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asreadbycatarina 's review for:
The Bell Jar
by Sylvia Plath
Unfortunately, lack of time and school got in the way for me to finish this book... But what a hell of a book!
I was completely misled going into this book: I was told it was a feminist book — but it was not... until it was. Yes, you can see Esther's coming of age, growing from a conservative young woman seeking a family and stability into someone used to insecurity and ready to start facing her fears. No, she did not get there just because Buddy asked who she would marry after leaving the asylum. She got to that 'nirvana' because she had tasted the good, the bad and the worse in life, only to be completely free from any ties to her previous life. The unknown might have scared her in the past but, from that moment on, it would become her reality. And there must be no fear in that. Only pride and her head kept high. Esther(said to be Plath herself) was a girl ahead of her time... We could all benefit a bit from this lesson, don't you think?
This was probably one of the rawest books I have read about mental illness. Or, at least, it was the only one that actually depicted a 'real' story. This was not just another teenage breakdown because of heartbreaks; nor the tragic acceptance of a fatal disease. Plath and Esther explained to us mental illness as it is: unexpected. Who would say that Esther, such a successful and hardworking young lady, with such an exceptional educational background, would have such strange thoughts crippling in her head? That is what mental illness is all about: coming from nowhere, sticking for nothing and for everything. Plath did a great job in depicting what many say that was her real-life story. Truly a woman ahead of her time, especially considering we are currently in the 21st century and these issues are still a taboo among our society — which leads them to be completely inaccurate in literature as well. Thank you, Plath. Thank you.
I was completely misled going into this book: I was told it was a feminist book — but it was not... until it was. Yes, you can see Esther's coming of age, growing from a conservative young woman seeking a family and stability into someone used to insecurity and ready to start facing her fears. No, she did not get there just because Buddy asked who she would marry after leaving the asylum. She got to that 'nirvana' because she had tasted the good, the bad and the worse in life, only to be completely free from any ties to her previous life. The unknown might have scared her in the past but, from that moment on, it would become her reality. And there must be no fear in that. Only pride and her head kept high. Esther
This was probably one of the rawest books I have read about mental illness. Or, at least, it was the only one that actually depicted a 'real' story. This was not just another teenage breakdown because of heartbreaks; nor the tragic acceptance of a fatal disease. Plath and Esther explained to us mental illness as it is: unexpected. Who would say that Esther, such a successful and hardworking young lady, with such an exceptional educational background, would have such strange thoughts crippling in her head? That is what mental illness is all about: coming from nowhere, sticking for nothing and for everything. Plath did a great job in depicting what many say that was her real-life story. Truly a woman ahead of her time, especially considering we are currently in the 21st century and these issues are still a taboo among our society — which leads them to be completely inaccurate in literature as well. Thank you, Plath. Thank you.