click image to hear most popular song of the 50s
Barnes & Noble
*****
Goodreads
*****
Personal
*****
As a Semi-Autobiographical novel The Bell Jar speaks to the serious topic of mental illness through the comical narration of Esther Greenwood. Though it deals with the various issues such as depression and anxiety, for someone with relatively dark humor there is a sense of comedy about it. Certain circumstances and responses that Esther receives from "Professionals" in the medical field, would be seen during this age as comical due to the fact they tend to be close minded and sexists. something that as a society we are now leaning away from. My original interest in the book stemmed from the story of Sylvia Plath and her death, the knowledge that this book was a inside view into the mind of someone dealing with a serious mental illness interested me. Unless mental illness is something that one has experienced first hand it can be difficult to enter or understand that mindset, The Bell Jar gives that inside look and shows that in fact, the way people justify suicide can sound incredibly logical when from their point of view. It is a very real book, it does not have unrealistic excitement but true daily life of someone who is utterly depressed and still maintains a happy face to those around her. The book maintains a steady pace of enticing events, while never having anything major happen. I did enjoy the book from a comedic stand point but once the aspect sits in that these events truly happened it becomes a more somber read. I would recommend this book to most people unless they need a book that is constantly moving and thrilling, it is a true life and that in itself is special.