This novel is almost poetically depressing. Sylvia Plath takes us on the journey of Esther Greenwood, a beautiful, bright and hopeful young girl, who faces mental health troubles in 1950s America. The novel itself rings real truths, as it is semi-autobiographical of Plath’s own life.
The story follows our protagonist, Esther Greenwod, who is on a summer internship in New York City. When her internship is over she becomes confused about what she wants in her life. While she loves to write, she feels pressured by society’s expectation of her to conform to the typical housewife status. While Buddy Willard, her ‘de facto fiance’ tells her that a woman cannot be a wife and a poet, she becomes torn. Esther has always focused on her academic achievements and becomes terrified of what will happen to her when she finishes college, thus causing her to fall into a depressive state and become suicidal and sleepless. Eventually becoming institutionalised, the reader learns via Esther’s narration and her flashbacks, the worries and thoughts that someone with mental health issues might go through.
What is fantastic about The Bell Jar is how relatable it is to mass amounts of young people; many face the struggle to know what we want from life, society expects us to make substantial decisions at such a young age, and like Esther, we can feel trapped and suffocated by the ruthless nature of the world after being sheltered by the education system for the majority of our lives. Plath depicts this perfectly, as it is coming from her own experiences; the reader finds it easier to connect with the lovable Esther.
My only criticism of the novel is the cliff hanger ending; the reader is aware the novel is narrated at some point in the future, yet we do not know what happens to Esther. Does she manage to get out of the hospital, or does her health deteriorate again? Nevertheless, we will never learn the answer, as Plath committed suicide one month after the book’s first publication, which gives it all the more importance to her fans.
The novel for me is a timeless classic, and still holds relevance despite it being written over 50 years ago. As a fan of Plath, her writing in The Bell Jar provides me with some understanding of Plath’s life and more so sustains her relevance in the literary world. It’s definitely a book all young people should read.
Words by Zoe