Analysis Of The Opening Line Of The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar is rich with an array of motifs, all which serve to sustain the novel’s primary themes. A motif particularly prevalent within the first half of the novel involves food, specifically Esther Greenwood’s relationship with food. This peculiar relationship corroborates the book’s themes of Esther’s continuous rebirthing rituals, and of her extreme dissatisfaction. The interrelation with food functions in two distinct manners: literally and figuratively. This analysis will concentrate on the figurative role of food in The Bell Jar, and how it denotes Esther’s overall state.

One often hears the saying, “Don't judge a man until you have walked a mile in their shoes.” The way an author uses similes can help the reader better understand how the character feel and what they're going through like Sylvia Plath in The Bell Jar. Esther Greenwood, a college student, working at a month long job as a guest editor for a fashion magazine feels like an outcast from the rest of the girls; she doesn't seem to fit in. When she arrives back home, she receives several bad news leads her into thinking suicide is the best thing to do. After multiple failed attempts, she is put into a mental hospital where she will gain hope in life and finally discover who she really is. In Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, there are several instances in which the author uses similes to illustrate a more detailed image/description to better portray how the main character felt during her New York job, her suicide attempts, and at her stay at the mental institution.

Sylvia Plath is known as a profound writer, depicted by her lasting works of literature and her suicide which put her poems and novel of debilitating depression into a new perspective. In her poem “Lady Lazarus,” written in 1962, her mental illness is portrayed in a means to convey to her readers the everyday struggle of depression, and how it affects her view of her world, herself, and even those who attempt to tackle her battle with her. This poem, among other poetry pieces and her novel The Bell Jar, identify her multiple suicide attempts, and how the art of dying is something she has become a master of. Plath’s “Lady Lazarus,” about her trap of depression and suicide attempts, is effective and thought provoking because of her allusions to WWII Nazi Germany and the feelings of oppression and Nazism that the recurring images evoke.

Sylvia Plath was born on October 27, 1932 in Boston. Some say that The Bell Jar is a semi- autobiographical novel because Esther and Sylvia share many of the

Sylvia Plath’s novel, “The Bell Jar”, tells a story of a young woman’s descent into mental illness. Esther Greenwood, a 19 year old girl, struggles to find meaning within her life as she sees a distorted version of the world. In Plath’s novel, different elements and themes of symbolism are used to explain the mental downfall of the book’s main character and narrator such as cutting her off from others, forcing her to delve further into her own mind, and casting an air of negativity around her. Plath uses images of rotting fig trees and veils of mist to convey the desperation she feels when confronted with issues of her future. Esther Greenwood feels that she is trapped under a bell jar, which distorts her view of the world around her.

Freedom is something that is very often sought after, whether that is freedom from one’s self, others, or society. That last point is demonstrated best in the novel known as The Bell Jar. The story demonstrates a desire towards independence from societal expectations that was and very well still is felt in many people. The novel focuses on a young woman’s story, in her best times and worst times, her plight for freedom from what is expected of women, and most of all the sacrifices she makes in order to attain it. The author, Sylvia Plath, wanted to create an understanding in the reader that would have them understand what. That is, what a woman had to do for freedom and the struggle that it entailed, a feeling that may have been lost with the recent changes in societal expectations towards women. So, in The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath uses setting, plot, and tone to illustrate how women in the 1950s were forced to make sacrifices to obtain freedom from societal expectations.

It has been thought that The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath depicts Esther’s identity re-birth; with her attempted suicide functioning as the catalyst for this transformation. While this may at first appear apt, I think Esther’s supposed alteration at the end of the book is very ambiguous and indefinite; constructed like this purposely rather than being a distinctively obvious self-renewal. The resulting effect leaves readers to ponder over whether she really has completed a successful transformation, resulting in a new and improved version of herself, or whether she may end up just lapsing back into her previous ways following discharge from the asylum. What the ending does do however, is to position Esther in such a way that hints at new, tentative steps being taken towards adulthood and individual autonomy; accentuating gradual development from her previous self, consisting of alienation and identity loss.

