The Bell Jar: Sylvia Plath

I find The Bell Jar an intriguing book that covers the areas of relationships/mental health realistically. This book is based on the author's experiences. It is an adult book and describes (but does not analyse unsurprisingly) many aspects of relationships from the perspective of Esther Greenwood (the main character). The story starts off quite slowly in a feintly amusing sort of way and some might find this uninteresting. Gradually a picture emerges of an unhappy young woman who has contact with men but is unfulfilled emotionally by them. The portrayal of a woman's attitude and thought process provides an insight into the way certain kinds of sophisticated women might think. The book has a natural flow to it and unlike some fictional books there is nothing here that seems unlikely or out of place. Esther's difficulty is her partial dislike for her intended, severe dislikes of some males and a lack of interest from males she does like. As you progress more and more through the book you begin to see more of Sylvia's beautiful and imaginative writing. One example that comes to mind is when her man (Buddy Willard) describes his mother saying `- a man is an arrow into the future and the woman where the arrow shoots from'. There are many dark elements to this novel: the sinister descriptions of medical laboratories, mental institutions and the negativity and depression contained within. What makes it surreal is the background of parties, student life and past recollections. This must have been a rather difficult book to write as unlike many books it doesn't have multiple stories or characters that interact or exciting events throughout. The fact that the book is over 200 pages also makes it long for a story about one person's depressive illness. So whereas some books draw you in to a story because The Bell Jar is not like this there is a tendency to become a little disinterested until the next gem of imaginative brilliance. The Bell Jar is a story of two halves. The first half describes the cause of Esther's illness and the second describes the effect of it, although the reader comes to realise that Esther is already ill in the first section. In the book a man who hates women attacks Esther. The analogy of a snake in a glass cage (the woman hater) is memorable description of which there are a number sprinkled throughout the novel. With these kinds of experiences Esther's character becomes cold. A magical element of this book is the way her other friends find things so easy; they are all contented. Sylvia might have focussed on the inevitable friction this would cause but elects not to. From chapter 10 onwards the second part of the novel describes the consequences of the earlier events. Some may find this the most interesting part of the book. With chilling accuracy Sylvia describes the form of Esther's breakdown. Its all there: the aspects the sufferer clings to that don't make any difference, the futile attempts to change things, rejection from a writing course, ending her relationship with Buddy etc. Sylvia vividly shows how Esther's high ability works against her, how she starts things but gives them up and how she stays in bed for days unable to sleep. The author has quite an unusual writing style that I find disorienting, only later on in the story am I able to perhaps understand things. She sometimes describes subsequent events in the story before the other events. Whether this is a surreal element of the writing or simply annoying will depend on the reader. The book is harrowing in its descriptions of self-harm as the terrible state Esther is in becomes clearer and clearer. This novel is for purists and adults. It is sometimes hard going but rewarding in the way it complexly evolves. Perhaps the method/style/form of writing is in itself a portrayal of the malaise of mental health problems. It certainly makes the book different to other classic works. Overall I am confused by The Bell Jar and am at a loss to determine its worth. For: Flashes of genius Realistic depiction of slide into mental illness Interesting perspective on human relationships Against: Realism that makes it occasionally difficult to maintain interest

