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A review by wallflovver
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
guys i genuinely hated this book and even though it's a very short book, it took me over a week to get through..
i genuinely don't understand why the racism in this book is never spoken about, and the constant fatphobia! some slight homophobia thrown in there too
you can call it "a product of its time" all you like, but not everyone in the 60s was intensely racist like this... she stereotypes multiple people based on their race, she kicks a black man, uses slurs.
even without the fatphobia and the racism, esther is a horrible character. she's a mean person, and no amount of mental illness can excuse just being completely indifferent to the people around you. not even indifferent, actively looking down on everyone around you
ive seen some people say "she's just a character" but the bell jar is semi autobiographical, esther is a reflection of sylvia herself and that's kinda weird to me guys!
maybe it didn't hit that hard for me because i've been mentally ill since i can remember and i know what intersectional feminism is.. but i honestly feel like teenage me posted tweets about being suicidal with more impact than this book lol
i genuinely don't understand why the racism in this book is never spoken about, and the constant fatphobia! some slight homophobia thrown in there too
you can call it "a product of its time" all you like, but not everyone in the 60s was intensely racist like this... she stereotypes multiple people based on their race, she kicks a black man, uses slurs.
even without the fatphobia and the racism, esther is a horrible character. she's a mean person, and no amount of mental illness can excuse just being completely indifferent to the people around you. not even indifferent, actively looking down on everyone around you
ive seen some people say "she's just a character" but the bell jar is semi autobiographical, esther is a reflection of sylvia herself and that's kinda weird to me guys!
maybe it didn't hit that hard for me because i've been mentally ill since i can remember and i know what intersectional feminism is.. but i honestly feel like teenage me posted tweets about being suicidal with more impact than this book lol