Rebellion: The Journey of Independence
             Whether it is for the better or for the worst, parental figures have always had a big impact on an individual's development. In a society, there are many different sources that shape an individual; some sources may even end up contradicting parental leadership. Can these outside influences possibly overpower an individual's parental tutelage? In Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, Esther Greenwood desperately desires to rebel against her mother's views and aspirations for her, which in the process leads her to insanity.
             Esther does not concur with her mother's views on sexual intercourse, and consequently as rebellion tries to follow her own ways. Esther's mother, Mrs. Greenwood, had sent Esther pamphlets explaining the importance of chastity for a young lady, remaining a virgin until marriage:
             It said in an article my mother cut out of the Reader's Digest and mailed to me at college. This article was written by a married woman lawyer in 'In Defense of Chastity'. It gave all the reasons a girl shouldn't sleep with anybody but her husband and then only after they were married. (Plath, 76)
             Esther did not like this view. She did not like that the rule was different for males; males did not have to remain chaste to their wives, "This woman lawyer said the best men wanted to be pure for their wives, and even if they weren't pure, they wanted to be the ones to teach their wives about sex." (77) Females had to remain chaste, but males could play double standards. Esther disapproved, "I couldn't stand the idea of a woman having to have a single pure life and a man being able to have a double life, one pure and one not." (77) Esther especially did not like what she found out about her former boyfriend Buddy Willard, who seemed like the kind of male who would remain chaste for his wife, had meaningless sexual intercour...