Initiation- the Short Story
INITIATION-Sylvia Plath -
Initiation is a story of group exclusivity, self exploration and personal transformation of a girl in Lansing High. It is the story of Millicent, who discovers that being an individual offers more opportunities than being part of a sorority. In Initiation, the author, Sylvia Plath expresses the hardships Millicent undergoes to become a member of the elect. Millicent is forced to go through several rituals which decide whether she is capable of joining the sorority. At first Millicent is delighted and proud that she will finally be part of a society however during the process of initiation, she is slowly recognizing that being a member of a society is not as thrilling and exhilarating as it sounds, and being an individual presents more opportunities to become an exceptional and sole person. Moreover, Millicent is evolving into a more independent person, having picked her freedom over the image as a part of the sorority. Furthermore, Millicent learns to face her fears, having completed the difficult tasks which help her overcome her uncertainties.
Millicent is an average girl who no one really notices until a sorority chooses her as a nominee to join their group but she must pass their initiation tests first. “What girl would not want to be one of the elect, no matter if it did mean five days of initiation before and after school, ending in the climax of Rat Court on Friday night when they made the new girls members?” (Plath) When Millicent first hears she is nominated to receive an invitation to join the elect, she is amused but also confident to pass the five day initiation process at any cost.
As Millicent gets to know more about what happens in the sorority from a current member of the society, “they have a meeting once a week…each girl takes turns entertaining at her house…,”(Plath) Millicent quickly starts to lose interest in being a part of the elect as they have no final destination. Millicent is also regarding the idea of
Initiation is a story of group exclusivity, self exploration and personal transformation of a girl in Lansing High. It is the story of Millicent, who discovers that being an individual offers more opportunities than being part of a sorority. In Initiation, the author, Sylvia Plath expresses the hardships Millicent undergoes to become a member of the elect. Millicent is forced to go through several rituals which decide whether she is capable of joining the sorority. At first Millicent is delighted and proud that she will finally be part of a society however during the process of initiation, she is slowly recognizing that being a member of a society is not as thrilling and exhilarating as it sounds, and being an individual presents more opportunities to become an exceptional and sole person. Moreover, Millicent is evolving into a more independent person, having picked her freedom over the image as a part of the sorority. Furthermore, Millicent learns to face her fears, having completed the difficult tasks which help her overcome her uncertainties.
Millicent is an average girl who no one really notices until a sorority chooses her as a nominee to join their group but she must pass their initiation tests first. “What girl would not want to be one of the elect, no matter if it did mean five days of initiation before and after school, ending in the climax of Rat Court on Friday night when they made the new girls members?” (Plath) When Millicent first hears she is nominated to receive an invitation to join the elect, she is amused but also confident to pass the five day initiation process at any cost.
As Millicent gets to know more about what happens in the sorority from a current member of the society, “they have a meeting once a week…each girl takes turns entertaining at her house…,”(Plath) Millicent quickly starts to lose interest in being a part of the elect as they have no final destination. Millicent is also regarding the idea of