We might say that these chapters show us not only Esther's problems, but also society's problems. There is a great deal of potential for good things to happen, but because of a lack of common sense, because of the emphasis on quick achievement and competition, much is lost — including Joan's life, and we might add, eventually Plath's.
Perhaps the most important minor figure here is the one named Savage, from Vassar. The spectacle of the well-bred, well-dressed, bright young woman achieving everything and at an incredible pace is one of the most destructive parts of Esther's life. Nowhere in the novel does anyone suggest that Esther should be trained to slow down, to pace herself, to relax, to gently come to terms with herself — perhaps even over the years of a lifetime.
As helpful as some of the women characters try to be, their vision is not broad enough, nor does it encompass the best priorities. We never learn how, or why, Mrs. Guinea can cope with her life. She brings nothing to Esther except money; her "help" is negated by another message — namely, that success is the goal. But how? No one ever counsels Esther on how to survive. Jay Cee has advised concentrating on work and studying more languages, and even though we might agree that work can be helpful to people, Esther seems overworked and over-wrought from it. Dr. Nolan helps Esther get contraceptive advice, suggesting that she thinks that sexual anxiety is at the root of Esther's problems. None of these solutions help the young Esther, however, and we might say that they actually encourage what is wrong with her — that is, compulsive ideas about success and sex.
When Dr. Nolan explains to Esther that women find tenderness in each other and that men do not give tenderness to women, we agree that that is a fairly valid observation, especially for the 1950s. But the women in this novel do not exhibit enough tenderness and understanding towards one another. They are only able to be partly supportive to Esther. And it is not because they lack the impulses for kindness. They lack wisdom and sense and true independence from society.
