Exemplar Bell Jar

Review of Personal Reading "The Bell Jar" By Sylvia Plath

"The Bell Jar" was the first novel that Sylvia Plath wrote in her short writing career. novel is a semi autobiographical accountof

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a young girl's descent into depression. "The Bell

Jar" in many ways mirrors the experiences that Plath encountered during her own breakdown

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and treatment. Unfortunately Plath lost her battle with depression which resulted irr suicide. In my opinion

The Bell Jar" gave a frank and convincing insight into the mind of the mentally

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The plot centers on a young woman called Esther Greenwood. Esthe!\ returning from this trip, she suffers a total mental breakdown.

trip to New York. On

After a faile~ suicide attempt !)

she is admitted to several different mental institutions where she js subjected to electrotherapy.

/ Although we are led to believe that Esther eventually recovers 'but later when I was all right 7

again" we are given no clear indication as to when this is. The book ends as Esther is about to

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have her release reviewed, we are not told exactly what happens. Instead the reader is left to make up his/her own future.

- ~••.'-< (':), ••...a '"'0''''" I ~ this symbolised Esther's

mind.

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own uncertainty about the

"The Bell Jar" does not just give an insight into a fictional character,,;,,} allows the

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reader to see into the mind of its writer. I feel Plath had a great deal to say about mental illness ~ •..•••.•• ~ -"4::- ~. ~~""", and society's attitude towards it. Therefore, \~,,~

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in E~thef"!'!life contributed to her breakdown.

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The title "The Bell Jar" straight away gives an indication of the book's subject matter. A bell /

jar creates an environment all of its own. There is a barrier between the air inside and the air

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outside, it creates an isolated world.

This is what happens during depression, the depressed

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person is in a world all of their own. They are unable to connect with society in any way . ./'"

They, too, are completely isolated from the outside world. This is what makes the setting of

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the centre of New York particularly ironic in my opinion. New York is a social centre, full of people and society. I think perhaps Plath chose New York as it makes Esther's growing

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isolation from society even more apparent. Esther is already depressed to a degree when she /'

arrives in New York. "I felt very still and very empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, ~=~:e~u:::~~=;I:~~IOO."

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she can still connect with the outside world if she has to. "I stepped back into my room and shut the door. On second thoughts, I didn't lock it. I couldn't quite bring myself to do that." Plath uses the characters around Esther and her interaction with them, to illustrate Esther's gradual breakdown. For instance,Esther's reactions to S~e reactions she has t08

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very different to the

Doreen is drawn to Esther because she is so far removed from the

false society that Betsy and the other girls live in. "As if all the people here were pretty silly ___ Q:.""-f'-~\ .., • and she could tell some goodjokes on them if she wanted." Betsy is the epitome of the society in which Esther cannot function. "Betsy was always asking me to do things with her and the other girls as if she were trying to save me in some way." It is understandable that Esther

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would not wish to surround herself with people like Betsy, who is very false and superficial. "They imported Betsy straight from Kansas with her bouncing blonde ponytail and Sweetheartof-Sigma-Chi smile." However it is obvious that Esther is in real trouble when she can no longer face Doreen who, previously, had made her feel so good about herself - "being with Doreen made me forget about my worries." Esther's breakdown climaxes in New York when she throws away the entire contents of her wardrobe the night before she leaves. I feel that this symbolises Esther giving up all hope and succumbing to her depression. "I fed my wardrobe to the night wind and fluttering, like loved one's _~,,

the scraps were ferried off, to settle here,

Ca", "'E.. •.•""C"" there, exactly where I would never know, in the dark heart of New York." \ .C:..

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"The Bell Jar" is told in the first person and through flashback. This stylistic feature is

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extremely important as we are only hearing Esther's side of the story:...,!hisemphasises her

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,/ isolation from society. The story constantly changes from present time to some incident in the

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think that this reflects Esther's own rambling mind. Through the numerous flashbacks /'

we learn a great deal about Esther's background and upbringing. has

It becomes apparent Esther

gradually become more and more dissatisfied with life ever since her father died. "I

thought it strange how it had never occurred to me before that I was only purely happy until I

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was nine years old." This dissatisfaction has continued to haunt Esther, no matter how good something looks at first' than the disillusiom

always turn out to be flawed. There is no better an example of this

nt she encounters with Buddy Willard.

