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A review by ashgalwoah
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Bell Jar accurately portrays mental health struggles and does so interestingly through its pacing. The storytelling is tangential, distracted, and convoluted at times, there are many sub-stories and recollections of the past that brings you out of the story completely, just to rip you back to the reality of the moment. I found this style of writing to be beneficial to the character development, but not as engaging to read.
Despite this being a story about mental health and suicide, Plath maintains poetic and comedic language, making it an enjoyable read rather than a depressing one.
I couldn’t help but think of the social understanding or tolerance towards mental health and Suicide when reading The Bell Jar, when this book was written and first came out, Suicide was more taboo than it is now, I assume this made the mundane story more interesting at the time. To me it was relatable and something I was uncomfortably numb to.
This book is outdated and a bit racist, no question there, and follows a story of an upper middle class white woman. There’s room for improvement!
Despite this being a story about mental health and suicide, Plath maintains poetic and comedic language, making it an enjoyable read rather than a depressing one.
I couldn’t help but think of the social understanding or tolerance towards mental health and Suicide when reading The Bell Jar, when this book was written and first came out, Suicide was more taboo than it is now, I assume this made the mundane story more interesting at the time. To me it was relatable and something I was uncomfortably numb to.
This book is outdated and a bit racist, no question there, and follows a story of an upper middle class white woman. There’s room for improvement!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism