...Joelle Silverman Professor Yoder WR 150 Paper 2 The Bell Jar: What Causes Mental Illness Sylvia Plath’s semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar chronicles the protagonist Esther Greenwood’s decline into mental illness.Throughout the novel, Esther becomes increasingly depressed and suicidal, but it is never explicitly stated what is the actual factor that is causing her such torment. Although the focus of the entire novel is Esther’s psychological deterioration, the question of what it is exactly that causes a person to go mad is constantly posed. Realistically, the mind is complex beyond our understanding, and that of each person’s differs significantly, but there must be a common element that triggers depression. Esther’s circumstance exemplifies the notion that a lack of identity is detrimental to a human being’s mental health. Despite the fact that the precise cause of her depression is never stated, when examined, it is clear that Esther’s anguish roots from the fact that she is unable to find her place in society. Because she is unsure of the type of person she is and therefore the role she fits into, Esther does not have the ability to feel comfortable in the world, and because of this, is miserable being a part of it. Esther is first seen questioning her role in society when she is in New York. During this time, she is split between two types of friends. There is Doreen, who is dangerous and outgoing, and there is Betsy, who...
Words: 2056 - Pages: 9
...the norm. The Bell Jar, written by Sylvia Plath, is an outstanding novel which depicts the modernist era as a whole. Sylvia Plath takes her readers through the mind of a young girl in her twenties, Esther, whose stability and sanity slowly start to slip away. Esther’s trouble starts within her mind but become magnified when external factors start to interfere. She disconnects herself from society and as her mind regresses; her hope of reaching sanity starts to diminish as well. Throughout the novel, Esther struggles with finding herself in a society filled with uncertainty. Sylvia Plath was able to create the perfect character to reveal her attitude towards new modernist view through her literary techniques, symbolism, and was able to intertwine reality with lunacy, creating the perfect modernist piece of literature. The modern era was composed of many elements in which authors incorporated a variety of literary techniques. The use of stream of consciousness, juxtaposition of ideas, staccato sentences, and symbolism was what led the modern era to success. The shifting outlook authors had during this era was like a chain reaction, and writers began to utilize these techniques to create a novel which was considered to be taboo. Sylvia Plath uses many symbols throughout The Bell Jar to represent various intangible concepts. Esther often feels disconnected from the real world and feels trapped in a bell jar, where her outlook on life is distorted. A bell jar is an airless...
Words: 1395 - Pages: 6
...The Bell Jar Essay Thesis: Buddy Willard Esther's ex, pressures her into bad situations and to do things she has never done before due to his character issues and lack of respect for Esther. Buddy Willard is Esther's former boyfriend. He's the kind of guy that, in a mothers perspective is always trying to get you to be more like him. And if it's from a girls perspective, he's the kind of guy that your mother is always trying to set you up with because he's her idea of perfection, contrary to what your idea of perfection is. No matter how great he seems as a boy, you know there has to be something terribly wrong with him to make your mother like him so much. While Buddy looks great on paper, Buddy's interactions with Esther reveal him to be at times dumb, oblivious, and just plain pathetic. Buddy is constantly making Esther feel irrational and ignorant in contrast to his conceited sense of superiority and falsely confidence. When Buddy undresses in front of Esther, and Esther compares him to a "turkey gizzard", it's hard not to feel that Buddy sort of deserves to be ridiculed. The way Buddy talks about Esther I think affects her. When somebody you care about makes you feel like crap that it really takes a toll on you. You want to how much you appreciate and admire the person you care about, not have them dampen them with a lack of interest, making yourself feel better, and a misunderstanding of how to treat a woman. Esther idolizes Buddy...
Words: 493 - Pages: 2
...In the novel The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath a college girl named Esther Greenwood goes off to college true pursue her dream of being a writer, but things take a turn. There are many complications in Esther’s life. She goes on a month long trip to New York working as a part time editor for a fashion magazine. She often thinks about what it would be like to be executed (like the Rosenbergs) and she ponders why she can’t feel anything but apathetic when given this once in a lifetime opportunity. She says, ““I was supposed to be having the time of my life.” Things are already getting worse when she finds out her college boyfriend, Buddy, cheats on her. She goes out looking to date again, in that process she is almost raped. Esther did not make it...
