The Bell Jar Analysis

In this section of The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath I chose to focus on how Esther feels about herself, and her life so far. Esther does not really know what she wants to do with her life anymore, and she is really unsure about a lot of things. Esther wants to do a lot in life, but she realizes that she can’t and gets disappointed. Esther is really confused about where her life is going, which brings on a lot of self-doubt.
Esther is really confused about where her life is going, and is confused about what she wants. In chapter seven, page 77, Esther was comparing her life to a fig tree in a story she read. “I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story.” Each branch of the fig tree had a different future that she wanted, but she wants all of the futures on the branches, and is upset that she knows she cannot. Whenever someone asks her what she wants to do with her life after college she always seems to either be unsure, or has a different answer every time. When she was with her boss she said, “I’ve always thought I’d …show more content…
In chapter seven Esther says, “The trouble was, I had been inadequate all along. I simply hadn’t thought about it.” Ester lists all of the things that she couldn’t do. She couldn’t cook, she couldn’t dance, she couldn’t speak another language, she didn’t know shorthand and so she wasn’t going to be able to get a good job after college, and the list keeps going on. The only thing that she acknowledges about herself is that she knows how to do is win scholarships. I think that Esther doubting herself and not thinking she is good enough, and not being happy has to do with depression. I think that when you are happy you see yourself in a better light. In chapter seven Esther says, “I thought how strange it never occurred to me before that I was only purely happy until I was nine years old.” With that being said, I think that the death of her father has a huge impact on