Coming of Age and Philosophy

     One parallel to Robinson's Housekeeping did not become apparent to me until the end of the book.  The book could be summarized as a sort of manifesto for a certain philosophy wrapped in one or, depending on your view, several stories of coming-of-age.  When I thought of the book this way, I was reminded of another book with a similar setup: Candide.  Though the books are fundamentally different, I still find it interesting that they both concern the maturation of people and are heavily steeped in philosophy.

   Published in 1759, Candide is Voltaire's most famous work and is a critique of the time.  Despite its age, many of the subjects it tackles are still alarmingly apparent today: freedom of speech and religion, religious discrimination, and human subjugation are just a few of many examples.  Highly satirical, the main purpose of Candide is to disprove the extreme optimism put forth by Leibniz.  The story is rather simple: a young (but illegitimately born) nobleman, Candide is banished from the Eden-like palace in which he grew up and has to learn to get along.  He wanders throughout the world, learning about many different people and their circumstances.  As he is confronted with the great cruelty and injustice present in the world, he questions what he had been taught by his tutor, Doctor Pangloss, who represents the optimism of Leibniz.  After many horrific experiences (and seeming resurrections), Candide affirms that "it is necessary to cultivate one's garden"--a statement to be read both literally and figuratively.

     While this may not seem very similar to Housekeeping, they both share the aspect of philosophical exploration coupled with coming-of-age.  The differences lie in style and subject matter.  Candide is a satire, and constantly makes fun of just about everything, while Housekeeping, with its odd humor, still definitely has a more serious tone.  (This is not to say that the arguments or meaning of Candide are not serious.)  Candide is feels like less of a bildungsroman than Housekeeping, as the story does not seem to serve much purpose other than to illustrate the philosophy.  The story of Housekeeping does reflect the philosophy described in the book, however, it reads more like a novel than Candide.  Voltaire parallels Candide's development with his philosophy, and we see him grow up mentally in part by forming his ideas and questioning what he knew before.  Robinson is philosophical from the beginning, though the ideas she discusses are often paired with the protagonist's experiences, and in some ways explain the character's development.  In this way the two works are similar--they put forth philosophical ideas and develop them at the pace of their narrator's development.  They are two very different books to read (one reason being that Candide does not induce quite the same existential questioning as Housekeeping), but they both give philosophical insights through the story of young people's development.

Esther's Shoes

     While still in the middle of The Bell Jar, I was somewhat perplexed by Esther's mention of the shoes she was wearing.  She usually gave the same description about them:  her "black patent leather shoes."  The first time she mentions them is on the second page, along with "a black patent leather belt and black patent leather pocketbook to match."  For whatever reason, it seemed to me an odd detail to bring up so often.  Part of that was because I was unfamiliar with the phrase "patent leather," but for whatever reason, the shoes stuck with me.

     

     Apart from a few casual mentions at the beginning, and during the assault by Marco, the most notable section with Esther's shoes is in Chapter 12.  The first mention is when Esther considers ending her life by cutting her wrists.  Esther cuts her leg, and watches the blood pool into her shoe.  The next time she mentions her shoe is again in Chapter 12, when she considers drowning herself.  She leaves her shoes on the beach, and says, "It pleased me to think they would be perched there on the silver log, pointing out to sea, like a sort of soul-compass, after I was dead."  Esther seems to hold some regard for her shoes, as they are what would remain if she were to die as she was planning.

     

     While Esther is contemplating her death, the chill of the waves makes her "[think] longingly of the black shoes on the beach."  Then, as she decides against drowning, she says, "I picked up my pocketbook and started back over the cold stones to where my shoes kept their vigil in the violet light."  The idea of the personified shoes' "vigil" is very interesting, as it implies they are in some way watching over her.  To be clear, I am not trying to imply that the shoes stop her, but the human quality she gives them is quite interesting.  

     

     The next time she mentions her shoes, blood is pooling in them again, only, this is after her encounter with Irwin, while she is on the road to recovery, and the bleeding was not started intentionally.  Interestingly, Esther also mentions her shoes just before she goes into the interview to be released.  This creates a sort of book-end effect (especially when one considers the blood), and her shoes are with her during everything she goes through.  Another interesting detail is that Plath starts "Daddy" with an address to her "black shoe" which "[does] not do/ anymore" and which Plath "[has] lived like a foot/ for thirty years, poor and white,/ barely daring to breathe or Achoo."  This again stresses that her shoe has been with her throughout her experiences, and is an interesting detail along her journey.