Esther experiences a tremendous amount of pressure and confusion about where to focus her life's purpose and how to succeed in multiple fields and aspects of her life. Her confusion is confessed symbolically through the metaphor of the fig tree: “I saw myself sitting on the fork of this fig tree, starving because I could not decide which of the figs I would choose” (Plath 77). Esther is torn between choosing a direction in life that she wants for herself and what society and the people closest to her are pushing her to pursue. Just like Holden, Esther cannot tolerate the excessive expectations she feels society is placing on her. In chapter 10, Esther no longer cares about her aesthetics, as she claimed at the beginning of the novel. The immense pressure leads to Esther's physical and mental exhaustion, the onset of her lack of self-care, which is the point at which the rapid decline in her mental health begins. This crucial moment is signified when he admits that he hasn't felt like washing away the lines of dried blood that mark his cheeks (Plath