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A review by fatkidatheartreads
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
dark
emotional
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"I felt dull and flat and full of shattered visions."
The way a nervous breakdown is described and how when you are sad and depressed, all you seem to think about is sad and depressing things. It's very scary how much I relate to this character but I digress.
Okay, the bell jar, let's talk about this semi autobiographical piece of literature written by Sylvia Plath a month before she took her own life.
The bell jar follows 19 year old Esther Greenwood who is an intern in a Fashion house in New York City. From the very beginning we can tell that she is troubled. Sylvia begins the book talking about an electrocution & the main character's fascination with it.
Esther struggles with dissociation from reality , heteronormativity especially in terms of relationships with men and marriage and her morbid fascination with death and dying. The first half of the book sets her on a downward spiral which only worsens after she moves back home. She feels stuck after her internship and doesn't know what path she should be taking for her future(that fig metaphor was brilliant).
At home, her struggle with depression, suicide attempts and institutionalization is well documented. As you can tell, this is a very eerie piece of literature.
The title is a reference to her feeling of being stuck in a kind of bell jar (remember the enchanted rose in Beauty and the beast) and being left there to stew in her misery and hopelessness. Sylvia's use of symbolism to explain the character's state of mind was so well done. It's so sad that she only got to write one novel before losing her battle to mental health. She succumbed to her own bell jar. It is clear that she was a brilliant poet and novelist . Her works will continue to live on through her art.
TW: ableism, fatphobia, racism, depression and suicide.
Also, the writing was quite accessible which isn't always the case with classics.
The way a nervous breakdown is described and how when you are sad and depressed, all you seem to think about is sad and depressing things. It's very scary how much I relate to this character but I digress.
Okay, the bell jar, let's talk about this semi autobiographical piece of literature written by Sylvia Plath a month before she took her own life.
The bell jar follows 19 year old Esther Greenwood who is an intern in a Fashion house in New York City. From the very beginning we can tell that she is troubled. Sylvia begins the book talking about an electrocution & the main character's fascination with it.
Esther struggles with dissociation from reality , heteronormativity especially in terms of relationships with men and marriage and her morbid fascination with death and dying. The first half of the book sets her on a downward spiral which only worsens after she moves back home. She feels stuck after her internship and doesn't know what path she should be taking for her future(that fig metaphor was brilliant).
At home, her struggle with depression, suicide attempts and institutionalization is well documented. As you can tell, this is a very eerie piece of literature.
The title is a reference to her feeling of being stuck in a kind of bell jar (remember the enchanted rose in Beauty and the beast) and being left there to stew in her misery and hopelessness. Sylvia's use of symbolism to explain the character's state of mind was so well done. It's so sad that she only got to write one novel before losing her battle to mental health. She succumbed to her own bell jar. It is clear that she was a brilliant poet and novelist . Her works will continue to live on through her art.
TW: ableism, fatphobia, racism, depression and suicide.
Also, the writing was quite accessible which isn't always the case with classics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Fatphobia and Ableism
Minor: Racism