One is often enticed to read a novel because of the way in which the characters are viewed and the way in which characters view their surroundings. In the novel The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, Esther Greenwood is a character whose "heightened and highly emotional response to events, actions and sentiments" (Assignment sheet) intrigue the reader. One of her character traits is extreme paranoia that is shown in different situations throughout the novel. As a result of this, she allows herself to be easily let down, as she believes that all events that are unsatisfactory are directed towards her. Finally, it is clear that she attempts to escape this notion by imagining an idyllic yet impossible life that she

Depression can be defined as part of a psychological state of mind that a person might encounter. Most famously recognized psychiatrist Sigmund Freud is known for his Psychodynamic theory. His psychoanalysis theory is known to be successful for treating patients with mental illness. Sylvia Plath, the author of the Bell Jar, makes the main character Esther go through a psychological transformation. Esther’s transformation can be realized through Freud’s psychoanalysis theory as the story unfolds from the beginning to end. The influences of people and events around Esther have affected her transformation.

The Bell Jar follows Esther Greenwood, a character not unlike Sylvia Plath, in a situation not dissimilar to her own. Esther was born in Massachusetts, is a writer, and has a mental breakdown in her junior year of college. Many of Esther's problems radiate from her relationship with her parents. Esther, at the end of the novel, is hopeful about her recovery, but Sylvia ended up killing herself shortly after the novel was published.

According to the data from the Center for American Progress and Elle Magazine, “Nearly 30 percent of women report experiencing discrimination in the workplace.” However, this report is only based on the environment in employment settings. Women experience and visually see gender roles and inequity against females in everyday surroundings, and they are often accepted and practiced without difficulty. Similarly, in the novel, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, Esther experiences different societal expectations throughout her life in hometown and New York, which helps her realize that she does not fit into either of the society; moreover, she grows weary as she loses her identity and passion, in search for who she is.

The works of Sylvia Plath have always been at least slightly controversial; most of them have themes of feminism, suicide, or depression. Plath was born in 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts, and by the age of twelve she was reported to have had an IQ of about 160 (Kelly). Growing up in an age in which women were expected to be nothing more than conservative housemaids, Plath stood defiant against the views of society, choosing to expose any misogynistic prejudices or hateful prospects against mental illness through her writings (Allen).

Sylvia Plath was an English poet and short story writer born in 1900s. She was best known for her novel, “The Bell Jar,” and poems such as “Daddy.” Plath’s life, including her poetry, her sanity and her marriage was a cycle of ups and downs. After her death in 1963, Plath’s life was depicted in the 2003 film Sylvia, starring Gwyneth Paltrow.

Sylvia Plath uses many literary devices to convey her purpose in The Bell Jar such as symbolism. The Bell Jar itself is used as symbolic representation of the emotional state Esther is in. The glass jar distorts her image of the world as she feels trapped under the glass. It represents mental illness; a confining jar that descends over her mind and doesn’t allow her to live and think freely. Symbols of life and death pervade The Bell Jar. Esther experiences psychological distress which is a major motif in the novel. The death of Esther’s father and the relationship with her mother is a possible reason for her illness. Sylvia Plath expresses the difficulties Esther faces and parallels her struggle with depression and illustrates it using various symbols such as a fig tree, mirrors, beating heart and a bell jar throughout the novel.

In Sylvia Plath’s timeless novel The Bell Jar, Esther’s struggle as a young woman with increasing mental health issues is extremely important in today’s culture. Her issues with insanity and the reasons behind it show that, even in the 1950’s, women face issues that young girls face today. Esther’s depression and many attempts at suicide are by no means unusual, and this book can serve as a coping mechanism for young people to take comfort in. Plath’s use of violent words and scenes help almost numb the reader to such grotesque things, which can cause a reader to realize that having mental issues is normal in young people, and that getting help is not a bad thing. The Bell Jar’s intense scenes of suicidal attempts and self harm connect the novel to today’s society by relating to the common illness of depression, and can help readers with mental health problems come to terms with their issue and seek help.