Do we all live in 'The Bell Jar'?
- theworm
- Apr 3, 2020
- 6 min read
"I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart: I am, I am, I am." These are words that have carried through many of the tough times in my life. In fact, one of my most prized possessions is a pendant with those words inscribed upon it. I don't know a single person who hasn't had their life permanently changed after reading this book.
On the 11th of February 1963, Sylvia Plath was found dead in her London home. She had committed suicide, having used carbon monoxide to poison herself. The world had lost a true star. During her tragically short lifetime, she had struggled with depressive episodes, having made other unsuccessful attempts on her own life. The result of this battle with mental illness was an array of heart-wrenching poetry, which I certainly feel guilty for loving.
A month prior to this tragedy, 'The Bell Jar' was published under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas. It was only in 1967, 6 years later, that it was published under the name of the true author: Sylvia Plath. Most assume she used a pen name because of the semi autobiographical nature of the novel. Plath did not want to hurt anyone with this incredibly personal tale of sadness. Many parallels can be drawn between the lives of Plath and Esther Greenwood (the story's protagonist), from the characters in the story to the challenges faced by Greenwood. The striking difference, however, is that Esther had hope. Esther had life left in her.
I believe we all have a little Esther in us; we all have moments of depression and exhaustion. That's why this novel is so harrowing; it is relatable. We all live in a bell jar, trapped on the inside. This leads me to my big question about this novel. What exactly is the bell jar? We can assume that it's a metaphor, but what is it referring to? I have two main ideas. The bell jar can either represent Esther's mental illness, trapping her in her own mind, or it stands for the oppressive society in which she lives.
One theory revolves around the theme of mental illness. This is the most prominent motif running throughout the novel. Esther struggles with a very obvious bout of depression, possibly giving way to something like bipolar disorder. This is where we can draw incredibly poignant parallels between the lives of Plath and Greenwood. Plath herself battled serious depressive episodes, which impacted heavily on the themes in her writing. Anyone who has dealt with mental illness will know the soul sucking exhaustion associated with it. This is highlighted in the novel when Esther's mother says she knew her baby wasn't like "those awful dead people at that hospital" (pg 140), referring of course to patients at a psychiatric unit. Dead here is extremely emotive, suggesting that all of those awful people were withering away under their own bell jar forged of their suffering.
In the novel, Esther receives electro-convulsive therapy for her depression. This was a popular treatment in the 1950s, but use of the arguably barbaric therapy can still be seen for serious disorders that are not as well understood. These days, the treatment has been made safer through strict regulations yet this does not distract from the fact that the premise is rather basic. According to the charity Mind, ECT involves sending an electric current through your brain, causing a brief surge of electrical activity within your brain (also known as a seizure). In this, another similarity can be seen between Esther's life and Sylvia's. Sylvia herself received ECT, she knew how to describe it to such an extent that I can still feel my heart in my mouth to this day when I read this passage. Following her first round of this treatment, Plath made her first documented suicide attempt, overdosing on her mother's sleeping pills in the basement of her house. Again, another striking likeness to the plot of the novel. Similarly to this, Esther did not take well to her first round of electro-convulsive therapy. It was traumatic enough to make her wonder "what terrible thing it was that [she] had done" (pg 138). However, later in the novel, she experiences the treatment again under the supervision of Doctor Nolan. Nolan is presented as a protagonist, contrasting starkly with most of the other mental health professionals featured in the novel. This calls into question the matter of Esther's sanity at this point. Is Dr. Nolan real, or a figment of her imagination, used as an escape from the horror of reality? That's probably a question for another essay! This time around, the treatment goes incredibly well and at this point, the metaphor of the actual bell jar is referenced again. "The bell jar hung, suspended, a few feet above [her] head" (pg 206). Clearly, the treatment has relieved Greenwood, allowing her to breathe clearly for the first time in a while. This certainly points to the suggestion that the bell jar is a metaphor for mental illness.
If there is one thing that the writing style of this novel makes clear, it's that Plath is a natural poet, a true talent. Every sentence is filled with beautiful metaphors and similes, creating almost a euphoric feeling even in it's darkest moments. However, this could lead critics to accuse Plath of romanticising mental illness. One example of this is when Esther is beginning her depressive episode, questioning her future and her choices. "From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked" (pg 73). The use of natural imagery and personification here almost make light of Greenwood's predicament. It is important to remember that if you are struggling, help is always out there.
A more feminist reading of this book might suggest that the bell jar is actually symbolic of the oppression faced by young, ambitious women in 1950's America. Esther is just beginning her career, confused by the amount of choices and paths that lie ahead of her. However, there is still an enormous amount of societal pressure for girls. They were expected to be home-makers; obedient housewives who had the sole purpose of rearing children and caring for the man in her life. Buddy's mother sums it up pretty well when she said "what a man wants is a mate and what a woman wants is infinite security" (pg 67). These were the roles laid out for men and women. Men wanted a folly, something to play with, but that would also be of good use to him. Women, on the other hand needed to feel safe, something they could (of course) only get from a man.
Later on, Esther references this phrase when she says that "the last thing [she] wanted was infinite security" (pg 79). Clearly, she yearned for more, as many young girls probably did at the time. It must feel suffocating to any young person to have these expectations enforced on them, trapping them in a life they don't want to have. Almost like living in a bell jar.
Dodo Conway is the literal characterisation of the societal role for a women in the 1950s. She has a husband and is living in a big house with her six children. The perfect woman, surely. Esther says that she is interested in Dodo, "in spite of [herself]" (pg 112). This suggests that Esther usually fights against the norms enforced upon her, pushing back against the desire to have children. One could say she feels trapped by this and desperately wants to make her escape.
This essay may make a more compelling case for the idea of mental illness being the translation for the metaphor of the bell jar. However, I believe that it is a combination of the two that led Esther to living in her bell jar. I also believe that we all live in a bell jar of our own of sorts, there is always something holding us back. However, the main take-away from this piece should be that the Bell Jar is a beautiful book, one to be treasured.
Well worms, there you have it. Thanks for reading and let me know what your take on this inspiring novel is. I'd love to hear from you all.
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References
S. Plath, The Bell Jar, 1963, Faber and Faber
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