Is Mrs. Greenwood a Good Mother?

The Bell Jar follows the mental breakdown of Esther Greenwood as she struggles through the social expectations and pressures of early 1950s America. As Esther’s mental state descends into depression, she sends many cries for help to her mother, Mrs. Greenwood. Yet, many of Mrs. Greenwood's responses only seem to exacerbate Esther’s condition. But is Mrs. Greenwood really a bad, indifferent mother?

Undeniably, many of Mrs. Greenwood’s comments on Esther’s condition are inappropriate. When Esther tells her that she has not slept consecutively for seven nights, Mrs. Greenwood completely denies her insomnia by stating that she “must have slept, it was impossible not to sleep in all that time (Plath 127).” Instead of taking Ester’s confession as a serious warning sign, Mrs. Greenwood dismisses it as an exaggeration. Her response both invalidates Esther’s struggles and pushes her into deeper isolation. A similar instance happens after Esther receives her first electroshock treatment. When Esther declares that she will not return to Dr. Gordon, Mrs. Greenwood answers with relief that “I knew my baby wasn’t like that…like those awful people…I knew you’d decide to be all right again (145).” Mrs. Greenwood’s response reveals the stigma she ties with Esther’s condition. Mrs. Greenwood misunderstands mental illness as a moral issue rather than a medical one. She sees mental illness as a voluntary choice, something one can decide to fix. To this point, she still thinks that Esther is just throwing some rebellious tantrum. She doesn’t comprehend that Esther’s suffering is above her willpower. 

In addition to terrible responses, Mrs. Greenwood contributes to Esther’s breakdown by imposing patriarchal values on Esther. On Esther’s first couple of days in the suburbs, Mrs. Greenwood tries to convince Esther to learn shorthand so she can eventually become a good secretary (121). In her perspective, learning shorthand and taking a secretarial career is a woman’s only route to success. In Esther’s view, these two exact things represent confinement. Becoming a secretary means serving (slaving) for a man rather than pursuing her own ambitions. And she is being pushed by her own mother towards patriarchal oppression. 

Despite Mrs. Greenwood’s shortcomings, I’m still reluctant to call her an incompetent mother. All of Mrs. Greenwood's seemingly insensitive responses are rooted in her ignorance of mental illnesses. This is logical in the context of 1950s American society, as mental health awareness was still extremely unpopular. Mrs. Greenwood may not understand depression, but when she recognizes that Esther needs psychiatric help, she is willing to invest all her money to help Esther (185). On one of her visits, Esther narrates that “She [her mother] never scolded me, but kept begging me, with a sorrowful face, to tell her what she had done wrong (202).” Mrs. Greenwood blames herself for Esther’s illness. She is not a neglectful, but a desperate and helpless mother.

Plath did not portray Mrs. Greenwood as an evil figure; rather, she embodies a quintessential woman trained by the patriarchal values of 1950s America. Unquestionably, Mrs. Greenwood endearingly loves Esther and is willing to give her everything for Esther. She has been trained in a society where women are held to double standards to serve men and keep virginity. She loves Esther and wants the best future for her. In her conservative perspective, there is no alternative to reaching success and obtaining happiness in the system other than conforming to it. She is both an enforcer and a victim of this system. Straight-up labeling Mrs. Greenwood as a “bad mother” oversimplifies the tragedy. Yes, she fails to catch Esther’s emotions, but this failure is not rooted in the lack of love. Mrs. Greenwood is too constrained in the cultural framework to understand Esther’s progressive views.

Thank you for reading :D

Toodles! 

Works Cited:
Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar. Heinemann, 1963.