Words: 391 - Pages: 2
...In one of the most misunderstood autobiographical novels, The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath chronicles the mental breakdown and attempted suicide of a young fictional embodiment of Plath herself, Ester Greenwood. Ester and Plath’s lives were extremely similar: both had perfect grades throughout their school careers, attended Smith College on scholarships, wrote poetry, and pursued English degrees. Both women did a summer internship in New York City, where they both faced internal turmoil that led to their suicide attempts and institutionalization. The Bell Jar focuses on Ester and Plath’s views on femininity, the struggle with their identities, and anger towards the social norms at that time. During the 1950’s women were subordinate to men in every...
Words: 282 - Pages: 2
...The books “The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath” and “Midnight Cowboy by James Leo Herlihy” feature characters who are searching for something. Esther Greenwood as well as Joe Buck are two lost souls attempting to make their way into a world that is overwhelming. The stories are prime examples of the Bildungsroman and the Picaro. The two characters are at times quite similar and at others complete opposites. Esther is intelligent, comes from a semi-affluent family, and has a set of goals that she has laid down for her life. She has a mother, who, while not a doting mother, appears to be willing to do alot for her daughter; except admit that she has problems. Joe is the opposite of Esther on many fronts. While, Esther is intelligent Joe is slow at best and flat out developmentally challenged at worst. Esther has a family and friends that she could, if she chose to, fall back upon; Joe, not counting his mostly absent grandmother, has a long series of people that scamper into his life and leave just as quickly as they appeared. Growing up, Esther had her mother and father while Joe had the unrealistic world of 50s television to aid their development....
Words: 437 - Pages: 2
...Mary Amaral Ms. Masso URI Writing 12 August 2014 The Bell Jar- Elements Of Voice Elements of Voice: diction, detail, imagery, syntax, and tone. 1. Diction - Oblog (pg. 3) Diction can be defined as style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer. Diction or choice of words separates good writing from bad writing. It depends on a number of factors. 2. Detail – “I still have the makeup kit they gave me, filled out for a person with brown eyes and brown hair; an oblog of brown mascara with a tiny brush, anda round basin of blue eye shadow just big enough to dab the tip of your finger in, and three lipsticks ranging from red to pink, all cased in the same little glit bx with a mirror on one side”. Imagery means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses. This is considered detail and imagery (#3) for the following reasons: * Included observations, color to description, visual imagery, verbal representation of sensory experience, both because you can visualize all of the make up and the colors. - Another example of detail from the book “The Bell Jar” is (pg. 210) “I looked with love at the lineup of waiting trays- the white paper napkins, folded in their crisp, isosceles triangles, each under the anchor of its silver fork, the pale domes of soft-boiled eggs in the blue egg cups, the scalloped glass shells of orange marmalade”. This description...
Words: 416 - Pages: 2
...1694 words Andrea Dworkin stated that “the feminine ideal by definition turns a woman into a function, deprives her of any individuality that is self-serving or self-created”. With reference to The Bell Jar, consider the view that Sylvia Plath would agree with all parts of this statement? The Bell Jar could be regarded as an archetypal feminist work in which women are presented as repressed and prevented from any possibility of becoming wholly autonomous beings, free from relationships with men, unable to define their own existence. Esther conforms to this depiction and is perpetually oppressed by misogynistic ideology. However, we must consider that she is not entirely deprived of an expressive disposition, and so it could be argued that, although she may not be entirely “self-serving” or “self-created”, she does possess an individualistic nature made evident through her literary self-expression. A sense of individuality becomes clear when noting that Esther, despite being a female of modest background, has obtained a prestigious scholarship to New York- a city of growth and freedom. She has ended up “Steering New York like her own private car” and here the use of the word “own” suggests that her ambition is self-controlled and so she possesses an individualistic temperament conflicting with Dworkin’s belief. Moreover, Esther has the opportunity to write for a magazine, suggesting that she is more creatively liberalised than many males during this era. Esther’s self-critical...
