Is Esther Greenwood Homophobic?
Much like the rest of Plath’s comedic genius within The Belljar , Esther’s brief train of thought about homosexuality is incredibly hilarious. I cannot get the line “I wondered if all women did with other women was lie and hug” out of my head— no one will tell the poor girl anything about what lesbians actually do. Esther’s first real introduction to gay behavior is when she forgets to leave after knocking on DeeDee’s door to no reply (218). She’s here to retrieve some sheet music, when she happens upon DeeDee and Joan vaguely lying on the bed together instead. We know it’s Joan because Esther describes “pale, pebble eyes regard[ing] me from the gloom,” and Esther had just finished ranting about how “horsey” Joan looked a page earlier: “I thought how sad it was Joan looked so horsey, with such big teeth and eyes like gray, goggly pebbles” (216). (Holden Horse Hypothesis, anyone? You know it’s Joan when the eyes are horsey goggly pebbles and you know it’s Doreen when they’re indest...