The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Salutations! Thank you so much for returning to my blog for the second Literary Wednesday! This week's piece of literature is Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, the namesake of my blog. I have had several inquiries as to the meaning of "A Teenager's Look Through the Bell Jar," so I decided to take this opportunity to explain arguably my favorite novel of all time and its meaning.

First of all, in order to fully comprehend the impact of this novel, I believe you should know a few quick pieces of information on its author, Sylvia Plath. Plath has been dubbed by author John Green as "the patron saint of weepy teenage girls," and I must admit, this is not exactly false. Plath, a world-renowned American poet is known for her confessional poetry, a poetic style that gained momentum in the 1950's because of its incorporation of large amounts of personal transparency. Plath is also well known for her tumultuous relationship with poet Ted Hughes and her tragic suicide in 1963. The Bell Jar is Plath's only novel, and it is highly reminiscent of Plath's own childhood and mental decline as an adult.

The Bell Jar focuses on the female protagonist Esther Greenwood and her mental deterioration as a young writer. A very successful and hardworking student, Esther spends a summer in New York City working for a fashion magazine with a handful of other fortunate young women. Esther, however, can not understand why she finds such little enjoyment when she should be having the time of her life. Instead of embracing the opportunity, she spends the month dwelling on the social tensions of the fifties and challenging the traditional gender roles and expectations of the times. Following her return to her Northeastern hometown, Esther slowly begins a decline into severe mental illness, attempting suicide numerous times. Eventually, after a painstakingly difficult and strenuous journey through several mental hospitals and doctors, Esther is able to regain her mental stability and overcome the societal boundaries she always felt imposed upon her. Throughout the novel, Esther likens her madness to a bell jar- a bell-shaped glass used to cover a gas, vacuum, or delicate object (picture the glass that covers the rose in The Beauty and the Beast). Esther feels that when the bell jar captures her, she sits "stewing" in her "own sour air," becoming progressively more insane. However, as the novel progresses, she gradually feels the bell jar lifted away, but she asks herself, "How did I know that someday- at college, in Europe, somewhere, anywhere- the bell jar, with its stifling distortion, wouldn't descend again?" Esther knows that the bell jar and her madness hover a very short distance above her, threatening to contain her at any moment. Personally, I find that I can highly relate to the character of Esther Greenwood in a less severe manner, and for me the bell jar symbolizes the chaos of being a teenager and handling the occasional pandemonium around me, which is why my blog got its Plathian label.

Personally, I find The Bell Jar to be one of the most compelling pieces of American literature to be born from the twentieth century, and I highly recommend it to any lover of reading. I must warn you, the book is not exactly an uplifting, pleasurable experience. It is quite a sad and depressing read, but Plath's beautiful style greatly makes up for this. Plath writes in a very expressive, sensual manner, starting with the book's first line about the "queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenburgs," and continuing through the entire novel

Through Plath's beautiful work, I truly believe that one can confront and come to terms with their own mental instability. no matter how tiny or colossal it is, in a way that no other book can even approach.

"I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am."
- From The Bell Jar (1963) by Sylvia Plath

Next Week: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen