This week was the final section of the book and I was overall underwhelmed by the ending. While it was unexpected it was relatively inconclusive and meaningless. Perhaps this was the authors intent? It almost seems as though the book should continue on. Most books end pretty clearly but this book felt incomplete.

This represents a lot of themes in the book including relationships, suicide and mental health, and fresh starts. All are ideas are shown throughout as the author uses Esther’s story to compel readers.

Once again, I noticed the authors use of a simile as she described the asylam as “quiet as death.” I felt as though this has a literal meaning of the lack of noise in the mental hospital but also the quietness on the topic of mental health. This was an overall theme and the author used unique devices to help the reader understand purpose surrounding mental health. Another meaning of a bell jar helped us understand why the author chose that title. “Those girls, too, sat under bell jars of a sort” (Plath 238). This statement is effectively stating that more people were suffering with mental health (specifically girls) and were trapped. This is very common still today as people around the world lack resources to mental health care.

Esther’s friend Joan kills herself and this greatly contributed to the end of the book. Those around Joan felt horrible and placed the blame on themselves for the suicide even though it wasn’t their fault. This is an incredibly hard subject but needs to be talked about. I feel bad for Esther in what she had to go through and I just hope she has a better future. It seems grief could be shown here but in a way that is unusual to most.

Grief can be handled so many ways and can be the result of many life events. This book shows how someone’s life can change in many ways and the grief many felt navigating everything. For example Esther felt grief when Joan dies but in another context Esther’s mother could have grieved the way Esther used to be in the past.

Final Thoughts: Overall, this was not a great book. I wouldn’t recommend it and I never gained that much excitement through reading it. I didn’t like how it was depressing and generally inapplicable to my personal life. With that being said, I do have key takeaways and they are almost more meaningful because of how tedious the reading was. It seems the author wrote with a certain style that helped to convey the overall ideas to anyone who picks up the book. I am happy to have challenged myself to read something I typically would not choose.

This weeks reading was interesting and the meaning of “The Bell Jar” was revealed. “The air of the bell jar wadded round me and I couldn’t stir” (Plath 186). This is displaying the main theme of the author being trapped and unable to escape. This ties back to her mental illness and depressive thoughts. The author started the first chapter of this section out with a suicidal thought and motivation to show how Esther was constantly feeling these thoughts. The author introduces a new method of suicide which is jumping out of a car window and this shows how desperate Esther is to end her life.

This is what a real bell jar looks like though the author is using the term metaphorically. This is a metaphor for Esther’s life as she feels trapped and struggles with the expectations society places on her.

One technique the author uses throughout the book is vivid imagery. This is often used to describe people and more specifically the doctors and nurses caring for Esther in the mental hospital. Some elements in this section showed details of the time period. Esther was surprised to see a women physiatrist and this adds to the societal ideals. In addition to this, it was mentioned that a doctor was smoking inside the hospital and this is something you can no longer do. Specific details like these add to the descriptive nature of Esther as she continues to navigate everyday life.

Esther was very precise and honest in sharing her thoughts on what was going on around her. She deeply struggled with the use of shock treatments and it almost seemed to be a trauma response. Today, many people have a bad situation with a medical procedure or particular doctor and have the same fears and complaints. Esther seemed to be very observant and made some unique descriptions. I inferred this was the authors intent as they wanted to portray the irrationality of Esther’s mental condition. I found it quite odd she described a napkin as an isosceles triangle.

Esther’s individual isolation could have been felt by others in society. It is weird for us to think of doctor’s being only male but at this time that was the norm. The author likely wanted to show how society has changed over time.

Moving forward with the final section of the book I have hope for a happy ending. While it it likely something could happen and Esther could end her life, I am hoping for a plot twist. Perhaps a theme of perseverance through pain and suffering could emerge but in contrast a theme of loss or giving up could teach the reader a different lesson.

I am just giving a trigger warning to any readers as I will be discussing themes of suicide and mental health. This weeks reading was very dark as Esther’s mental state continued to decline and she explored many ways she has tried or is considering to end her life. Specific mentions were pills, cutting, ropes, balconies, and drowning. She even brings religion into this as she says she could become a Catholic so they would tell her it is a sin to kill herself. This is just a continuing example of her cry for help and desire to change. As the author narrates the story, she used very descriptive details to describe character and feelings. Esther described the mental hospital in this way: “The more hopeless you are, the further away they hide you” (Plath 160). In the end she actually was reluctant to move mental clinics and used that as motivation to improve her behavior.

This image depicts the complexity of Esther’s conditions and how it has lumped everything together. It seems to be slipping out of her control and spiraling greatly. I am getting frustrated I just want her to straighten everything out so badly.

A new theme emerged which I believe was foreshadowed previously. Esther mentions that she has ugly and disgusting legs and this is a clear sign of body dysmorphia. I believe it is common for mental illnesses to coincide so perhaps her depressive thoughts have led her to loose all her confidence. This just escalates the decline and contributes to the overall theme of mental health. One interesting connection I made was the lack of emotion Esther says she has. This is interesting because she is so depressed and vulnerable so typically she would be more prone. She even went as far as to say she didn’t cry for her own fathers death which would be criticized by many. I really connect with this because I didn’t cry when my mom died and I believe it just depends on your own personal state and how emotional you are.

The introduction of Esther’s fathers death definitely helped to understand her past to a greater extent. I feel some empathy for her yet everyone goes through struggles so I would rather see her have a growth mindset and try to learn from her past. Perhaps the lack of emotion she portrays has a more complex meaning and shows why she isn’t sad to end her own life.