Words: 1766 - Pages: 8
...The Bell Jar like one of Mrs Guinea's novels is 'crammed from beginning to end with long, suspenseful questions'. It examines the character of feminism and, in so doing, begs the question of the relationship between men and women. It looks at the nature of insanity and enquires as to its causes and cure. It questions literature, novelists, suicide, medical practice, American society and so on and so forth. But are these questions ever answered? 'What I hate is being under a man's thumb'. This is a feminist statement if ever there were one, but is The Bell Jar a feminist novel? There are some feminist innuendoes. Jay Cee is a heroic feminist figure, named by her initials in the American business fashion and in her 'strict business suit' and 'luncheon ticket hat'. She has 'brains' to make up for her 'plug-ugly' looks in comparison with the archetypal male Buddy Willard who is 'stupid' although he can 'get good marks all right'. And there is an implied resentment that men have certain privileges denied to women. Only a boy baby may have the privilege of peeing in a doctor's face. Teresa, Dr Quinn and Dr Nolan can be doctors and Joan can aspire to be a psychiatrist but only Dr Gordon can charge twenty-five dollars an hour. Esther could have taken a medical degree if she had not 'dodged chemistry' but her degree in English is of no value without a knowledge of shorthand to enable her to be an acolyte of a man. Esther would have liked to have been a translator but her brother...
Words: 995 - Pages: 4
...Bell Jar As an intense novel The Bell Jar, focuses on real life situations that occur in Esther Greenwood’s life. “I felt like a racehorse in a world without racetracks or a champion college footballer suddenly confronted by Wall Street and a business suit, his days of glory shrunk to a little gold cup on his mantel with a date engraved on it like the date on a tombstone. (77)”, is a key passage in The Bell Jar. Esther Greenwood sees herself in the future, in the same predicament as the college football player. Esther sees herself being shocked, stunned, and unprepared when faced by her near future. Esther must have faith that her future opportunities are prosperous. She must also continue to have faith in herself, because other people may not believe that she has potential. Esther Greenwood has always had exceptional intelligence. Esther has constantly received straight A’s through primary and secondary school and also through college. She declares “All my life I’d told myself studying and reading and writing and working like mad was what I wanted to do, and it actually seemed to be true, I did everything well enough and got all A’s and by the time I made it to college nobody could stop me. (31)” When it comes to receiving an education, Esther can succeed with ease. Now that Esther’s days of education have come to an end she must concentrate on her future. Esther states “The one thing I was good at was winning scholarships and prizes, and that era was coming to an end....
Words: 1244 - Pages: 5
...Annotated Works Cited and Consulted Dunkle, Iris Jamahl. "Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar: Understanding Cultural and Historical Context in an Iconic Text." Critical Insights: The Bell Jar.Web. <http://literature.salempress.com/doi/full/10.3331/CIBell_Jar_711531005?prevSearch=the+bell+jar&searchHistoryKey=&queryHash=311b1d1f647bfe6cc1e161a0181d7589>. The piece “Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar: Understanding Cultural and Historical Context in an Iconic Text” by Iris Jamahl Dunkle is an excerpt from the Critical Insights: The Bell Jar provides an interesting perspective on how the postwar society has a great effect on a woman’s sexuality and sexual behaviour. For example, women were much more encouraged to engage in intimate relationships and wanted to have children. Dunkle explains that “there is nothing psychotic about any of this, and most women who lived through the 1950s [...] attitudes toward virginity and that once freed from this-the virginity itself and her attitude toward it- a woman could be free” (Dunkle). This observation suggests that women felt a tie or a debt to men and the only way to be freed was through sex. This passage is significant as it will aid me though writing my essay because it adds new viewpoint while analysing the sexual affairs that occur throughout the novel. Additionally, by studying Plath and her literature it is evident that “there is [a] particularly stubborn, uncompromising mind of [Plath] represented in Esther’s psyche”(Dunkle)...
