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Comparison Of Bell Jar And Midnight Cowboy

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The books “The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath” and “Midnight Cowboy by James Leo Herlihy” feature characters who are searching for something. Esther Greenwood as well as Joe Buck are two lost souls attempting to make their way into a world that is overwhelming. The stories are prime examples of the Bildungsroman and the Picaro. The two characters are at times quite similar and at others complete opposites. Esther is intelligent, comes from a semi-affluent family, and has a set of goals that she has laid down for her life. She has a mother, who, while not a doting mother, appears to be willing to do alot for her daughter; except admit that she has problems. Joe is the opposite of Esther on many fronts. While, Esther is intelligent Joe is slow at best and flat out developmentally challenged at worst. Esther has a family and friends that she could, if she chose to, fall back upon; Joe, not counting his mostly absent grandmother, has a long series of people that scamper into his life and leave just as quickly as they appeared. Growing up, Esther had her mother and father while Joe had the unrealistic world of 50s television to aid their development. …show more content…
When Esther’s plans for the future come crashing down around her she spirals out of control leading to several attempts at the ultimate give up: suicide. When Joe’s Grandmother dies, and he loses all real connections to the world, does he give up? No. He does what looks to be a continual trend for the man, he puts his head down and pushes on and goes where the wind takes him. Does he know what he’s going to do when he gets there? Probably not, but he never gives up. He knows that eventually he will get to where he needs to be and says so near the end of the

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