Curated Selves and Cracked Masks in The Handmaid's Tale and The Bell Jar

Rangina Muchahary

Curated Self, Gender Performativity, The Other, Patriarchy ,Identity Construction, Female Subjectivity, Psychological Fragmentation, Resistance and Survival ,Dystopian Fiction, Feminist Literary Criticism ,The Handmaid's Tale ,The Bell Jar

This paper examines the concept of the "curated self" and its inevitable fragmentation in The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Drawing on Judith Butler's theory of "gender performativity" and Simone de Beauvoir's concept of "the Other," the study argues that female identity in both texts is not innate but socially constructed through repeated performances shaped by patriarchal norms. In the dystopian regime of Gilead, Offred's identity is deliberately curated as a survival strategy, masking her inner self while preserving fragments of her past. Similarly, Esther Greenwood in The Bell Jar constructs a socially acceptable persona aligned with mid-twentieth-century ideals of femininity, only to experience psychological disintegration when these roles prove restrictive and inauthentic. The paper demonstrates that both protagonists inhabit fractured identities, where the tension between inner subjectivity and externally imposed roles produces moments of rupture, or "cracked masks." While Offred's resistance remains subtle and internalized, Esther's manifests as psychological breakdown, reflecting different but related responses to gendered oppression. By comparatively analyzing these narratives, the study reveals how systems of power sustain themselves through the regulation of women's bodies, speech, and desires, ultimately reducing them to "the Other." The paper concludes that the distress experienced by both characters is not a result of individual failure but a consequence of the limited and enforced performances of gender within their respective societies.

Volume 14 Issue 3, March-2026

Pages : h452-h459