Why the Rosenbergs?
“It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs.” (Plath 1) That’s kind of an odd way to start a book, isn’t it? When I first started reading the Bell Jar, I was curious what the reference to the Rosenberg execution was doing here. Was the line simply added to ground the story in the historical period in which it took place? If so, why not just say, “It was the summer of 1953?” And if that were the case, why does the execution come up again halfway into the book, during the conversation with Hilda? I think it is clear that this is not just an offhand reference. To me, the repeated nods to this event seemed intentional and important, and I think they had a lot to do with Esther’s detachment from the world around her as her mental health worsened. But first, who were the Rosenbergs? ...