McLean Hospital

The Bell Jar is a partly fictionalized autobiographical account of author Sylvia Plath’s life. Plath, personified as Esther Greenwood details the inequality and expectations of a young woman in 1950s American society on her journey to find purpose. The Bell Jar holds many similarities to J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, both detailing the difficulties of growing up and all that comes along with it, with The Bell Jar specifically exploring a more feminine side of adolescence. Themes of women's

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the definition of the word “bell jar” is, “a bell-shaped usually glass vessel designed to contain objects or preserve gases and or a vacuum”. Sylvia Plath’s title, The Bell Jar, symbolically represents her feeling towards the seclusion and inferiority women endured trapped by societes glass vessel during the 1950’s. The Bell Jar, follows the life of Esther Greenwood, the protagonist and narrator of the story, during her desperate attempt to become a woman

The world is filled with an infinite amount of human possibilities; however, this spectrum of "infinite possibilities" can slim down to one because an individual can succumb to peer pressure. Their thoughts and actions are altered according to the respective environment they associate themselves with. They may or may not face the reality at one point in the future, but the chances for that are slim because naive minds are susceptible to adapt according to their surroundings. In other words, the individual

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

Independent Essay Alienation is common throughout society in regard to adolescent youth and young adults. Many factors cause one to become alienated by their society and peers, including one’s sexuality and often times appearance. Novels such as The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger and The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath, focus on the theme of alienation when considering their main characters, who readers are often able to relate to upon reading their stories. The novels, The Catcher in the Rye, by

In Sylvia Plath’s despondent book entitled The Bell Jar, Plath creates a character by the name of Esther Greenwood. Esther feels trapped inside society’s expectations but finds an escape every time she writes. Her love of writing has gotten her through the traumatic events of her childhood, such as her father’s death. When she applies to the writing school of her dreams and gets denied, she falls into a deep depression, and she feels as though not even writing can save her this time. After going

Depressions often personified as a villain that traps people and does not let them go. This is a claim most of its victims would agree with, especially Esther Greenwood. The Bell Jar, written by the Sylvia Plath, follows Esther Greenwood’s descent into and recovery from madness. Esther is a young and brilliant writer, whose ambitions are stunted by a crippling depression. Plath, describes an outlook on reality that is distorted by mental illness through the symbolism of the fig tree and the bell

Her failed suicide attempt causes her mother to put her in a mental ward of a hospital, and it is here that Esther meets Dr. Nolan. Dr. Nolan is Esther’s doctor in the mental facility. Unlike many other figure of authority in Esther’s life, Nolan brings a good influence. Esther respects her and Nolan’s difference from the stereotypical

go, and she also lets go of her fear and flies down the mountain as in freeing herself. She ends up breaking her leg which isn't as severe as suicide, but displays her first act of thinking about and attempting suicide. When she’s in the mental hospital, she contemplates suicide very carefully and ends up slitting her wrists unsuccessfully. She considers it because she believes it is the answer to end all of her pain. Her almost successful attempt of overdosing on pills doesn't work out for her

was only me, of course. I was appalled to see how wrinkled and used up I looked” (18). Later, Esther meets a sailor and, again, introduces herself as Elly Higginbottom (132). A third occurrence where Esther displays insecurity is when she is at a hospital and asks to see a mirror (174). After some prodding, her nurse reluctantly hands it to her (174). When she sees her reflection,