A mental illness can arouse in any human due to a plethora of factors. It can impair one’s behaviour, thinking, mood, perception, and social environment causing a person to emotionally deteriorate in their life. In The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, Esther Greenwood’s mental illness is sparked by her father’s absence, her attempt to fit into society’s expectations, and her rejection towards forming intimate relationships.
Esther’s initial spark to her depression is caused by her father’s absence from her life at such a young age. At the start of the novel, Esther comes to a realization that she “was only purely happy until I was nine years old” (Plath 75). This was the age that her father died. She never mourned about his death until she visited …show more content…
Foster describes how “the plot needs something to happen in order to move forward, so someone must be sacrificed” (Foster 84). In The Bell Jar, Esther’s mental illness is triggered by the rejection letter she receives to attend a writing school but initially her father’s death is what starts her mental illness from arousing. The event that leads the plot- her father’s death- to moving forward is not directly associated with Esther but according to Foster, the “someone” who is being sacrificed “is rarely the protagonist” (84) which in this case is her father. A loss of a close one can impact a character in various ways. For example, they may undergo shock or sadness, however in Esther’s situation, her father’s death doesn’t manifest her physically and mentally until a later stage in her …show more content…
Bonds asserts that Esther’s relationships with “the women in the novel are only to cast them off, as if they constituted a foreign presence within the purity of her own identity” (Bond). This can be seen in the beginning of the novel with Esther’s relationship with Doreen, an acquaintance of Esther’s in New York. Esther admires Doreen’s confidence but shows no love or concern for her. For example, when Doreen gets drunk in New York and shows up sick outside of Esther’s room, Esther ignores her presence and leaves her outside of her door as Doreen continuously throws up: “I decided the only thing to do was to dump her on the carpet and shut and lock my door and go back to bed” (Plath 22). Esther’s rejection towards taking care of Doreen is result of her carelessness and disregard towards attempting to form an intimate relationship. As stated previously, this can also be seen with Esther’s mother which Bond agrees with: “A similar pattern is repeated with every female character in the novel, including Dr. Nolan, the psychiatrist who brings about Esther’s recovery, and Esther’s mother” (Bonds). Esther’s unappreciative personality pushes away characters in the novel that could emotionally aid Esther in
Esther’s initial spark to her depression is caused by her father’s absence from her life at such a young age. At the start of the novel, Esther comes to a realization that she “was only purely happy until I was nine years old” (Plath 75). This was the age that her father died. She never mourned about his death until she visited …show more content…
Foster describes how “the plot needs something to happen in order to move forward, so someone must be sacrificed” (Foster 84). In The Bell Jar, Esther’s mental illness is triggered by the rejection letter she receives to attend a writing school but initially her father’s death is what starts her mental illness from arousing. The event that leads the plot- her father’s death- to moving forward is not directly associated with Esther but according to Foster, the “someone” who is being sacrificed “is rarely the protagonist” (84) which in this case is her father. A loss of a close one can impact a character in various ways. For example, they may undergo shock or sadness, however in Esther’s situation, her father’s death doesn’t manifest her physically and mentally until a later stage in her …show more content…
Bonds asserts that Esther’s relationships with “the women in the novel are only to cast them off, as if they constituted a foreign presence within the purity of her own identity” (Bond). This can be seen in the beginning of the novel with Esther’s relationship with Doreen, an acquaintance of Esther’s in New York. Esther admires Doreen’s confidence but shows no love or concern for her. For example, when Doreen gets drunk in New York and shows up sick outside of Esther’s room, Esther ignores her presence and leaves her outside of her door as Doreen continuously throws up: “I decided the only thing to do was to dump her on the carpet and shut and lock my door and go back to bed” (Plath 22). Esther’s rejection towards taking care of Doreen is result of her carelessness and disregard towards attempting to form an intimate relationship. As stated previously, this can also be seen with Esther’s mother which Bond agrees with: “A similar pattern is repeated with every female character in the novel, including Dr. Nolan, the psychiatrist who brings about Esther’s recovery, and Esther’s mother” (Bonds). Esther’s unappreciative personality pushes away characters in the novel that could emotionally aid Esther in