McCarthyism and Witch-Hunts: Sylvia Plath’s Perspective
Sylvia Plath was born in the time of the Great Depression, was a child during World War II, and became a young adult during the Cold War era, catalysing her own disapproval of this latter, turbulent period in American history. Her literary representation of McCarthyism and the Cold War is apparent in her only published novel, The Bell Jar (1963) and poems, such as “Lady Lazarus” and “Fever 103°” which mark her strong opposition to authoritarianism. In the US, the late 1940s and early 1950s were characterised by forceful fight against Communists of the Cold War and threats of a nuclear war. President Harry S. Truman and Senator Joseph McCarthy were the key figures associated with the suppression of political enemies and investigating people who were suspected of committing “un-American” activities. Joseph McCarthy gained larger political presence after his speech delivered in 1950 in West Virginia in which he […]