Borderline? And thoughts on Ted Hughes and his role..
I have a few thoughts I'd like to share with fellow Plath fans, regarding the whole Ted Hughes controversy and also regarding Sylvia's mental health.
After reading a large portion of both her journals and letters I notice that Plath was probably a borderline personality. The symptoms are there, and the more I read about both Borderline Personality Disorder and Plath the more I connect them. The symptoms can be read here (http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/symptoms-of-borderline-personality-disorder/) and include effort to avoid real or imagined abandonment, unstable and intense relationships with alternating views of idealization and devaluation, identity issues, recurrent suicidal behavior, chronic feelings of emptiness and instability in moods, amongst others. She seemed to be very "open" to meeting men..in her younger years she documented dates frequently and would often be talking to several men at once, which could be interpreted as the BPD's impulsivity. It seemed Sylvia lost interest in other people easily, once she figured them out. Perhaps this happened with her husband. Sylvia was always making fun for herself by analyzing everything around her.
From reading about her free spirit I really can't picture her married with children. I can't imagine how stifled she must have felt, tied down with this life she couldn't get rid of. Of course she loved her husband and her children, but with her sickness and her restlessness, it isn't a surprise to me that she killed herself.
A lot of fans blame Hughes for "driving her" to commit suicide because he cheated on her. It was probably a contributing factor, but the thing is, she was mentally ill. She had issues throughout her life and did attempt suicide before (obviously without success). She was undergoing shock treatments which were hard for her to deal with. Things were too much and she ended it. I don't think it is fair to point a finger at Hughes and blame him. He was grieving at her death and although his cheating was despicable, you can't blame him solely for her death. I don't believe he was a great person but I've been reading his "Birthday Letters" collection and it is apparent how much he loved Sylvia. I think maybe he did regret and blame himself for her death.
In the end, however, he couldn't save her. It's too big a task for anyone to save someone else. We cannot be angry with him for not saving her. I am definitely not so happy about his destroying her last journals, but I can also see his point. Their children shouldn't have to go through reading that. But now we'll never know for sure what were in those journals.
My basic point is this: Hughes was not the direct cause of Plath's death - her mental illness was. I don't take his cheating on her lightly, it was a horrible thing to do, but many people are guilty of this. He was by no means a saint but he does deserve some credit. Sylvia was not the easiest person to have a relationship with. Being BPD myself I know this. I give him sympathy for dealing with her mood swings and the hoops she had him jump through because I see myself doing this to those I love also.
That is all..just some thoughts I had to get out. I am thinking about writing a paper regarding Sylvia and my "diagnosis" of her, but it would just be for fun.
Thoughts? I know the Hughes thing is a big debate amongst fans.
After reading a large portion of both her journals and letters I notice that Plath was probably a borderline personality. The symptoms are there, and the more I read about both Borderline Personality Disorder and Plath the more I connect them. The symptoms can be read here (http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/symptoms-of-borderline-personality-disorder/) and include effort to avoid real or imagined abandonment, unstable and intense relationships with alternating views of idealization and devaluation, identity issues, recurrent suicidal behavior, chronic feelings of emptiness and instability in moods, amongst others. She seemed to be very "open" to meeting men..in her younger years she documented dates frequently and would often be talking to several men at once, which could be interpreted as the BPD's impulsivity. It seemed Sylvia lost interest in other people easily, once she figured them out. Perhaps this happened with her husband. Sylvia was always making fun for herself by analyzing everything around her.
From reading about her free spirit I really can't picture her married with children. I can't imagine how stifled she must have felt, tied down with this life she couldn't get rid of. Of course she loved her husband and her children, but with her sickness and her restlessness, it isn't a surprise to me that she killed herself.
A lot of fans blame Hughes for "driving her" to commit suicide because he cheated on her. It was probably a contributing factor, but the thing is, she was mentally ill. She had issues throughout her life and did attempt suicide before (obviously without success). She was undergoing shock treatments which were hard for her to deal with. Things were too much and she ended it. I don't think it is fair to point a finger at Hughes and blame him. He was grieving at her death and although his cheating was despicable, you can't blame him solely for her death. I don't believe he was a great person but I've been reading his "Birthday Letters" collection and it is apparent how much he loved Sylvia. I think maybe he did regret and blame himself for her death.
In the end, however, he couldn't save her. It's too big a task for anyone to save someone else. We cannot be angry with him for not saving her. I am definitely not so happy about his destroying her last journals, but I can also see his point. Their children shouldn't have to go through reading that. But now we'll never know for sure what were in those journals.
My basic point is this: Hughes was not the direct cause of Plath's death - her mental illness was. I don't take his cheating on her lightly, it was a horrible thing to do, but many people are guilty of this. He was by no means a saint but he does deserve some credit. Sylvia was not the easiest person to have a relationship with. Being BPD myself I know this. I give him sympathy for dealing with her mood swings and the hoops she had him jump through because I see myself doing this to those I love also.
That is all..just some thoughts I had to get out. I am thinking about writing a paper regarding Sylvia and my "diagnosis" of her, but it would just be for fun.
Thoughts? I know the Hughes thing is a big debate amongst fans.