The Bell Jar begins with Esther Greenwood explaining how she came to be in New York and how she was feeling during that time. Plath adds in current events of the time to make it easier to relate to the place and time in which it is set. The first descriptions of New York are not the most pleasant and while explaining about the extravagances of the magazine industry, Plath manages to make the city seem dark and grey. The opening of the book made me want to know more about Esther, her life and how she spent her time in New York. As Esther's time in New York is further explained, it is clear quite quickly that she doesn't feel at home there. Esther, used to being known for doing well in school and winning scholarships feels like an extremely small fish in a huge pond. Although the other characters are not described in too much detail, Esther makes it known that she doesn't feel anything like them and doesn't think that she has much in common with the other girls at all. The way that Esther's character is written would make me think that at the time the book was published, women everywhere would have been able to relate to her. She isn't the most confident of characters and is open about her fears and worries about the world and her future. This was something that I found really intriguing about Esther. The Bell Jar is partly autobiographical of Sylvia Plath's life and deals with the topics of mental illness and suicide. These themes are strong throughout the whole book. When in New York, Esther knows she doesn't quite fit and this begins her slow descent into depression and an intense sadness. Even though Esther keeps her personality throughout the book, parts of her slowly get lost in the big world that she is experiencing. She is cold and calculating about some major issues like losing her virginity and her views about marriage are far from those of other women during that time. Esther becomes mentally unstable following her return home from New York and this is where the novel mirrors parts of Plath's own life. I thought that this was going to be a really depressing book after knowing the subject matter but everything was so interesting instead. Watching Esther's mental health get worse and worse and seeing the different kinds of establishments that she was put in gave me more perspective on what Plath's own life would have been like. Due to Esther's condition and her life experiences, Plath made me like her but also feel empathy for her at the same time. The Bell Jar is a wonderfully written novel full of poetic prose and crisp descriptions. While the novel tackles tough themes, especially for the time it was written, it is a compelling read and one that I enjoyed thoroughly.

Everyone should read this book

This is a slightly difficult book to rate. The first half of it is excellent. It is poetic and full of beautiful characterisation and build-up. The problem is that the second half just doesn't deliver on this early promise. *** SPOILER PARAGRAPH *** I know that that is partly the point of the story; the deterioration in the protagonist's mental state seems to come from her failure to achieve the success she has promised to herself (and which she believes she deserves). She wants to carve a new path that is very different from the normal `female-success- journey' (i.e. marry, children, housekeeping). Coupled with that, we have a rather narcissistic and self-involved psychology, which gradually alienates her readers (e.g. leaving her friend at the cowboy's house and then on the floor of her hotel corridor) in the first half and then repulses them in the second half (e.g. the self destructive behaviour and its projection onto those around her). Sorry Sylvia, I know that this was part biography, and I know how difficult it must have been to write this `warts-n-all' but I have rarely come across a character for whom I've had less sympathy. The writing style and structure echoes this boredom and lack of fruition, which would be applaudable in a poem, but is too much for a novel. Her decent into madness isn't really all that believable. There's no real madness here, just a deep suicidal depression. ***SPOILER OVER*** I don't feel, having read this book that I know very much about any of the characters. The protagonist doesn't perceive much in anybody outside her `bell jar', and doesn't really ever engage in any insightful examination of herself. I don't feel like I care very much about the protagonist, and that, to my mind is why this ultimately fails as a novel.

Plath's semi-autobiographical novel is a fantastic work of literature, though not for the reasons you might expect. The start of the novel is nothing particularly special, though as the story progresses, there are vignettes which begin to appear giving insights of extraordinary self-awareness. The main theme that Plath explores is the isolation felt by someone going through depression and breakdown, which is very hard to express to those on the outside looking in. One of the ways in which she does this in the book is by having a variety of secondary characters who often seem to appear out of nowhere and then disappear quite quickly, only to reappear later on with little connection to their earlier cameos. Yet in these, there is the sense that the characters lack depth. This is quite a deliberate move by Plath, not an example of poor writing. When your world is insular and suffocating in an intangible bleakness, other people become two dimensional and plastic. As the novel progresses, there are seeming gaps in the narrative where you suddenly find yourself in a whole new scene just seconds after having been somewhere else in an unresolved situation. This again is a way in which Plath sees the world, with yawning gaps in memory, something that is very common in people with depression. Once the reader has adapted to this writing style, the work is an utterly moving piece of literature. For the most part, I read this on the train over the course of a week, and at times had to dab the odd tear from my eye and try and disguise it from my fellow commuters. * spoiler warning below* As someone who has suffered from depression at times myself, there was much here to identify with, and it brought back some memories from a very dark time in my life. There is a point in the book where it all seems to have to a head and the deepest of fogs is taken to its logical conclusion. Knowing that Plath took her own life shortly after the publication of the book, it reads horribly like a self-fulfilling prophecy. However, perhaps in an effort to sanitise the book slightly, Plath pulls out at the last minute and gives her character a way out, with renewed hope, albeit with an uncertain ending. This does give the book an air of optimism that feels slightly out of place and I can't help but wonder if it might have been better had the book ended in the coal cellar. To anyone who has ever suffered with depression, this is an absolute must read, and also to those who have ever had to try to support and understand someone else who has.

An absolute classic that I will never read again. I know that seems like a strange way to begin a review, but this is one of those books that - although fantastic in many ways - are just so tense and sad at times that I can't put myself through reading it again. Sylvia Plath was a stunning writer and you can definitely feel a poetic element to her writing in The Bell Jar. I enjoyed this novel more for the way she writes, and how she created tension, drama, sadness, envy, pressure, love and, of course, despair. The characters have been criticised by others for being too one-dimensional. At times I came close to understanding that criticism - with the exception of Doreen, who was an absolute riot! - but that's because the biggest character in the book was the soul-sucking, mother of all black dogs called depression. When you have something as dark and powerful as that shadowing your lead character and supporting cast, it's no wonder they come across as hard to identify with. Esther for me was interesting and it was nice to spend some time with her working a (supposedly) glamorous job in a big, glamorous city. I started to feel suffocated - exactly as Plath had intended by writing in such a way - when Esther returned home. At times I felt as though I was trapped under that bell jar with her. That's how powerful the writing is. I can't go any further without introducing plot spoilers, but Esther's journey to coming out the other side of depression was terribly sad yet I remained hopeful she would. The ending provided no definitive answers (or indeed any speculation) about Esther's future. I think that's important because, with something as seemingly immovable as clinical depression, the future can seem unstable for a long time. I would recommend The Bell Jar to Sylvia Plath fans, people who enjoy good writing, and anyone being followed by the Black Dog.

A beautifully structured and refreshing account of a mental downward spiral. It is all very subtle and slow, as it would have been whilst she was experiencing it herself.. and probably more than truthful as Plath has hidden herself behind another character probably to feel a better sense of personal security. I think that a lot of people, not just people suffering from similar mental illness, in this day and age, can relate to a lot of her words and views on the world. Some more negative reviews of this book have stated that this book is 'slow' or 'dull' and I just can't see either of those things as being negative in the case of this particular artistic work... Depression makes the world slow right down, and it is very much reflected in her book. Her descriptions of things make it all so colourful and vivid in my head, but it may have been so dull and grey to her at the time. The book is a true insight into Plath's mind, and is very well written. Plath is in no way self-indulgent in her writing (unlike Wurtzel's Prozac Nation which is ABYSMAL), or at the time of events - she continued to try and live and be happy with people despite the black cloud gradually encapsulating her mind. Throughout the whole book, and probably in real life, she is desperately seeking to live her life, and not to die.. but in the end, and not long after this book was published, she ultimately, and very sadly, failed. 'I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.'

When I ordered The Bell Jar it felt like I was paying to be tortured. It has a reputation of being a depressing book, but one well written, so in my quest for a good book, the order was made. When I began reading The Bell Jar my initial thought, was 'this isn't as depressing as I thought' as even though the protagonist is depressed, she's in New York doing something that she was pleased to be doing. But as I read on, the life of this young woman seemed to implode. Her own beliefs and upbringing brought her into a situation that she couldn't cope with, and the way she kept others at a distance meant that she had nowhere to go for help. She fantasises and becomes excessively unsociable. The world becomes too tortuous for her. The protagonist is electro shocked in a state asylum which Plath writes so well that it leaves even you feeling violated, and fearful of a repeat. Fortunately a benefactor gets her into a better hospital where the world is quite different. Here we see the protagonist make judgements on others in the same or similar situations and we see a world that those who never enter into an hospital for depression never see. We also see her judge and excuse herself. The entire book is like a window into the mind of a depressed young woman who should have the world at her feet, but instead finds herself trapped within a bell jar of her own design. Of course the book is written based on Plaths own experience in an asylum, originally writing the book under a pseudonym she felt that the work drew so much on her life that she needed to protect certain characters and family. But this is what makes the book so enthralling and real life. As a poet she has a command over the English language that makes this work so thought provoking, so vivid, that it's thoroughly engrossing. Is it depressing? Yes, OK it is. But it's a wonderful piece of literature and expression of psychology that it's well worth the emotional upheaval.

Came in good condition but smells terrible.

This is an amazing book and easy to read. Sylvia Plath has entered my life at a very crucial time, and in fact, her voice is spoken with an essence of raw honesty. It makes sense that I would prefer to receive the best advice from the viewpoints of authors from what they experienced rather than only receiving an opinion, which is all of what other people have to provide in current time. Sylvia Plath has the intellectual skill of finding a way into the reader’s head, and speaking up about topics one would not want to share with another soul. In her confessional poetry, it’s for the reason of giving your deepest desires, a genuinely profound insight that makes The Bell Jar positively haunting. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Esther Greenwood is a student from Boston and the first half of this slim modern classic is a rather pedestrian coming of age story centering around the search for purpose and direction in life. Knowing The Bell Jar is semi-autobiographical is part of the appeal and part of the problem. Sylvia Plath famously committed suicide just a month after The Bell Jar was published - under a pseudonym - by gassing herself in the kitchen with her children in the next room. The Bell Jar is a coming of age story that takes place in 1953 and centers around main character Esther Greenwood, a 21 year old college student. She is bright, but has a difficult time reconciling with the stifling world of the 1950’s. Esther works for a fashion magazine in NYC during the summer of 1953 and is fascinated with the news headlines of the day, including the execution of the Rosenbergs and a man’s suicide. It appears that Esther may be on the track to bigger and better things. But Esther is not as stable as she presents herself. This is a coming of age story, like The Catcher In the Rye, but it is through rebirth and pain. Esther begins a slow decline into mental illness, so slowly it’s almost impossible to remember what the “trigger” was for her. In her rejection of conventional models of women, like purity, relationships with men, and the fashion world of NYC, she finds herself on the outside looking in. I found myself, when reading of Esther’s first suicide attempt, wondering “Well, where did that come from?” Esther had no reason to try to kill herself, she even says that she wants to see if she can do it. Plath’s use of language, imagery, and tone in The Bell Jar allowed the reader into the mind and life of Esther Greenwood. Plath is simply a genius when it comes to weaving a story. A slim 264 pages, it was easy reading. Finding this book has inspired me to read even more of her poetry, a biography, or maybe some of her published journals. It historically common in my perspective that fame is often something short-lived. Sylvia Plath only made it to the young age of 30 but left behind her a timeless legacy.

Ci sono libri che non si limitano a raccontare una storia: ti prendono per mano e ti trascinano dentro un mondo interiore fatto di fragilità, sogni, paure e desideri. Sylvia Plath ci fa vivere, attraverso Esther Greenwood, la sensazione di essere intrappolati sotto una campana di vetro invisibile: il mondo continua a muoversi, ma tu sei lì, immobile, a guardare la vita da dietro un vetro che ti soffoca. È il ritratto lucidissimo della pressione sociale, delle aspettative sulle donne, del peso delle scelte e dell’identità in bilico. Indimenticabile la “teoria dei fichi”: un albero pieno di futuri possibili, ognuno dolce e promettente come un frutto maturo. Ma mentre rimani indecisa, incapace di scegliere per paura di rinunciare, i fichi uno dopo l’altro marciscono e cadono a terra. Una metafora che colpisce ancora oggi, perché parla di noi, delle nostre paure di sbagliare, di perdere occasioni, di rimanere bloccati mentre la vita va avanti. Un romanzo intenso, doloroso, ma bellissimo, che scava a fondo nella mente e nel cuore di chi legge. Non è solo la storia di Esther, ma il riflesso di un’intera generazione di donne (e non solo) in cerca di aria, di libertà, di se stesse.

¿Qué puedo decir? Es un libro increíble de una autora increíble. Me lo inhalé en tres horas. Es una muy buena perspectiva de cómo las expectativas pueden arruinarte si no sabes cómo lidiar con ellas. Una de mis cosas favoritas fue la referencia del árbol de higos; queremos ser tantas cosas que a veces no terminamos siendo ninguna. Me gusta como explora la indecisión de la juventud y la sensación de fracaso que se puede sentir en ella, sentir que no llegas a nada. Solo queda esperar que la campana de cristal no baje.

Great