The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is about Esther Greenwood, an intelligent, college-age writer from New England who falls into a deep depression and is sent to a psychiatric ward to recover. Her journey in the book begins in New York City, where she has won a contest for an internship at an esteemed fashion magazine along with eleven other girls. The winners are showered with free gifts and given an itinerary filled to the brim, yet Esther can’t help but feel adrift. Among the other interns, Esther makes a friend in Doreen, who somehow perfectly matches her sarcastic and cynical nature. The two often stray from the itinerary and create their own adventures together, until Doreen meets a prominent, boastful man named Lenny Shepard and diverts her attention from Esther to Lenny.
When the month is up and Esther arrives back home, she loses all motivation to do nearly anything; She can’t write, can’t sleep, and even views washing her hair or clothes as a daunting and tiresome task. She is referred to a psychiatrist, Doctor Gordon, whom she meets with the utmost resistance. Predictably, she makes very little progress in her sessions with him and her depression grows overwhelmingly. After an attempt to take her own life with a concoction of pills, she lands herself in a psychiatric ward. At first, she is as skeptical as ever, but throughout her journey there she goes through some advantageous changes: learning to trust doctors she has been so distrustful of, improving her mental state, and regaining her own sense of self. Esther describes her depression as being trapped inside a bell jar, suffocated by her own mental desolation, hence the title of the book.
The Bell Jar easily became one of my favorite books after reading it. I found the classic to be thoroughly enjoyable and a brilliantly written novel. The reader can’t help but become immersed in the melancholy thoughts and feelings of the narrator Esther. Plath is able to perfectly capture the emotional weight of depression Esther carries and the sense of utter helplessness that accompanies it. The immersive quality of her writing, which can honestly be uncomfortable at times for the reader, is a true testament to the talent of Sylvia Plath. The novel takes on themes of feeling trapped by societal expectations, gender roles, and the cruel and apathetic practices of psychiatric treatment in the 1950s. The Bell Jar is a compelling, remarkable read and I would highly recommend the classic to anyone interested in a literary masterpiece depicting the steady downward spiral of the protagonist’s deteriorating mental state.
I was confused about how the title of the book related to the story until you explained the analogy. I think it is brilliant the author used the depression of Esther as being trapped in a bell jar. This story sounds like an emotional rollercoaster but I definitely see how you can get attached to the characters.
The Bell Jar is a book I keep wanting to read and still have not picked up. I will admit I only really scanned this blog because I don’t want spoilers… maybe this reminder of the novel being a good one will convince me to pick it up, and when I finish, I can read this blog and see if it affected us in the same way.
Emma, as a fellow book lover, I have loved reading your posts. Your description of The Bell Jar has definitely left me wanting more and wanting to read it. I like how you talked about the title of the book and its connection to your analysis. Great post 🙂