Sylvia Plath changed American literature with her only novel, the semi-autobiographical book, The Bell Jar; she worked her way into the hearts of both Europeans and Americans, without having the opportunity to celebrate her publicity after committing suicide in 1963, the same year of the book’s release in America. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath was a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel about Plath’s life and the struggles that she faced. The novel is regarded as one of Plath’s best works, as many people did not want to address the issues that she did in the novel, such as mental illness and depression, as well as Plath’s suicide attempts. Critics of The Bell Jar were able to see the issues that Plath faced and how it affected her life…show more content… In the 1930s in America, the Great Depression was affecting all Americans, leading to varying levels of anxiety and stress that would impact the children growing up. Also during the 1930s, President Roosevelt would initiate the “New Deal” in order to help the American people get out of the Great Depression through recovery, relief, and reform. The 1930s also brought an increase in movies and movie theaters, allowing people to find some enjoyment in fiction away from their normal lives. This would help the children growing up, like Plath, to see that they could create an escape from reality, and express their creative feelings. In the 1940s, American society changed as women took the jobs of men while they were fighting during World War II. This would impact Plath because she would be influenced by women’s roles in society as part of her writing career. Also in the 1940s, there would be the ending of World War II, which would cause society to go back to its traditional roles and move backwards from any progressive patterns in the workforce. The 1950s would bring the “Baby Boom” in America, which would influence women like Plath who were not mothers and would feel the pressure of the changing society to be a mother, and not a worker. Society in America during her lifetime and writing period would impact Plath because of the way she would be treated and the issues which she would