Metacognitive
The Bell Jar is a novel based off of the life of Esther Greenwood a young woman in the early 50's trying to figure out her way in the world while dealing with severe mental illness. Though it does not have an overwhelming amount of excitement it is a well written and insightful novel and while reading I got a true sense of who the author was. The novel begins with Esther and various other girls living in a female only hotel in New York City, since they had received a summer internship at a well known magazine. Unlike most of the girls whom Esther encounters she does not see the appeal of the city life and the elegant gifts they receive from various companies. In a sense I found that I related to Esther the most in this section as she did not want to conform to the standard teenage girl stereotype of that time period. The majority of what she experiences in the begin of the book seems to be a coming of age story but shortened, she is seeking love and normalcy and to fit in, the usually difficulties that an average teen struggles with. Esther has trouble with whether to conform to the standards of womanhood in the current society or to forget that and follow what she truly wants. I saw a sense of strength in her and hoped she could continue to fight but her fight slowly withered away as her mind maddened.
During her time in the city Esther has a rebellious friend named Doreen whom she goes on multiple adventurous with, Doreen seemed to be the person Esther longed to be, but at the same time she was often annoyed by her. Doreen often frustrated me and I partially blame her for Esther being so hard on herself, she was what Esther would never be and Esther could not accept that. Throughout the whole novel Ether deals with a friend and potential husband named buddy whom she has known for a long time and always wanted to marry, but as her mental state declines the love for him she had does as well and soon she only visits him out of pity due to him having been diagnosed with tuberculosis. Something I learned while doing research later on was that Buddy's character was in fact based off of one of Plath's old boyfriends, I found this interesting since Plath focused on him rather then the husband she had just separated from. There is a scene in the book in which Esther visits buddy, she has a hard fall while skiing and breaks her leg, much like the rest of the book this did in fact happen, and during the incident Esther describes it by saying “I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, "This is what it is to be happy” (p. 135 Plath). I found it comical and curious that the one moment in the novel in which she is truly happy is prior to her being seriously injured. Soon after her time in New York City Esther must return home to Massachusetts where her mother watches her slowly decline as she can no longer read, write or even sleep. Esther's way of describing this time in her life was not done with anger of frustration just utter desire to be perceived as normal I never truly felt she acted as most assume a depressed person would. As her depression worsens her mothers angst grows and Esther, sick of going to see a unhelpful doctor, attempts to kill herself, I felt that she when doing this action did not understand the severity it was simply like sleeping, finally sleeping. After Esther regains conscience and realizes her attempted failed she must start a new part of her life in which she is in and out of hospitals who are trying to fix her.
As the novel comes to a close, Esther quickly goes through many life changing events. First off, one of her friends in the psychiatric ward commits suicide, but, rather than following in her footsteps Esther becomes a woman and finally begins to feel free. The end of the novel began to confuse me; having read about Sylvia Plath I started to question what truly happened and what did not, but as the doctor whom Esther trusted, increases her electric shock treatments Esther seems to care less [which could be perceived as a bad thing] and come out of her slump. Esther describes this as finally being free from the Bell Jar, able to finally breath again. Overall Esther experiences life in this novel it does not have a defining moment that is exciting, contrary to other novels, but I believe that it is entirely different due to the fact that it is autobiographical and not simply a story that was conjured from the author’s imagination. The novel truly shows what it means to be living with depression; Nobody unless diagnosed or going through mental illness can truly know what is inside the mind somebody who wishes to commit suicide yet, Sylvia Plath was able to give me an insight in order to further understand what it means, to want to die. The Bell Jar is a different from any literature I have read before, now often used in reference to teen angst it is far more, it is real, raw and filled with Plath's dark humour.
During her time in the city Esther has a rebellious friend named Doreen whom she goes on multiple adventurous with, Doreen seemed to be the person Esther longed to be, but at the same time she was often annoyed by her. Doreen often frustrated me and I partially blame her for Esther being so hard on herself, she was what Esther would never be and Esther could not accept that. Throughout the whole novel Ether deals with a friend and potential husband named buddy whom she has known for a long time and always wanted to marry, but as her mental state declines the love for him she had does as well and soon she only visits him out of pity due to him having been diagnosed with tuberculosis. Something I learned while doing research later on was that Buddy's character was in fact based off of one of Plath's old boyfriends, I found this interesting since Plath focused on him rather then the husband she had just separated from. There is a scene in the book in which Esther visits buddy, she has a hard fall while skiing and breaks her leg, much like the rest of the book this did in fact happen, and during the incident Esther describes it by saying “I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, "This is what it is to be happy” (p. 135 Plath). I found it comical and curious that the one moment in the novel in which she is truly happy is prior to her being seriously injured. Soon after her time in New York City Esther must return home to Massachusetts where her mother watches her slowly decline as she can no longer read, write or even sleep. Esther's way of describing this time in her life was not done with anger of frustration just utter desire to be perceived as normal I never truly felt she acted as most assume a depressed person would. As her depression worsens her mothers angst grows and Esther, sick of going to see a unhelpful doctor, attempts to kill herself, I felt that she when doing this action did not understand the severity it was simply like sleeping, finally sleeping. After Esther regains conscience and realizes her attempted failed she must start a new part of her life in which she is in and out of hospitals who are trying to fix her.
As the novel comes to a close, Esther quickly goes through many life changing events. First off, one of her friends in the psychiatric ward commits suicide, but, rather than following in her footsteps Esther becomes a woman and finally begins to feel free. The end of the novel began to confuse me; having read about Sylvia Plath I started to question what truly happened and what did not, but as the doctor whom Esther trusted, increases her electric shock treatments Esther seems to care less [which could be perceived as a bad thing] and come out of her slump. Esther describes this as finally being free from the Bell Jar, able to finally breath again. Overall Esther experiences life in this novel it does not have a defining moment that is exciting, contrary to other novels, but I believe that it is entirely different due to the fact that it is autobiographical and not simply a story that was conjured from the author’s imagination. The novel truly shows what it means to be living with depression; Nobody unless diagnosed or going through mental illness can truly know what is inside the mind somebody who wishes to commit suicide yet, Sylvia Plath was able to give me an insight in order to further understand what it means, to want to die. The Bell Jar is a different from any literature I have read before, now often used in reference to teen angst it is far more, it is real, raw and filled with Plath's dark humour.
Themes
The main theme that is prevalent through out the novel is the suppression of women. Not only does Esther not wish to speak about what she truly feels, when she does it is obvious that there is a lack of knowledge, especially when it comes to ignorant doctors and medical aid of the time. During the nineteen fifties it was expected of women to be happy, eager to bare children while maintain a clean household and obeying their husbands. Esther was not like this yet, she tried to appear as people expected. Though Esther tried she was fundamentally different then the other girls, she had a dark humor that could not have been appreciated but looked down on during this time. She slowly becomes madden by her reactions to everything being perceived as wrong, the way she sees relationships, not wishing to have children and all other non conventional things she believed in that where frowned upon. Esther struggles with finding her identity and determining whether it is social acceptable due to the fact that she was suppressed and not free to think as she wishes.
The next theme encountered, which progresses through the novel is the naivete of medical professionals and their treatment specifically towards women. The first time readers have an incite into the medical treatment of women is when Esther witnesses a child being born with buddy, the doctors (primarily male) show a sense of nonchalance when it comes to the suffering of the mother and do not have a sympathetic outlook on their profession. We also see a male doctor acting unconcerned when Esther first visits a Psychiatrist whom does not offer any help but remains unconcerned and simply tells Esther's mother she needs shock therapy treatment, which scars Esther and she later shows this fear when told she needs it again. Overall, Plath does not make it only seen as a negative to get help medically, since in the novel there is one female doctor who is eventually able to help Esther. Even Esther believes the doctor helped her it could also be perceived as a negative since it is done by shock treatment and afterwards Esther becomes forgetful and no longer like herself. When it is all taken into account it leaves the reader seeing the way women are being treated quite differently and this can in fact lead to identity issues and depression, and if not treated by sympathetic helpful doctors could lead to suicide.
The next theme encountered, which progresses through the novel is the naivete of medical professionals and their treatment specifically towards women. The first time readers have an incite into the medical treatment of women is when Esther witnesses a child being born with buddy, the doctors (primarily male) show a sense of nonchalance when it comes to the suffering of the mother and do not have a sympathetic outlook on their profession. We also see a male doctor acting unconcerned when Esther first visits a Psychiatrist whom does not offer any help but remains unconcerned and simply tells Esther's mother she needs shock therapy treatment, which scars Esther and she later shows this fear when told she needs it again. Overall, Plath does not make it only seen as a negative to get help medically, since in the novel there is one female doctor who is eventually able to help Esther. Even Esther believes the doctor helped her it could also be perceived as a negative since it is done by shock treatment and afterwards Esther becomes forgetful and no longer like herself. When it is all taken into account it leaves the reader seeing the way women are being treated quite differently and this can in fact lead to identity issues and depression, and if not treated by sympathetic helpful doctors could lead to suicide.
Questions:
1. Having done research into Sylvia Plath's life how important to do is her fathers death to her multiple suicide attempts?
2. How much dramatization of these real events do you think Plath did?
3. Why does the book begin with the Rosenberg execution?
4. Why was one of the only times she was truly happy right before she broke her leg?
5. Why did Plath end the way she did, different then how she expected her life to end? Was it what she wished had occurred?
1. Having done research into Sylvia Plath's life how important to do is her fathers death to her multiple suicide attempts?
2. How much dramatization of these real events do you think Plath did?
3. Why does the book begin with the Rosenberg execution?
4. Why was one of the only times she was truly happy right before she broke her leg?
5. Why did Plath end the way she did, different then how she expected her life to end? Was it what she wished had occurred?