Blog Entry #5: Personal Review
I actually read The Bell Jar last summer, but it so enticed me that I felt drawn to read it again, this time with closer attention to detail. I was most drawn by the fact that the novel is actually a semi-autobiography of Sylvia Plath herself. Plath, who first attempted suicide by sticking her head in an oven (and later succeeding through overdose). The fact that the violent and cynical thoughts of Esther actually were reality in Plath’s mind is truly frightening.
Also notable is that as the novel progresses the contradictions posed by Plath become blurred with Esther’s madness, as she sits stagnant, the opportunities slowly shriveling up and dying (much like the symbol of the fig tree). Esther’s decent into madness was by no means delicate. Though her first signs of distress were her fascination with death (the Rosenburgs) and a mild distrust of others, as the novel progressed, her cynicism skyrocketed and she began to seek exclusively darkness and sleep.
I think that Plath’s utilization of media as Esther’s only clear view into society was very clever. Fashion magazines and Baby Talk portrayed what was expected by society, which was contrasted by the news clippings of the Rosenburgs and Esther’s own suicide. It was as if her suicide was just a curiosity of society, mirrored by Esther’s own listless interest when Joan shows her the clippings.
Either way, this book struck me on the second read in a way it hadn’t before. The progression of Esther’s rise and fall into insanity, I now realize, represents are sort of twisted rebirth. The foreboding “bell jar” that will forever hang over Esther’s head is perhaps a warning to all of us, that the tremors of are mind never fail to follow us for eternity.
This was also my second time reading, and like you, I learned about Sylvia Plath's life experiences in between these reads. I felt it necessary to pay more attention to the way the story was written and the events in the novel upon learning about the author's life and death. I find the last sentence that you wrote extremely insightful and intriguing, as certainly mental illnesses such as depression can strike anyone and at anytime.
ReplyDeleteI also found the fig tree an important symbol in the story. It added to, not only Esther's feelings and emotions, but Plath's feelings and emotions as well.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to read how you found that her cynicism increased as the novel progressed. i find this to be true. But after the climax of the story Plath's diction and syntax reveal how Esther's cynicism gradually begins to descend. The end of the novel is a new beginning for Esther Greenwood.