The Bells

A very prominent theme throughout the book, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath was that thoughts haunt people which creates a bell jar around people, trapping them in the vortex of madness which is their mind. In the beginning of the book Esther contemplates what it would be like to be “burned alive” through electrocution (1). This thought essentially comes back to haunt Esther when she talks to Hilda who is “glad [the Rosenbergs are] going to die (99),” which contributes to the accumulation of…

“The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me” (Ayn Rand). For many years, women have been thrown around like useless trash. They were know for only being good at household chores, keeping up with the kids, or being an typical maid. The men and society had downgraded their self worth and made them believe they didn’t have any power. The women of the mid 1900s were convinced that were weak and dependent. Women did not have the courage to be more than that. Although, it…

person, just as Esther does. “Esther’s father was the patriarch of the family; in confronting his grave she confronts all of the different pressures she feels from life and the patriarchy.” The domesticated wilderness: Patriarchal Oppression in The Bell Jar by Allison Wilkins. Without a father figure she felt empty and it prevented her from finding happiness which she tortures herself with suicidal attempts. When she underwent her first electro shock session with Doctor Gordon she had a…

In the book “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath, Esther Greenwood has changed into a new person. At the beginning, Esther started off as a wild girl. Also, she was not that social with her family and did not have a bond with them. Additionally, Esther would always get herself in trouble. She would go hang out with boys and drink. First of all, Esther at the beginning was very strict, prima donna, and a very jealous person. Esther was the one who would drink a lot. “ ‘I’ll have a vodka, I said’ ” (11)…

Throughout both “The Catcher in the Rye” and “The Bell Jar”, the readers obtain an understanding of major themes which include; the search of social identity, the idea of a “melting pot”, and the American Dream. Both novels refer to the difficulties of the transition to adolescence. While for some, the transition may be exciting, others have a difficult time adjusting to the instant, yet drastic change. Holden Caulfield and Esther Westwood, the main characters of each of the books, have quite a…

who I am, I’ll be free.” In The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, the main character Esther is left at loose ends when the novel ends as to whether or not she will be released from a mental institution. As the reader follows Esther’s descent and ascension from her mental illness, it is wholly unclear as to what will become of her at the end; however, it is heavily implied that Esther is released from the mental hospital because of the metaphorical “shattering” of the bell jar and acceptance of her…

it to their own lives and personal experiences. Sylvia Plath is one particular author that uses her particular experiences to write about issues that are very evident within society and very applicable to various audiences. Plath’s famous novel, The Bell Jar, is an appropriate example of using personal issues to connect with her readers. Plath uses various elements centered on Esther’s, the protagonist, psychological downfall as the main focal point in this well-known…

The novel, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, is about a young woman name Esther Greenwood who is working for a magazine company as a temporary editor in New York. While working for a magazine company that often threw many female stereotypes at her, Esther is found in between either her sweet, innocent and safe friend Betsy, or the more daredevil, outgoing and rebellious friend Doreen. Seeing as Doreen is very open on a sexual front, Esther finds herself having a difficult time between the societal…

Sylvia Plath; Along with authors such as Virginia Woolf, Simone de Bauvoir and Marguerite Duras, is one of the biggest female authors of 20th century. The Bell Jar shares more characteristics with Sylvia Plath’s life than just a semi-autobiographical novel. The main character of the book, Esther travels to New York to work as an intern in a fashion magazine, just like Sylvia Plath did. They are both poets, who lost their fathers at the age of 8 and both Esther and Sylvia Plath slowly falls into…

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ and Sylvia Plath’s novel, ‘The Bell Jar’, scrutinises how both women, the unnamed narrator and Esther, become mentally unstable. Both protagonists exploit their real life situations in their story and novel to emphasise how being a woman living in a patriarchal society has caused mental breakdowns. Moreover, they make attempts to explore and understand their suffering of depression and the possible ways to overcome it. The short…