Reviews with content warning for Schizophrenia/Psychosis - The Bell Jar

this is a story about freedom. as esther greenwood navigates her life, she quickly learns about her place and power as a (mentally ill) impoverished woman in the 1950s. throughout the novel, the main social commentary provided by plath was on a woman’s ambitions, future (marriage and having kids), and notion of “purity” enforced by society, as well as religion. esther uses her virginity as a weapon against societal expectations and oppression. this book was filled to the brim in literary devices, as well as social commentary, ranging from the oppressive and patriarchal system, to the societal vs. self expectations (esther has raging impostor syndrome), to education and ambition, society’s view and alienation of those suffering from mental illnesses, and the arrogance and coldness of doctors and questioning medicinal practices, especially in psychiatry.

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nicoleeluz's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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taulkstoomuch's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I can see why the content of the book makes it such a classic - the topics covered are definitely ahead of her time for Sylvia Plath. Finding out that a lot of the book was based on Plath's own life is distressing and a testament to the respect the book currently has.

However, the book was quite difficult to get into initially as there were no events occurring - we follow Esther Greenwood, and the first 100 or so pages are just her going through normal events of her life. I guess in some way, this exaggerates the dichotomy that is her life in the later chapters of the book... not particularly for me, but I can see why it is so revered.

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hallenoelle's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have always been deeply interested in the idea of the “mad woman” and how has society treats women with mental illnesses throughout history. The Bell Jar is a raw, disturbing, and realistic depiction of what so many women went through and why. The turn from the fun and youthful vibe at the beginning to the gut-wrenching plot twist had me captivated. I could not give this book 5 stars, however, because of the incomplete romance(ish) with Buddy Willard and because of how problematic this book is today. Not really a spoiler but warning anyway for the next sentence!

I hate when a character hates another character and we never find out why and that is exactly the case with Buddy and Esther

. This book has countless moments of racism that really took me out of the story and made me super uncomfortable. And lastly, please do not read this book unless you are POSITIVE you can handle it. It is full of triggers for those who have struggled with mental illness, grief, SA, EDs, and suicidal thoughts. Please read with caution - but if you are interested in women’s history and feminist literature I would recommend!

Content Warnings