Throughout The Bell Jar, the concept of virginity—her virginity—cripples Esther: while Esther wants to have sex because she believe losing her virginity will be a transformative, liberating experience, she is afraid of getting pregnant. Esther is caught between being able to act freely and being rightfully afraid of the consequences of these free actions. In this way, Doctor Nolan is Esther’s vehicle of empowerment. By directing Esther to the doctor who provides her with contraception, Nolan unshackles Esther from her preoccupation with her virginity and gives her sexual—and ultimately emotional and mental—agency. Without Nolan, Esther would most likely still be lost in the maze of her own depression and her own underdevelopment, as Nolan fulfilled so many components essential for Esther’s personal growth and mental and emotional
Throughout The Bell Jar, the concept of virginity—her virginity—cripples Esther: while Esther wants to have sex because she believe losing her virginity will be a transformative, liberating experience, she is afraid of getting pregnant. Esther is caught between being able to act freely and being rightfully afraid of the consequences of these free actions. In this way, Doctor Nolan is Esther’s vehicle of empowerment. By directing Esther to the doctor who provides her with contraception, Nolan unshackles Esther from her preoccupation with her virginity and gives her sexual—and ultimately emotional and mental—agency. Without Nolan, Esther would most likely still be lost in the maze of her own depression and her own underdevelopment, as Nolan fulfilled so many components essential for Esther’s personal growth and mental and emotional