The Bell Jar: Esther's Transformation

The Bell Jar: Esther’s Transformation Sanity is defined as the ability to think and and behave in a normal and rational manner; sound mental health. Everyone is born sane. Even mental illnesses that are genetic, develop over time. Other mental illnesses are produced from things like stress, trauma, abuse, and alcohol or drug use. People react differently depending on the type of illness and how it was caused. They might hurt themselves or others. Eric Leuschner states “In many ways, the primary theme of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar is that of illness. Over the course of The Bell Jar the main character, Esther Greenwood, changes dramatically as she descends into madness and receives treatment for recovery. In the beginning of this novel Esther …show more content…
Esther and her friend Doreen skip a party organized by the magazine and leave their cab with some guys. They go to a bar and even there Esther does not seem to enjoy herself. Doreen, however, finds herself infatuated with a man named Lenny. As we read the book, we learn that Esther’s depression is something that has developed over time. Her dad died when she was nine years old. She thinks it angered her mom that he did not leave any life insurance. This is the only emotion her mother shows of her husband’s death. This leaves Esther feeling alone in dealing with her grieving. Learning this we find the root of her …show more content…
After dating him for some time, she discovers that he is not as innocent as he portrayed himself to be. She finds out that he is not a virgin. This upsets her. She cannot be happy in a with him. In fact after discovering that Buddy is not a virgin, she decides that she cannot be happy in a relationship period. Buddy’s secret makes her suddenly decide that she does not want to be a virgin either. She begins a quest to lose her virginity. Before finding out about Buddy’s secret, she believed sex should only come after marriage. After learning of Buddy’s secret, she felt she could not lose her virginity fast enough. Her new found desire leads her to attending a blind date with one of Lenny’s friends. This is where we see just how bad this desire is and just how much more it causes her to lose herself. The man who she is attending this blind date with is Marcus. When they first meet, he asserts his dominance over her by grabbing her arm and leaving bruises. He takes her outside and begins ripping her clothes off. She decides at first to just lay there while he rapes her, just so that she would no longer be a virgin. However after Marcus calls her a slut, she decides to fight back. That little trigger in your brain that says “protect yourself” finally clicks. She hits him in the face and breaks