Racism in traditional literature: detrimental or something to learn from?
By Niall Cotton
The Bell Jar, written in 1963, is a novel that has been lauded as a modern classic. The book being Sylvia Plath’s only novel, comes with a certain prestige, and when reading it, you appreciate the frankness of the writing. Despite the quality of the writing and the attachment that is built to the characters, some passages made me hesitate and re-assess whether or not this should be hailed as a prestigious classic.
The story is semi-autobiographical, with Plath changing the names of the people and places. It follows her journey as a young woman on a scholarship in an editorial in New York, brimming with aspirations of one day becoming a poet. But, with the rejection from a writing course, she slowly spirals into a psychotic depression.
The themes in the book range from sexuality and the perceived importance of virginity, to a woman's role in 1950’s America, it provides a social commentary and has many feminist underpinnings. Plath beautifully weaves the story and the emotions of Esther Greenwood, Plath's pseudonym, to make them tangible and real to the reader.
However, throughout the novel, many racial comments are made, and often in a way of direct discrimination. Stereotyping and casual racism are prevalent. In a passage, Esther Greenwood described Mexicans as ugly, and describes her own reflection as "a big, smudgy-eyed Chinese woman staring idiotically into my face," a derogatory reference to the appearance of Chinese women. This was notably disagreeable, as even though this book is labelled as a forward-thinking piece of feminist literature, it is ridden with belittling prejudices against people of colour. One of the most glaringly backwards moments in the book is when Esther is receiving her meals in the hospital from a black man while describing him with a derogatory term for black people. He is described as stupid and indolent, despite him carrying out his duties in a respectable way. This passage comes to a head when Esther is upset at the food served to her, and she proceeds to kick the man. Following her assault, he is described to retreat while moaning in a way that paints him as a dense and simple-minded creature.
This part of the novel was intolerable and made me immensely uncomfortable. As a teenager growing up in the modern world of changed societal views, any form of racism is completely inexcusable and vile, but this made me think. The book being written in 1963 means that Plath was living in post-WWII America, still reeling from its history with the slave trade, meaning that the racist roots in Plath’s views were deeply ingrained. As a white woman living in that time, the colour of Plath’s skin came with benefits and ignorance. Is it fair to critique Plath for not realising her situation, her privilege, and most importantly, her hugely distasteful racial comments throughout the book? Personally, it is hard for me to just say, ‘Hey, she’s just from a different time, it is not her fault she was thinking that way,’ which is a commonly used defence for racism in literature classics in recent decades. While The Bell Jar may have a racist undertone, the book still provides a heartbreaking insight into life as a woman, many of which hardships still carry over to this day. It raises the argument of whether or not revered pieces of literary fiction should still be held in the same regard of admiration in modern day while containing backwards views.
Upon completion of this book, I felt I needed to find out what others thought about this topic. Through the brief research I undertook I came away with many great books with troublesome messages or content, including Jane Eyre, To Kill A Mockingbird, Lolita and The Odyssey. There are so many fantastic pieces of literature that perpetuate problematic ideas, including racist, sexist and anti-semitic motifs. It is important to realise the value of traditional literature in historic significance, artistic intention, and contextual insight, but it is also important not to overlook racist or other problematic content. The shortcomings of literature must be addressed, but in a way that promotes inclusivity and fosters appropriate behaviour and thought.