Customer Reviews

Bell Jar

5 star:		(105)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Bell Jar deals with many of the political and social issues of the 1950s, such as life within an anti-communist country. However, in my opinion, the most pressing issue is the conflicting view of female sexuality. In the novel, Sylvia Plath presents many different types of stereotypical women ranging from the then strongly encouraged role of a devoted housewife, to the sexually permissive female characters, to the successful career centered type woman. Esther Greenwood, like many girls going through adolescence, has a difficult choice to make: which type of women should she become, while having to keep in mind the sacrifices she will have to make for either paths of her life? What makes this interesting is how each one of these woman represents a different type of female empowerment and has come to influence Esther's perception in one way or another.

Sylvia Plath uses powerful imagery throughout the novel to help the reader gain a better understanding of the intense emotions a young woman goes through while trying to find her identity. I recommend this novel to all women, as it addresses many relatable issues women face when living under the current complex societal values and pressures.

The title pretty much sums up my feelings about this book. There's always been positive buzz about The Bell Jar, but I found it rather slow and dull. The protagonist's complaints were not as interesting as those of Catcher In The Rye's Holden Caulfield. She was very dull and at times irritating. It's not a long read, but I wouldn't invest the time in re-reading it. Something like The Virgin Suicides may be better, but in the same category for readers.

This was a gift for my daughter for Christmas and what she asked for and so it was the perfect gift.

Don't be put off by the book's reputation as the story of a depressed not-quite-a-woman-not-a-girl protagonist--and certainly don't be put off by the fact that Sylvia Plath died very soon after writing the book. Although she is known primarily for her poetry, I've often thought that Bell Jar captured both her skill as a sharp poetess, but also her lesser-known sense of humor. The Bell Jar involves suicide attempts and mental institutions, but more importantly, it doesn't dwell on tragedy so much as cut through it. Plath's photographic depiction of what it is like to be thrust into adulthood and all the other things that aren't in childhood are equally important and remind the reader that the things that we experience are neither so beautiful nor ugly as they are absurd.

Whether or not you've ever been depressed, the Bell Jar captures not only the fear of nothing ever changing, but also the greater fear of things being different, twin processes which are, to me, at the heart of depression.

Esther Greenwood, a college student from Massachusetts wins a dream assignment, with eleven other students, on a big New York fashion magazine. Esther is vulnerable and impressionable and is unable to enjoy her assignment; some of her experiences frighten and disorient her. Esther does not fit in with either of her friends: the rebellious Doreen or the conformist Betsy.

Returning home, Esther finds that she has not been accepted into a writing course she applied for, and this leads her to consider what choices she has in life. Thus begins a descent into depression, and a very personal form of madness.

It is easy to see autobiographical parallels with Sylvia Plath's own life. Perhaps too easy, and this can detract from a broader message of identity and belonging, which so many of us experience and can relate to. I first read part of this novel as a teenager, almost 40 years ago. I read it then as an autobiographical novel which, while it raised many of the questions I was considering myself, had no comfortable answers. Coming back to the novel now, I see that I wasn't looking past the tragedy of Sylvia Plath's own death to appreciate the writing for its own sake. While Ms Plath took her own life at age 30, that this was a (tragic) choice, not an inevitable outcome.

So, why read this novel now? It was published almost 50 years ago and while aspects of the setting reflect that, the underlying search for identity and purpose are timeless. For me, this is a novel worth reading twice.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

A different sort of story to read these days; old traditional ways, and the non-acceptance of depression. A dark read, but also interesting.

A clasic I recomend reading. if you didn't already know plath published this book under a sudo name and two weeks later committed suicide. It is a very close look at depression and what it would be like to live in a mental institution. It is very sad that she never got to see the great sucsess of her one and only novel.

Read it through in less than a few days and could not, would not put it down. The Bell Jar allowed me to see into the depth of the character's feelings and mind. Well written and wonderfully deep. Her gift of talent to the reader haunts.

i thought this book was really good because it showed the world through Ester's eyes. Some poeple say that it is just a depressing book, but they have obivously never been depressed. I have read this book several times and I will continue to read it.

The story can be compared to Catcher In The Rye in that the main characters of both stories are similarly out of place in society. They feel as though there is something in life that is missing, but continue living not knowing what it is until they eventually have a mental breakdown. Sylvia Plath, however, writes in a much more poetic language than Salinger. Her words could be violently beautiful, or peacefully bloody, but what can one expect from a novel by a poet.