Esther

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…

year-old Esther Greenwood struggling to find her place in society. In her struggle, Esther falls into a deep depression and attempts suicide, causing her to be admitted to a mental hospital. Societal expectations of everyone, women especially, make it difficult for people to find where they are meant to belong in the world. Esther’s disgust with society makes the achievement of her expectations all the harder. Struggling to be independent causes Esther to self-destruct. Pressure…

book, The Serving Leader, Esther not only saves the Jewish people, but also reestablishes Jewish community and raises their status among the Persians. “Serving leaders, run to great purpose, raise the bar, blaze the trail, build on strength and upend the pyramid” (Jennings & Stahl-Wert, 2004, p. 100-102). Facing impossible challenges, Esther ascends to reach her goals. Actions of a serving leader are visible in her approach to handling conflicts. Finding her purpose, Esther realizes that she has…

In the sequence of Meet me in St. Louis, Esther and Tootie are being panic when they realize their dreams are being taken over by their father’s dream. Mr. Smith wants to move the whole household out of St. Louis to New York. It seems to be a good thing at that era. But, to Tootie and Esther, moving out of St.Louis is the sign of leaving the own-controllable world and getting into the dream of other. Both Esther and Tootie need a container (the city of St. Louis) to carry their dreams. Once the…

novel The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath portrays mental illness and feminism through Esther. During the 1950’s in America, women were not educated and not expected to go to college. They were not prepared to support themselves and could rely on marriage and children as a predestined fate. Plath and Esther defied these stereotypical views when Plath attended Smith College and exceeded expectations(“Bell”). In The Bell Jar, Esther also pursues her writing career at college as she endures mental illness,…

and author. Written in 1963 by Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar is a stunningly intricate novel that tells the story of Esther Greenwood, a 19-year-old woman who has just been awarded an internship at Ladies Day Magazine in New York city. Although her life seems beautiful and full of opportunities, Esther comes to despise it as she slowly loses her mind upon returning from New York. Esther soon begins to develop an obvious and serious depression and is soon admitted into an asylum to recover. Faced…

American novels shed light on the struggles of fitting in and growing up as an adolescent. Holden is a teenage boy, who continually flunks out of school, and struggles with the loss of his brother. Esther is a successful young woman, who is taking a very promising path to a bright future. While Esther seems a success, both she and Holden experience traumatic events throughout their youth. Adolescence is both positive and negative experiences in life. J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and…

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”…

The Bell Jar is a classic story of feminism in the mid 1900s. Esther Greenwood goes through periods of severe depression, happiness, and boredom. The reader watches her develop as she learns what’s really important in life. The book starts off with Esther working for a New York magazine, where she excels. The problem is that she doesn't fit in with the eleven other girls, causing her to distance herself. Spending a month on the job, she learned a lot about friendship, but she also realized that…

life and death in Esther’s eyes. Some examples of these are: The Fig Tree, The Bell Jar, Blood, Mirrors, and her Beating Heart. Going into detail, The Fig Tree is one of the many symbols throughout the text to show Ester’s madness. Specifically, when Esther reads about a Jewish man and a nun who meet under a fig tree, she realizes that their relationship is not working- just as her relationship with Buddy was not working. I feel as though the fig tree ends up becoming a symbol of Esther’s life…