Blog Topic #5: Personal Review

The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath, was a very intriguing and unique novel, detailing the story of a girl who goes insane. Esther Greenwood, the main character and protagonist of the novel, was easily the subject of many girls’ envy; she had everything a girl could want. She was living in New York; was selected, among only a few, to intern for a renowned magazine; and was dating the “perfect” boy, a medical student and family friend. Plath thoroughly describes her characters through a constantly developing and complex plot, embodying the thematic concept of rebirth and revival. Esther is ultimately, being reborn; she is sent to an asylum in an attempt to become well and healthy again, giving her the chance to start anew. Another recurring theme I found throughout the novel was the juxtaposition of real and superficial. Esther is given the chance to have everything, to be on top, but she realizes, not soon enough, the consequences this life can have. Not everything is as it seems, and although, someone or something may appear “perfect,” that does not mean they are.

I truly enjoyed this novel, with not only its great insight into the mind of a restricted woman in the nineteen- fifties, but also its unique style and storyline. The plot is somewhat curious, due to the fact that although it is fiction, it seems almost like an autobiography. Sylvia Plath, a poet and novelist of the late nineteen- hundreds, committed suicide when she passed away in nineteen sixty- three. She had been depressed for years prior to her death and exposed a personality close to that of Esther Greenwood.