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Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Alcohol
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Racism
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Vomit
Minor: Racism, Death of parent
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy
To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is the bad dream.
As perhaps one of the most iconic romans à clef of all time, and certainly of the last century, Esther Greenwood's trajectory in The Bell Jar is impossible to detach from Plath herself. This novel is most successful as a devastatingly blunt chronicle of depression, falling somewhat short in its wider social commentary.
Plath depicts Esther's loss of control throughout this novel, and her increasingly fragmented narrative structure and strong imagery were my personal highlights. I was impressed by how accessible The Bell Jar is, with much of Esther's feelings echoing my own experiences as a 21st century reader. Since publication, Plath's symbols of mental health (figs, the bell jar itself) have become iconic, and for good reason. She tackles Esther's depression with both sensitivity and honesty -- which is admirable for a novel written over 50 years ago.
I feel more iffy about the feminist commentary here. While Esther makes some astute observations regarding the undervaluation of female labour and pleasure, her perspective on feminism undeniably centers white middle-class women. This would be less of a problem if Esther didn't pause repeatedly to make unnecessary racist (and a few homophobic) remarks about the few people of colour she comes across. While I have no doubt that many people defend Plath by arguing that The Bell Jar is a product of its time, I think it's important to remember that this novel was written amidst the Civil Rights Movement. I've definitely come away from this reading with a more critical view of Sylvia Plath, and have a lot of research to do.
I'm ultimately glad to have read this one, and respect all Plath has done to improve mainstream understanding of mental health. Definitely not a light-hearted book, though, and is potentially quite triggering for anyone currently grappling with depression.
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Pregnancy
Minor: Homophobia, Lesbophobia
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment
Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail