Compare and contrast the presentation of freedom in two texts you have studied.

In The Help Stockett’s character Celia is constantly restricted by the expectations of society, “she’s wearing a tight red sweater and a red skirt and enough makeup to scare a hooker”, the tightness of her clothing echoes the tight restrictions she puts on herself to be the ideal 1960's housewife. Evidence of restrictive ideals is further emphasised by Stockett’s use of polysyndeton which is used to describe Celia’s outfit. Stockett uses the phrase “to scare a hooker” to highlight the sheer amount of makeup her character is wearing as in reality the phrase is to “look like a hooker”; the comedic value here is used by the author to emphasise her point. Celia is also ‘forced’ by society to have children, something which later is revealed she cannot do, “There’s a line of blood along the hem of her white nightgown”, the juxtaposition of the “white” and “red” is used to convey the severity of the situation. It could also be interpreted to show how the expectations on Celia are crushing her, as she is willing to risk death to fulfil society’s ideals.This blood imagery links to Plath’s poem, Munich Mannequins, “cold as snow breath…the blood flood”, the white “snow” is contrasted with the “blood flood”. The connotations of “flood” suggest copious amounts of blood are lost, this is mirrored in Stockett’s novel, “the blood has soaked through”, with “soaked” alluding to the sheer amount of blood on the bathroom floor. Celia’s miscarriages in conjunction with her desire to please society, links further with Plath’s poem, “perfection is terrible, it cannot have children”, it could be said that Celia’s desire to be perfect in society’s eyes, is what causes her miscarriages, as it is known that stress can be a cause for the body to reject a fetus. However, when Celia comes to terms with herself, accepting that she does not need to appease society, she finds her freedom, “it is not like the old days when she was pregnant. Now she can’t wait to get out the door”. Minny’s narration allows us to see Celia’s freedom from an outside perspective, with the connotations of “old” suggesting Celia’s days of despair and restriction are in the past.