“because wherever I sat – on the deck of a ship or at a street café in Paris or Bangkok – I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air.” 

About The Bell Jar

In 1953, when Sylvia Plath was a 20 year old university student, her mental deterioration culminated in a suicide attempt. The Bell Jar is based on this experience and is to a high extent autobiographical. According to the short biography included in the book, Plath wrote The Bell Jar in order to free herself from the past.

The first part of the book takes place in New York. The protagonist Esther has won an internship at a fashionable women’s magazine via a writing contest. Together with a group of other girls she is living the glitzy city life. Fashion shows, expensive clothing, fancy dinners and introduction to influential people is constantly being organised for the girls. Unfortunately, Esther isn’t having the time of her life.

“I guess I should have reacted the way most of the other girls were, but I couldn’t get myself to react. I felt very still and very empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo.” 

In the second part of the book, Esther returns home to the suburb of Boston, where her mother lives. This is where her mental health really starts the downward spiral. The final part follows Esther being treated in various institutions.

Motifs

Throughout the novel, certain motifs popped up so frequently, I couldn’t help wondering about them. Below I’ve listed the ones, which stood out to me.

Hell is other people
As many readers have pointed out, The Bell Jar includes content, which comes across as racist. Esther attitude towards black people, Jews, Hispanics and Chinese seems disrespectful and prejudiced. Also, she is rather disdainful towards LBQT people, overweight people, people perceived as ugly, small men, men in blue outfits, etc. etc.

Prejudices aside, she doesn’t appear to like people much in general. In New York, she prefers a solitary walk instead of participating in the activities. When her friend comes back drunk from a party, Esther refuses to help her and leaves her lying in the hall with the head in her own vomit. And in the psychiatric clinic, she feels an enormous sense of relief, when the doctor tells her, external visitors will be blocked.

Objectively, Esther isn’t a nice person. But being in her head, helps us to understand her. To some extent, her behaviour is like a defence mechanism or a shield. Esther is terribly insecure, which she desperately tries to hide. More importantly, her mental illness gives her a twisted picture of her surroundings. Sylvia Plath herself has explained:

“I’ve tried to picture my world and the people in it as seen through the distorting lens of a bell jar.” 

Addressing the racism is a separate discussion. In my post, How Do You Review a Classic?, I talked about the problems relating to classic literature not living up to modern standards of political correctness. Most likely, Esther’s attitude was representative for the time period and community she came from. However, that isn’t an excuse and every reader will have to judge for themselves. It didn’t prevent me from enjoying the story, but it did bother me.

The world is a sick place
Considering the limited amount of plot, it is remarkable how much of the novel deals with various illnesses. Esther herself experiences food poisoning, a broken leg, hemorrhaging and a failed suicide attempt, amongst others. Her boyfriend gets tuberculosis and a friend commits suicide.

I think this focus relates to Esther’s distorted picture of the world. There might be a lot going on in the world, but in her mental state, events involving illness seem to dominate everything else. Furthermore, the occurrences of illness often appear to disillusion hopes and expectations regarding what the world is really like. New York may appear glamorous on the surface, but in reality it is poisonous. When losing her virginity, Esther expects a feeling of liberation, but ends up almost bleeding to death.

Babies everywhere
A huge amount of babies and children creeps into the narrative. Children are in Esther’s view part of the women trap. They signify women’s role in society, which doesn’t include writing poetry or living an independent life. One of her biggest fears is being captured in that trap. Towards the end, her psychiatrist sends her to have a diaphragm made in order to put a dampener on that specific concern.

Mirror, mirror on the wall
Mirrors and photographies are linked to Esther’s sense of self. In New York, she is reluctant to have her photo taken. When later seeing one of the glamorous photos, she doesn’t recognise herself. The same happens from time to time, when she looks in a mirror. At the psychiatric clinic, realising she is looking at herself in the mirror, shocks her. She drops the mirror, which breaks. Her last bit of self-identity is shattered to pieces.

Themes

The Bell Jar offers many discussion points, but I think the key themes can be narrowed down to the following:

Women’s role in society
As discussed above, the theme of women’s role in society is a thread throughout the novel. Esther is unhappy about the future which is laid down for her and she questions the different opportunities for men and women.

“That’s one of the reasons I never wanted to get married. The last thing I wanted was infinite security and to be the place an arrow shoots off from. I wanted change and excitement and to shoot off in all directions myself, like the colored arrows from a Fourth of July rocket.” 

Mental illness
Plath wanted other people to get a sense of the isolation and alienation you feel, when suffering from mental illness. This might include the lack of understanding from people close to you, even your own mother. Also the treatment available might be of varying quality. Before ending up in an expensive clinic sponsored by a supporter, Esther has some bad experiences with the care system including a traumatic electric shock treatment.

Final Thoughts

Technically, The Bell Jar doesn’t take place in Boston or New York. It all takes place inside Esther’s mind. Being inside the mind of a person, who is slowly coming apart isn’t comfortable. But it is disturbingly fascinating.

Plath’s writing is undeniably beautiful and her flair for poetry shines through. Especially in the first part I was completely absorbed. For a short while, I became Esther, lived her life, saw the world through her eyes. The experience reminded me of another author. Although, her writing style isn’t as unique (or convoluted) as Woolf’s, Plath seems to utilise the impressionist stream of consciousness writing as well in a way, which really speaks to me.

The novel is a portrayal of mental illness; a young women losing herself in a complex world, which doesn’t seem to accommodate her needs. That it does brilliantly. Perhaps, the narrative didn’t feel completely rounded and polished and I found the first half of the book, the New York experience, stronger than the second half. But The Bell Jar undoubtedly made a lasting impression and knowing how the author’s life ended made the reading experience extra poignant.

Title: The Bell Jar [1963]
Author: Sylvia Plath [first published under pseudonym Victoria Lucas]
Format: Audiobook, narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal 
Genre: Classics