Words: 1539 - Pages: 7
...Born and raised in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts during the Great Depression, Sylvia Plath endured an oppressive and depressing childhood. On the surface, Plath appeared to be intelligent, sensitive, and flawless, but inside she was living in misery. Sylvia Plath's emotional life, and her arduous past with her father's death, her tragic break up with Ted Hughes, feminism, and bipolar disorder played an immense part in her career as a poet by inspiring her to create her somber masterpieces. Despite all her troubles, Sylvia Plath excelled as a student at Smith College, won awards, and prizes for her writing, and was a straight a student. Then, she met her future husband and ex-husband, Ted Hughes, whom she would have two children with. Sylvia Plath, was an extremely prodigious poet, she published her first poem, Circus in Three Rings, at age eight. By writing over 121 compelling poems and one stellar novel based on her life experiences, women's rights and injustices, she became the face of 20th century feminism. Sylvia Plath’s poetry is mainly about 20th century feminism and women’s social injustices. "The poem Daddy criticizes the male aggression and depicts men being responsible for all the social injustices" (Hunt). In Sylvia Plath's versification Daddy, she illustrates how men are dominant over women, by comparing herself to Jews, and men to the Nazis. “I may be a bit of a Jew. I have always been scared of you” (Plath, "Daddy"). She outlines how women are a minority, and don’t...
Words: 1042 - Pages: 5
...projected. It can be said that literature is an imitation of humanistic character, representing the thoughts and behaviours of people in society. By incorporating Sylvia Plath’s novel ‘The Bell Jar’, societal values such as relationships, identity and stereotypes are the predominant ideas. Literature can be considered as a mirror image of...
Words: 767 - Pages: 4
...Mad Girl’s Love Song Mad Girl’s Love Song is written in 1951, by Sylvia Plath. Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. She was born on October 27, 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts and she died on February 11, 1963 in London, England. Mad Girl’s Love Song is a poem, Sylvia Plath wrote while she was a student at Smith College. The poem has a theme of suicide as an escape. There are many places where the theme of suicide appears in the poem. The poem is about a girl who spent her whole life waiting for a man she gave herself to, against her beliefs, who was never to return. There is one phrase in the poem that which has a big importance. I think I made you up inside my head This phrase is repeated a few times and that makes us thinks that the girl is wishing that this man is made up, and she is trying to convince herself of it. The phrase is kind of a quote which signifies that these are thoughts to her, and not out loud, which can means that she is trying to convince herself it is true. Sylvia wished that she would overcome her depression and grow out of the despair she was living in. I fancied you’d return the way you said, but I grow old and I forget your name But in fact, her wishes and search for her happiness had driven her insane. She had been lost for so long that she didn't remember what it was like to truly be happy so therefore she would never be able to identify it if she were to regain control of her life. I think I made you...
Words: 605 - Pages: 3
...Sylvia Plath had a life full of ups and downs. Her lifelong battle with multiple different illnesses is what made her career but also ended it at the same time. Using her research along with the research of other Dr. Jamison was able to make a “literary, biographical, and scientific argument for a compelling association, not to say actual overlap, between two temperaments--the artistic and the manic-depressive—and their relationship to the rhythms and cycles, or temperament, of the natural world.” Plath is just one poet among an extensive list of poets that have suffered from this illness (Butscher 385). Sylvia Plath was born to Otto and Aurelia Plath on October 27, 1932 in Boston Massachusetts. Plath’s father who was a professor at Boston University, the school Plath’s mom was attending, took a bus, boat, and trolley to get to work every morning (Steinberg, “A Celebration”). This dedication proves that Otto loved his job teaching and explains why Sylvia was so knowledgeable. Sylvia’s time with her father was short lived unfortunately, for he died just a week and a half after her eighth birthday due to complications with diabetes. With the proper treatment his disease could have been easily cured. At his funeral a friend was recorded asking, “How could such a brilliant man have been so stupid?” (Steinberg). When Sylvia first heard of her father’s passing she proclaimed, “I’ll never speak to God again” (Neurotic Poets). His death had a direct impact on her young life affecting...
Words: 1435 - Pages: 6