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Buddy at first seems the man of (

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ther cannot deal with the fact that he is not perfect, he is in fact only human->"

''What I couldn't stand was Buddy's pretending I was so sexy and he was so P.JJ,1".e·' only Buddy she has become disillusioned with; I fee~

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disillusionment with life in general. The same thing happens with college. After working hard -' (b.--a \0 •.•• '- o:? Q:; all her life to go away to college, she arrives and finds that yet again she does not fit in, all the

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ideas and dreams she had are now shattered. "I just studied too hard, I didn't know when to stop."

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Despite the scholarship and awards Esther still feel "inadequate", no matter what she

does she is not satisfied. "The trouble was I had been inadequate all along, I simply hadn't

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thought about it." I think that Plath is blaming society, it has continually failed to offer Esther

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anything that can satisfy her expectations, why should she be a part of it? By giving examples

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of Esther's previous disappointments Plath is emphasising the .cumulative

effect that society

has had on Esther.

Esther's suicide attempt also continues to emphasise the negative effect that society has had on

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way she tries to

kill herself is also very significant. Esther tries to overdose on sleeping pills and hides downstairs in the basement where no one can find her. This shows just how isolated Esther has

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become, even in death she feels she has to hide away from society. In my opinion the suicide ~

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is not a cry for help, 1 believe that Esther genuinely wants to end her life, if she had not really wanted to die she would not have left a note telling her mother she was going for a walk. The

, mother would not start to I00 k J: . ~~"th note meant her ror h er J:' ror qurte some time, giving "-.

chance to work.

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'The silence drew off, baring th

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-----rshells and all the tatty €cka~

at the rim of vision, it gathered itself, and .

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is rebelling against the society that

also shows that she has finally had enough, she

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as oppressed and disappointed her for so long.

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attitude she has towards the hospital staff is a clear indication of this. For instance when the

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nurse places a box of thermometers on her bed she actually knocks it off the bed .. "A heavy prick of naughtiness pricked through my veins , irritating and attractive as the hurt of a loose tooth."

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Esther has never been able to express this almost childlike behavior before, she has always been expected to behave properly.

The fact that is no longer doing so shows that she has

totally rejected society and wants nothing to do with it. Esther is in no way impressed with the

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medical staff at the hospital, she also is wary of the other patients at the hospital. 1 think this is because the staff and patients represent

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a society within the hospital itself,

threatened by them. /

Esther feels

"I began to look out for suspicious, fake names."

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Esther's first psychiatrist Dr. Green is a man, this does not help her illness, as she seems to have a general distrust

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The attitude that Esther has towards men is yet again, one of dissatisfaction.

Esther is not

happy with the roles that men and women are expect to play. "I couldn't stand the idea of a woman having to have a single pure life and a man being able to have a double life, pure or not." 1 believe that Esther's attitude towards men is a direct mirror

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? 1 feel that Esther's behavior at

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of Plath's own attitude.

This must have been quiet controversial in 1963 when the book was \N~O

first published.

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Esther is constantly disappointed by the men J.bttt enter her life, she has

Ea"'~ fo-'- n,=-",,"'\ lllsfeaiely high expectations and usually men fail to meet them.

This is another example

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society not living up to the ideals ~

Esther has.

"1 would catch sight of some flawless man in the distance but as soon as he moved closer 1 immediately saw he wouldn't do at all." Esther will not settle for anything less than perfection,

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should she?

Ultimately 1 feel that a large part of Esther's problem is that she refuses to fit into society. "Q:.~

There is no role in the society in which she lives that can satisfy ~r.

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many things that she could do but deep down there is nothing that really appeals. Esther could be accused of being too idealistic but, why should she settle for second '?

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best. • 1 think that Plath is speaking out against society and it's treatment of those who

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do not conform. In my opinion Plath is blaming society, she is saying it has crushed Esther and driven her to the point of mental collapse. I felt "The Bell Jar" was more than an insight into Esther's mind. 1 think it was a direct link into the mind of Plath herself.

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