This is a Dr. Nolan appreciation post because I don't think Esther could've survived her depressive episode without support from someone like Dr. Nolan.
Firstly, Dr. Nolan tells it like it is. When Esther explains to Dr. Nolan why she hates shock therapy, Dr. Nolan quickly announces that Dr. Gordon "did it wrong." It is clear that Dr. Nolan knows the importance of her work and therefore doesn't have time (or respect) for people who do it wrong. Dr. Nolan is also extremely frank when talking to Esther. She doesn't sugar coat anything, making it clear that her road to recovery will be unpredictable. That being said. Dr. Nolan also does her best to address Esther's concerns head-on. For example, when Esther expresses her fear of having a baby (and therefore her hesitancy to be sexually active), Dr. Nolan sends her to a clinic to be prescribed birth control. Dr. Nolan doesn't make Esther feel bad for wanting to be sexually active before marriage or derail the conversation to address other problems that she believes are more pressing. Dr. Nolan takes Esther's concerns seriously and does her best to come up with optimal solutions.
Dr. Nolan also does an incredible job of reminding Esther that she's not alone in her recovery process. When Esther asks Dr. Nolan if she'll have to get shock therapy more than one time, Dr. Nolan responds by saying, "that depends on you and me." The way Dr. Nolan phrases this answer points to her larger views about therapy. For one, recovery is an unpredictable process, and Dr. Nolan doesn't pretend to know all the answers. But also, Dr. Nolan shows Esther that she will be with her every step of the way. In other words, therapy is much more about a relationship between two people than one person being scrutinized by the other. Dr. Nolan follows through on her promise to stay by Esther throughout her time at the hospital. We see her accompanying Esther to the shock therapy room and keeping her word about the shock therapy being painless. For the first time ever, Esther finds someone who makes her feel validated and less alone.
Lastly, Dr. Nolan is a nasty woman. She is a proto-feminist whose views about being female in the 1950's align well with Esther's. We never hear anything about Dr. Nolan's family life or husband, if she has either. The point is, it doesn't matter, because her character is strong on her own. More importantly, Dr. Nolan empowers Esther to be a powerful woman. She encourages Esther to laugh in the face of chastity propaganda, to have casual sex, to not be ashamed of her struggles in and outside the hospital. Dr. Nolan considers Esther her equal and treats her as such.
Firstly, Dr. Nolan tells it like it is. When Esther explains to Dr. Nolan why she hates shock therapy, Dr. Nolan quickly announces that Dr. Gordon "did it wrong." It is clear that Dr. Nolan knows the importance of her work and therefore doesn't have time (or respect) for people who do it wrong. Dr. Nolan is also extremely frank when talking to Esther. She doesn't sugar coat anything, making it clear that her road to recovery will be unpredictable. That being said. Dr. Nolan also does her best to address Esther's concerns head-on. For example, when Esther expresses her fear of having a baby (and therefore her hesitancy to be sexually active), Dr. Nolan sends her to a clinic to be prescribed birth control. Dr. Nolan doesn't make Esther feel bad for wanting to be sexually active before marriage or derail the conversation to address other problems that she believes are more pressing. Dr. Nolan takes Esther's concerns seriously and does her best to come up with optimal solutions.
Dr. Nolan also does an incredible job of reminding Esther that she's not alone in her recovery process. When Esther asks Dr. Nolan if she'll have to get shock therapy more than one time, Dr. Nolan responds by saying, "that depends on you and me." The way Dr. Nolan phrases this answer points to her larger views about therapy. For one, recovery is an unpredictable process, and Dr. Nolan doesn't pretend to know all the answers. But also, Dr. Nolan shows Esther that she will be with her every step of the way. In other words, therapy is much more about a relationship between two people than one person being scrutinized by the other. Dr. Nolan follows through on her promise to stay by Esther throughout her time at the hospital. We see her accompanying Esther to the shock therapy room and keeping her word about the shock therapy being painless. For the first time ever, Esther finds someone who makes her feel validated and less alone.
Lastly, Dr. Nolan is a nasty woman. She is a proto-feminist whose views about being female in the 1950's align well with Esther's. We never hear anything about Dr. Nolan's family life or husband, if she has either. The point is, it doesn't matter, because her character is strong on her own. More importantly, Dr. Nolan empowers Esther to be a powerful woman. She encourages Esther to laugh in the face of chastity propaganda, to have casual sex, to not be ashamed of her struggles in and outside the hospital. Dr. Nolan considers Esther her equal and treats her as such.
So true. It's so important to see people who look and think like you in positions of power, not only so that we can look up to them but so that they can validate us. I read an article about how important it is that more black women become doctors because black women are so often ignored in our healthcare system and it really opened my eyes. Even famous and powerful women like Serena Williams and Beyonce were mistreated during pregnancy. Hopefully we'll start to see a shift for the better in diversity in public service fields, so that we can create truly safe and inclusive spaces.
ReplyDeleteI love this post! Dr. Nolan is a beacon of light in the otherwise bleak society Esther lives in. I can imagine how relieving it was for Esther to finally find someone who understood her depression, and furthermore, recognized the problems with 1950s society when literally everyone else disregarded or just didn't recognize them. Even people like Jay Cee and Philomena Guinea, who are also powerful women, don't impact Esther the same way Dr. Nolan does.
ReplyDeleteDr. Nolan is so aware of what Esther needs and it's obvious that she really cares about Esther's well being. Like you mentioned she helps Esther get birth control because she talks with Esther and pays attention to her and is able to realize what Esther needs. She also decides to not let Esther have any more visitors because she notices that Esther hates when people come to see her. Thinking back to Dr. Gordon, he would never have done these things for Esther because he was never really in tune to what she wanted and he couldn't even remember what college she went to.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! I really love Dr. Nolan because she is a really great doctor as you described, and helps Esther a lot in her coming-of-age as a woman. And also, I think that Dr. Nolan provides a sort of treatment that focuses on Esther as a person, rather than being focused on "lets fix this now" like Dr. Gordon. I think that's in a lot of ways her fighting against the American system of medical care where often patients get treated more as numbers than people (if we associate the 50s with aggressive capitalism, then this fits pretty well).
ReplyDeleteDr. Nolan deserves all the appreciation in the world !! The way she was honest with Esther and how she built her relationship with her rather than dismissing her was amazing. I also liked the fact that she was this powerful and influential character in the book because we don't really see that often. It was interesting to see that throughout the book, there was a lot of men that were mentioned in the medical field, but weren't as important as Dr. Nolan was and I enjoyed the fact that Plath emphasized that.
ReplyDeleteIn this novel full of characters who ignored Esther's symptoms of illness and consistently did things to worsen them, coming across a character like Dr. Nolan was very unexpected for me. What really struck me about her character was her willingness to call BS on societal norms she though unfair. As you said, she encourages Esther to do whatever she wants and stand up against the double standard which expects her to remain a virgin. She's a really cool character that gives a refreshing break from all the other characters who just don't seem to understand Esther.
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