Coming of Age - Chizara

 Throughout the novel  Fun Home , the main character, Alison, tries to understand the mystery of her father’s life and death. She suspects his death wasn’t an accident but a suicide. This idea comes up after she learns that just weeks after she came out as a lesbian, her father was hit by a truck while crossing the road. Though officially ruled an accident, Alison sees signs that suggest otherwise. One big reason Alison thinks her father’s death was a suicide is the timing. Her mother had recently told him she wanted a divorce, and Alison had just come out. This may have forced him to confront his own hidden sexuality in a way he wasn’t ready for. The book reveals that Bruce had relationships with men but kept them secret. This was shocking to Alison and likely contributed to her theory of Bruce taking his life. He built an artificial image as a family man, teacher, and home renovator, but he struggled with his identity underneath. Alison sees this as a possible motive for why...

     The Bell Jar, a novel by Sylvia Plath, is mainly focused on the main character, Esther's battle with mental health. As the novel progresses, we see Esther's mental state worsen and she starts to spiral. She even goes as far as attempting suicide in a few different ways.  Joan, another patient at the psychiatric hospital, and an old friend of Esther's, also faces similar struggles but has a tragic fate. Their different experiences highlight how mental illness affects people in different ways and their stories emphasize the novel’s themes of identity, societal pressure, and survival.      Esther’s mental health decline happens gradually. She starts as an ambitious and intelligent young woman, but the pressure to succeed and conform to traditional gender roles makes her feel lost. Her depression is marked by feelings of emptiness, lack of motivation, and suicidal thoughts. She struggles with knowing what she wants to do with her life and this causes ...