Imagine that Sylvia Plath was orphaned at birth and grew up in a Boston orphanage, a public charge with no relatives. She is just as talented and furious as we know her to be.
Sylvia Plath, without any family:
Never becomes interested in bees
Never lives in Winthrop or Wellesley
Has no grandparents
Never meets Mr. Crockett
Is not expected to attend college
Receives no encouragement to pursue the arts
Is on her own at age 18
(Her choice then is either a job or marriage. Let's guess she chooses independence and gets a job as a waitress or a typist.)
Has no one and no place to count on as a "safety net"
Can't borrow a car
Writes very few letters and no one keeps them
If granted a scholarship to Smith College cannot earn enough to cover expenses so does not graduate
Has no family doctor
Can't afford psychiatric treatment
Dies in a basement at age 20
Or if by chance she survives, resides in a state mental hospital and no one visits
The advantage of being Elly: People would love orphan Elly for "her sweet, quiet nature. They wouldn't be after me to read books and write long papers on the twins in James Joyce." Plus everything bad that ever happened to Elly can be blamed on the awful lady at the orphanage. (The Bell Jar, 134)