapter will highlight the dynamic nature of Plath’s carefully constructed poetic personae, analysing select poems from Ariel, such as “Lady Lazarus” and “Daddy,” with particular attention to the overarching themes of these poems. Keywords: Sylvia Plath, Smith College, depression, inner conflict, identity.