Smith College

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

do anything because her mind will not let her. After she says that the world is a bad dream she remembers all of her past and it comes like a flood she remembered all the good and the bad. She remembered the girls that would gossip when she was in college. “Those girls, too, sat under bell jars of a sort.” (Plath 238) She says of some sort which means that there are different kinds of bell jars. Hers was depression and how she was stuck in her own mind, but there's could have been insecurity or

Throughout the course of Sylvia Plath’s 1963 novel, The Bell Jar, protagonist Esther Greenwood endures struggles as her fresh New York lifestyle takes a turn for the worse. She develops an unconventional obsession with death which hinders her in discovering her identity. Her new thinking style only makes the process of uncovering her true self even more excruciating, as suicidal thoughts cloud her mind and she spirals into a state of despair. During this period of immense struggle , she learns more

Sylvia Plath is an American poet, novelist and short story writer who lived in London, United Kingdom. She is considered an important poet of her generation. Her work is very personal and towards the end of her life she often wrote about death. She usually used confessional genre to write her poetry. She is Best-known for her two published collections: The Colossus and Other Poetrys and Ariel. She also wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar in 1963 published shortly before her death. The

People often inquire who they are; when asked a question such as this one, they hesitate. They consider every possible answer, despite their response being so obvious. A person is made up of three major parts- their personality, the cultures that mold their personality, and their dreams. These three components are analyzed within the novels, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. These themes contribute to the evolution and demolition of characters, leading to events

The Bell Jar by: Sylvia Plath Depression is a serious topic throughout the world, especially in America. Depression can result in someone feeling completely alone. There is no direct cause for depression in adolescents, but it can be brought on by the maturing process, stress from failure in some sort, a traumatic or disturbing event such as death, or even a break up. Sure, everyone has an off day here and there, where they feel like they shouldn’t even bother getting out bed in the morning, but

Esther’s depression is a key factor in the development of her relationship with many characters in the novel, The Bell Jar. Esther is mentally and emotionally different than a majority of the people in her community. As a result of this state, she often has difficulty taking criticism to heart. Her depression continues to build throughout the novel as she remains in the asylum. It does not help that she has no aid from her loved ones. In the novel, The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath utilizes the relationships

adults in the United States suffer from mental illnesses that affect their everyday life in negative aspects. In The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath, tells a story that focuses on Esther Greenwood’s disconnection to people around her as she begins her college with much of societal pressures. Sylvia Plath creates a realistic style of writing with Esther Greenwood as the protagonist who loses herself while trying to be something in life when everyone expects her to have this specific appearance both in her

The Technique of Sylvia Plath: Give Her A Plath On The Back Ariel, The Bell Jar, Daddy. Sylvia Plath had an extremely complicated lifestyle, and it very much reflected in these books and poems she published. Each one represented a different hardship Plath experienced, yet one in particular stood out above them all. ‘The Bell Jar’, a novel about a young woman named Esther, living in New York City for a one month internship, who is lost and depressed in her world, feeling like no one understands