McLean Hospital

In the novel The Bell Jar, Plath represents a great theme of a myth of death and rebirth. The main character, Esther, in the beginning of the novel is represented as a clever nineteen year old who gets an internship at a famous women’s magazine in New York City. Regardless of her aspiration and bright future, she finds herself feeling disconnected from society, and not being able to fit the time period’s social expectations. This leads her to find herself hopeless to be constantly happy and face

While it is sad, it is interesting to see how depression can slowly break down an individual to someone who feels nothing but apathy. For people who struggle with the illness, no happy thoughts can changed how they perceive the life and the world around them. It’s not as easy as getting a massage or thinking happy thoughts to change their mood and take away all that sadness, emptiness, and all that negative self-talk. The “Bell Jar” is a contemplation of the despairing life of Esther Greenwood and

Me: “The book I decided to read for my English book report is called Wrongful Death by Sandra Gilbert.” Angie: “What is the book about? Why is it called Wrongful Death?” Me: “It’s about Sandra and her husband Elliot Gilbert. In 1990 Elliot is diagnosed with B/C stage prostate cancer. When he goes into surgery is February of 1991 he ends up dying from what the family believes is called malpractice. That’s why its call Wrongful Death.” Angie: “Does B/C prostate cancer have any effect on what operations

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

Marilyn Monroe is an example of a a real life Esther Greenwood. Though Plath essentially based the character off of her own life and experiences, the Bell Jar was a commentary on women’s roles in the 50’s era. Many could relate to the themes of the book, including women’s sexuality and roles in society, as well as the way that mental illness was handled back in that time period. Marilyn Monroe is a classic example of how these issues were ignored or considered normal in that time period. Much like

It is said that people cannot truly know themselves, but must rely on reflections in mirrors, photographs, and other people in their lives. Unable to see themselves as others see them, people often get confused and end up detaching themselves from reality. Author Sylvia Plath was a bright, young woman with an interest in poetry and writing. However, after the death of her father, she developed neurosis and attempted suicide for the first time using sleeping pills, but was unsuccessful. She uses her

Compare and Contrast: “The Bell Jar” and “Daddy” Literature and art, in general, can convey very strong, powerful feelings and provide emotional relief for the artist. Although Sylvia Plath likely meant for her works to be interpreted as simple fiction they are littered with autobiographical details. The characters are not meant to be herself, still, what she writes about the mental condition and feelings of the narrators are proven to be her personal thoughts, evidenced by the events of her life

Esther Greenwood is stuck in a bell jar the entire book. She gets stuck in her mind and she can not get out. At the end of the story her mother tells her to think of her experiences at the mental hospital as a bad dream. That she did not have electroshock therapy and did not have to stay at the mental hospital for a long time. When her mother tells her that she thinks to herself and says “ To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is a bad dream.”(Plath 237) She

and the ways in which she interacts with others than she ever had before. The key line, “I smile, this must be how they laid the bodies away in the hospital morgue,” captures Esther Greenwood's fascination with death that contributes to her bell jar experience. The specific context of this quote showcases an experience of Esther’s while in the hospital. Esther is volunteering after failing to kill herself. She is passing out flowers to the new mothers, but she doesn’t want to give the dead flowers

When reading a piece of literature, a reader often finds many symbolic objects speckled throughout the text. Some of these symbolic objects may be quite obvious to distinguish, while others may be tucked away deep within the text. Whether the symbolism of the object is apparent to the reader or not the author places them in the story to elevate the power of the text. In Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, there are a plethora of symbolic objects that hold a deeper