Two Novels

My students have just completed two novels: The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.  This month, instead of responding to articles or recordings, I have provided some discussion questions about these works.

The Blithedale Romance: Why doesn’t Miles spill the beans?

When he discovered that Hollingsworth wanted to purchase the land for his prisoner reform scheme, why does Miles retreat to town instead of telling the others at Blithedale?  How would the plot of the novel have changed if had revealed this?

The Blithedale Romance: Are philanthropists inherently selfish?

This novel deals a lot with causes: the Transcendentalist and Fourierian ideals of the Blithedale project, the feminism of Zenobia, and of course the reformation of criminals which Hollingsworth devotes himself to.  What does Miles (or Hawthorne?) say about the dangers of this?  To what extent do you think he is right?

The Bell Jar: Esther as a young adult

Esther is an academically oriented young adult (like you).  To what extent can you identify with the difficulties she faces in the novel?

The Bell Jar: Am I better or worse than…?

Esther spends much of the novel comparing herself to others.  Do you think this is something that helps to cause her depression?  Or is it more of a symptom?  Or is it simply normal –something that most of us do but do not always admit to?

The Blithedale Romance and The Bell Jar: Too close or too far away?

Miles is constantly wondering whether his unhappiness is caused by being too concerned about Priscilla, Zenobia and Hollingsworth, or not concerned enough.  Which is it?  Is Esther’s problem in any way similar to that of Miles?

The Blithedale Romance and The Bell Jar: Types of feminism

Both novels have feminism as an important theme.  How does Plath’s (or Esther’s) view of feminism differ from that of Hawthorne (or Miles)?

The Blithedale Romance and The Bell Jar: Realistic or idealistic?

Both novels use characters to create a contrast between the attitudes of idealism/optimism, realism and cynicism.  What does each novel have to say about these attitudes?