The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is the story of a young, vivacious college student who struggles with her everyday college life and her successes. It leads her to over-work her mind and have a nervous breakdown. The novel is a journey through the mind of the young college girl, Esther Greenwood, and her slow descent into insanity. It is an intriguing insight at how the mind works, or in Esther’s case, turns against her. Esther is a young college student who has had much success is her life.…
As a rule, what surrounds a character in a book, either a different culture, or geography, tends to change their moral principles. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, is a perfect example of how even though someone has everything they need, they can end up doing insane things. Mccandless, the main character, is affected by extreme environmental surroundings, because his thinking shifts from being brave to feeling morally guilty . Cristopher, used to have all he wished, but because of his solipsistic personality, this wasn't enough.…
The Monkey Garden was about how Sally had to kiss all the boys to get her keys back for the car. Sally did not want to do that but she had to because that was the only way to get the keys back. “ It was just a kiss, that’s all. A kiss for each one”( Cisneros 97) . This means that it was not a big deal but 1 of Sally’s friends told her mom and she did not even care because on page 97 it states “Your son and his friends stole Sally’s keys and now they won’t give them back unless she kisses them……
The process of discovery insurmountably affects perceptions of human nature and the wider world. Discovery, literally and metaphorically, is the foundation of an individual's physical and emotional evolution, influencing all aspects of their life. The concept that a change of location allows personal growth or decay is considerably relevant to the idea of physical discovery leading to emotional revelation. This is a prevalent thematic concern within Michael Gow’s play Away (1986) in which discovery evidently impacts upon the characters’ perceptions of class structure. This text also explores the changing perceptions of feminism and sexual consent, leading to a shift in societal behaviours.…
Throughout the novel “The Sun Also Rises,” by Ernest Hemingway, the characters are often represented as “lost” both mentally and physically, in negative and positive ways. This is evident when Brett announces, “I won’t be one of those bitches,” exclaiming that she is finally coming to realize who she wants to be and what she wants from a man(247). This is negative because she was “lost” and was abusing her self-worth proving that she was physically misusing her body, but mentally she thought she was smart enough to not be “one of those bitches.” The main character Jake however, was “lost” in a positive way as he thinks to himself, “It felt strange to be in France again. There was a safe, suburban feeling,” explaining that Jake felt comfort…
I bought the audio book for The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, which was narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal. The bell jar she refers to is a metaphor of how she feels suffocating, stewing in her own “sour air”. (Plath, S.) She also refers to the bell jar as something many people around her seem to have that are in denial, perhaps not even just in their own madness, but about everything. In chapter 7 Esther bring up feeling inadequate.…
“Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success,” a quote from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, provides a glimpse into an important theme of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, written by Ransom Riggs. The beginning of the story takes place in present day Florida, where the main character, Jacob Portman, lives. The rest of the story takes place on Cairnholm Island in Wales in both the present and on September 3, 1940. Jacob is a sixteen-year-old boy who shows great courage when faced with many challenges. Jacobs’s first challenge was overcoming the death of his grandfather.…
that can be replaced as easily as the kitchen mat that represents the insignificance of Mrs. Willard (Bonds 54). Esther only manages to free herself temporarily. She feels better at the moment, but The Bell Jar is still hanging over her head. She has not succeeded in fulfilling her aspirations but instead learned how to live in the world of her time, gained control and confidence in her decisions and came to terms with her complicated personality. This outcome can be considered an important achievement and a kind of liberation.…
Furthermore, the title is an extended metaphor of her suffocation from relationships and work which prevents her from connecting with the people around her. A bell jar is an inverted glass jar used to protect and display delicate objects or to maintain a vacuum. But for Esther, the bell jar symbolizes madness. “...wherever I sat - on the deck of a ship or at a street café in Paris or Bangkok - I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air” (178) - She feels as if she is inside an airless jar that changes her perspective on the world because no matter where she goes, she is trapped.…
How Much Should the Author’s Life be Known Authors Sylvia Plath of “The Bell Jar” and Justin Torres of “We the Animals” both incorporated many of their personal life events and struggles into their debut novels. By incorporating their hardships into their literary work, the two books provide an extensive look into both of the author 's frustration and fanciful imagination. In “The Bell Jar”, the protagonist, Esther Greenwood, is first described as a studious girl who, through her education, was granted a summer magazine internship to New York City. Instead of using this opportunity to network and grow as a writer, Esther begins to fall into an increasingly severe depression. She is constantly plagues by her repressed sexuality which forces…
At it’s core, The Bell Jar serves to challenge the social norms of the 1950s, and challenges the prevailing notion that women were dependent on and inferior to men. Esther struggles with the expectation that she should abandon her hopes and dreams for motherhood and a career in domestic duties. The novel also questions the idea that motherhood is the ultimate in femininity through grotesque images of pregnancy and birth, Esther sees the birthing room as a oubliette describing the birthing bed as “some awful torture table”. Esther notices that her worth is based on her ability to have children: “You oughtn 't see this,” Will muttered in my ear. “You 'll never want to have a baby if you do.…
Many studies show what personality traits can affect schizophrenia. John Forbes Nash Jr. showed an interesting personality trait that amplified his schizophrenic disorder. According to Capps (2004), his narcissism not only intensified his schizophrenia, but it helped in his recovery or repression of his schizophrenia. The movie, A Beautiful Mind, attempts to convey the life of Nash in a way that is understandable to all. The movie begins while he is in graduate school at Princeton University and it goes throughout his life, showing his falling in love with his wife, the birth of their first son, and his first admittance into a mental hospital.…
While reading The Cellar by Natasha Preston I have evaluated three minor characters. Violet, Rose, and Poppy are the three other flowers to help make Clover’s idea of a perfect family whole with the addition of Lily. Without these certain minor characters in the book it would change dramatically leaving calamity. Rose is a sweet girl who was shy, but comfortable in Clover’s presence.…
Marcus told himself he wasn't going to get in trouble anymore. He wanted to stay away from the troubles of society to make himself better. Well that didn't last long when a man named Charlie with a brain disorder came into the picture in the book “Pop by Gordon Korman” Charlie was willing to help him and be friends the better himself but little did he know that Charlie was into trouble and wasn't the best influence for Marcus. The opposing force of trouble over took Marcus once again, and it would test his mental strength.…
The Bell Jar written by Sylvia Plath is a novel that describes the life of Esther Greenwood, a successful woman unraveling at the idealist image of woman set out by society. These images are seen throughout the novel when looking at Esther’s internship as a magazine editor. The idea of being a proper housewife shakes Esther and the idea of it makes her mentally sick. She is also surrounded by the idea that motherhood is the only acceptable situation for women in society. These ideologies are not what Esther is about.…