The Bell Jar Essay

At first glance, the term “bell jar” does not particularly stand out except as the title of the novel. However, upon further scrutiny and thorough reading, readers can deduce that this term actually has a negative connotation throughout the novel due to the fact that Esther, the main character, literally feels confined inside a bell jar with no way to get out. Written by Sylvia Plath, the novel The Bell Jar focuses on how restrictions of society suffocate Esther to the point where she is unable to

Sylvia Plath’s Bell Jar was composed as a semi- auto biographical novel yet it dealt with many of the contemporary issues of the time such as women emancipation in a psychological sphere. Plath’s actual psyche is reflected in her work which she struggled to continue as a female writer. As an American writer she faced plentyof criticism which over-powered her mental faculty as a clinically depressed author. Sadly, she ended her life shortly after finishing this novel and her prolific writing career

“Those girls, too, sat under bell jars of a sort,” Sylvia Plath writes in her only novel, The Bell Jar. The narrator compares the women in the asylum she is staying at to the women at the college she attended (pp 238). Throughout the years since it was published, young women, in particular, have been fascinated by The Bell Jar and Sylvia Plath’s other works. The novel is loosely based off of Plath’s life, in which she struggled with mental illness. However, one does not need to suffer from depression

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is a book about a young woman who is facing life the unexpected way. Esther is trying to place the puzzle pieces in order but it isn't quite working. There is a different view of humanity in this book and it gives chills to read what she went through. Esther goes through struggles that show her true colors within throughout the book. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath dips into the idea for the search of social identity, the idea of “melting pot”, and what the American Dream

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 and images of life and death pervade The Bell Jar. Esther experiences psychological distress which is a motif

Water; something seen as simplistic as it only consists of two elements, yet it is capable of removing even the deepest of stains. In The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath looms over the idea of suffering and how purity equals perfection, though any iniquities can be remedied with a simple fixture of water. Esther views water as being a sacrosanct object that can be used as an oasis from suffering and a cleansing towards corruption. Esther faces many variables that taint her idea of purity, and her way of coping

The Bell Jar is an autobiographical, feminist novel by Sylvia Plath. The main character, Esther Greenwood represents Sylvia Plath in several life events throughout the novel. I think one of the best themes of this novel is that it challenges and mocks the idea of misogyny. Some examples of how society restricted women in the 1950s deal with sex, work, and home lives and some of these examples still exist. This novel sticks up for women and shows the true potential that they behold. In my opinion

The Bell Jar: The Strain of Societal Expectations on the Feminine Psyche “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.” (Plath 73) The Bell Jar illustrates the growing feminist itinerary

In The Bell Jar, the title forms the core symbolic element of the novel. Esther’s mental health is dramatically compromised by the metaphorical bell jar, which ‘rots’ the air around her, preventing her from living a stable and happy life. She is perishing: feeling swallowed by negativity and detached from people around her in a physical sense as well as mental. ‘It wouldn’t have made one scrap of difference to me, because wherever I sat – on the deck of a ship or at a street café in Paris or Bangkok

The Bell Jar People's lives are shaped through their success and failure in their personal relationships with each other. The author Sylvia Plath demonstrates this in the novel, The Bell Jar. This is the direct result of the loss of support from a loved one, the lack of support and encouragement, and lack of self confidence and insecurity in Esther's life in the The Bell Jar. It was shaped through her success and failures in her personal relationships between others and herself. Through