Even though The Bell Jar deals with subjects that I typically find unsettling, I really enjoyed this novel. On the surface it explores a girl's decent into insanity and the harsh treatments she underwent in an attempt to bring her back to normalcy. The Bell Jar critiques the expectations placed on young women in 1950's and early 1960's America. It also highlights the social and political unrest that was prevalent throughout the decade.
So I began to think maybe it was true that when you were married and had children it was like being brainwashed, and afterward you went about as numb as a slave in a totalitarian state.The reason The Bell Jar works is because Plath subtly introduces the onset of Ester's mental breakdown and then presents it in a way that makes it seem logical. We aren't watching a girl's decent into insanity from the outside, but rather following her through it. Maybe Plath is able to achieve this point of view since for her, this is not a fictionalized account of a girl going mad, but rather a semi-autobiographical take on her own insanity. (Plath committed suicide one month after The Bell Jar was published in the UK.)
Ester is one of the most honest, self-deprecating narrators I've read in a long time. There are many passages one could quote from this book, but I prefer to take it in as a whole; The Bell Jar examines the influence gender roles and their expectations have on one's identity, and the downward spiral that can ensue when those expectations contradict one another.
Publisher: Faber Firsts, 1963
I bought a copy of this recently and I really do need to read it! Thank you for reminding me! Cool review!
ReplyDeleteI first read this as a freshman in college and then re-read it last year for my book club. It's such a fascinating book. I've never read another book with a narrator quite like Ester. She's so cynical and disdainful, but also honest. Plath's own story makes the book even mroe heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteI first read this when I was 16 and it had such a big impact on me. Without meaning to sound cliche, I've struggled with my own mental health issues, and as you say, Plath really does convey what it is like very well.
ReplyDeletetediousandbried, Oh good! And thank you :)
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I'm already looking forward to the reread.
Tiny Library, I don't think that sounds cliche at all.
I had so much fun when I reread this book recently & compared Esther Greenwood to Holden Caulfield...hmmm...same # of syllables in their names. Must add that to my list...
ReplyDeleteBybee, I've read about that comparison. It's been so long that I've read The Catcher in the Rye that I didn't notice any connections, but perhaps if I reread it. Though I don't think I will because I didn't like it much the first time around.
ReplyDeleteMany of the points you make in your review bring out the similarities between The Bell Jar and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper." I like Plath's poetry quite a bit, so I feel like I should get to this soon.
ReplyDeleteI have read this book numerous times. It's always very relevant and resonating.
ReplyDeleteYESSS! You're so right. I read this book years ago, but I so admired Plath's ability to make "insanity" seem quite logical and gradual. It's a great achievement in writing. I'm dreadfully overdue for a re-read of it.
ReplyDeleteLBC, I never made that connection with The Yellow Wallpaper but you are right - the themes are similar. I read TYW in college and still have it laying around somewhere. I should reread it.
ReplyDeletelola, This is a good one for a reread.
Andi, This was my first time reading it and I was floored. Genious.
I read this maybe a year or two ago and really enjoyed it. Reading it 50+ years after it was written, I felt as though I had an interesting insight into whether or not Ester was really 'insane'. Sure, she might've seemed so then, but in today's society, would she seem insane? Or would the different social norms from the 50s/60s not translate into how ours are today-- that she would not feel it necessary to do what she does back then today.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to look and see how the definitions of insanity change over the course of time.
I was so moved when I read this book. I enjoyed hearing about it once again --great review.
ReplyDeleteI never read the Bell Jar but I really want to. I read a few segments of Plath's journal and I found them really interesting, though.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorites. Is that your copy shown? What a great cover.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this title because of it's authenticity as well. It's a little unsettling based on the fact that it is semi-autobiographical. I knew little about Sylvia Plath beforehand and started doing research afterwards and felt the book was almost too intimate. I think the insight she has as a young woman at that age is so poignant- indecision and issues with identity that accompany uncertainty (even more so at that period). Great review, Brenna!
ReplyDeleteAh, I do love The Bell Jar. One of my favorite aspects to the book is that it's autobiographical while still maintaining a separate, fictional feel. Though it was clearly heavily influenced by Plath's own experiences, I didn't feel like it was masking anything, but rather illuminating.
ReplyDeleteShe, That is a really good point you bring up. I don't think Ester would be considered so "crazy" by today's standards.
ReplyDeleteDiane, Thanks :)
eclecticreader, I'd like to read her unabridged journal next.
Amy, It is my copy! I got it from Half Price Books and I believe it is a UK edition
Beth, You're right, the fact that it is semi-autobiographical made it all the more unsettling. I tried not to dwell on it too much, as I have a hard time with subjects of suicide.
Biblibio, Well said.
I haven't read this, but picked up a volume of her poetry recently and found it very intense to say the least. I especially remember one poem called Tulips where she is writing about recovering, in a hospital bed, from a suicide attempt. Your post encourages me to read her novel. Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteI've not read this yet, but I have really loved other books from around this time or a bit earlier -Catcher in the Rye and Revolutionary Road - that deal with the truth of people struggling with societal roles and expectations, so I'm sure I'd enjoy this. Of course I'd heard of this, but really didn't know what it was about, thanks for the review, I'll be sure to read it now!
ReplyDeleteMel, I haven't read any of her poetry but it sounds really interesting. I'll keep an eye out for it.
ReplyDeletemummazappa, I didn't love Catcher in the Rye, but I've been meaning to read Revolutionary Road.