This is Esther when she has to get out of bed and face the challenges of the world. She seems to be someone who would snooze her alarm and keep sleeping as she takes her life one day at a time.

I am relieved to say that Esther had finally been refereed to a physiatrist! One behavior mentioned earlier in this section hinted as psychotic behavior: “She drops a raw egg into a teacup of raw hamburger, mixed it up, and ate it” (Plath 119). This is actually extremely disgusting and I am honestly concerned about the author who came up with this idea. Esther visits the doctor twice, however at the end of the section she shares a story about suicide and this is alarming. Why would the author include this if it wasn’t to foreshadow a future event? I am extremely concerned and I can now confirm a theme of mental health to be increasingly prevalent.

This complex image shown what Esther herself may be feeling and also all the questions the reader may have. What could Esther’s condition be? Does the doctor have an idea? Esther has so many questions about her future but the reader has even more.

To sense the authors direction and tone I can look at the word choice and style. It seems the entire book the author has used very formal and an almost elegant writing style. This book seems to be carefully crafted and many elements of foreshadowing have helped hint to what may occur. The main character wanted to become a poet so perhaps this is reasoning for the specific writing language used throughout.

 Esther’s actions began to frustrate me even more as I read on through chapters 7, 8, and 9. She is not only continuing to make poor decisions but she seems to have a loss of control over her life. She is unsatisfied and is doing nothing about it. She uses an analogy of a fig tree to describe her feelings. I found it interesting that she said each fig was a varying option for life but the figs continued to fall off the tree. Why doesn’t he just go grab a fig and try it (or branch out and start up something new in her life)?She could explore some new options, get a new job, try her profession elsewhere, etc. It frustrates me as a reader that she is a full grown adult and lacks the courage to make any drastic change to her life. In addition to her professional life, her personal life is deeply struggling. Esther thinks it’s odd that she never before realized that she was only happy until the age of nine. This is a sign that she is not living out a responsible and happy lifestyle. She needs to make change!!

Relationships also played a key part in these chapters and I struggle to understand Esther’s perspective. She is in a relationship however she states: “I’m never going to get married” (Plath 93). Why is she staying in a relationship she doesn’t see a future with? A theme of purity comes up, however I don’t know why the author even bothered to mention it. Esther is too far gone for that. Why is she not open to making changes? She also feels inferior to others because she lacks skills such as knowing a foreign language, cooking, cleaning, shorthand, and some others. I don’t understand why she doesn’t try to learn some of the skills she lacks. Maybe she will find a new one she enjoys and can master.

Another overall theme I noticed emerging was a theme that Esther was becoming insane and erratic. It seems to slowly be building, however it seems she might go mentally insane. I am confused on why she is going insane? Why did the author choose this as a theme for the book? I am looking forward to seeing how other characters react as Esther’s actions become more extreme.

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7511-i-saw-my-life-branching-out-before-me-like-the

This link is for an article by Goodreads. It is only one long paragraph and helps to more deeply understand the Fig Analogy used by author Sylvia Plath.

In the opening chapter for this weeks reading, Esther and Betsy become sick because they have been poisoned in the luncheon and this was not pleasant to read about. It almost brings you back to times you personally were sick and can give an uneasy feeling. It is possible that this may foreshadow future events of illness and specifically mental illness? I infer this because I remember this book being about mental health and societal norms. They eventually realized all the girls had also gotten sick and were able to get a doctors help to be better. This was very satisfying to read because often times authors leave small parts of book plots unknown and it is up to the reader to infer what happened. It have a good closure and kept the plot moving forward.

Another small detail I appreciated was Esther’s mention of the confusion with tipping in New York City. As a young adult I can imagine a lot of new experiences as you are navigating new life adventures and challenges. I loved how transparent she was in sharing this small detail of her life. It seems this tipping issue has come up multiple times in the opening chapters so maybe it carries some significance? It could be to symbolize that she is struggling in the “real world” and maybe on her personal path. I found it interesting that she stated “don’t let the wicked city get you down” on page 39. This may tie back to internal struggle.

A final thought this week was the turn in plot to a more romantic plot. Esther meets Buddy Willards and he is a doctor. He is in residency and it was very interesting how Esther and Buddy experienced watching births together. This could represent a symbol of a women’s “destiny” especially as they begin to discuss marriage and family. Buddy being a doctor may show male superiority and breadwinning in this time period.

This video highlights the women’s cultural norms during the time period of the book. It may be important in understanding Esther’s intentions and the future events that may occur.

After reading the first three chapters of the book, some themes emerged including ideas of personal identity, young adult life, work-life balance, and relationships with those around you. I really appreciated how honest and vulnerable Esther was as she described the feeling and emptiness of New York City. One specific part that resonated with me was when she felt empty in the huge city of New York and took a bath to ‘numb herself’. Esther states, “I never feel so much myself as when I’m in a hot bath.” (Plath 20) This idea was prevalent with me because as a high school student so much can be going on and you simply want to numb yourself by taking time to relax or isolating from the constant motion of daily life. This idea can be applicable for many as the world becomes more and more advanced and we get more and more overwhelmed with the responsibilities we face. Esther likely feels like many and doesn’t know if this is her true career she wants to pursue in addition to feeling the pressure society has placed on her. I predict this book will be a coming of age story as Esther remains vulnerable in her thoughts and decisions.

One character I don’t particularity care for is Doreen because she doesn’t seem like a loyal and caring friend to Esther. I really feel a desire to jump into the book and help Esther to get around a group of people who are there to support her. It appears she has never been taught that it is okay to be a bit unsure with what you want to do an where you want to be in life. The book states that Esther was a good student but I found her learning style to be different from my own. I found it interesting that Esther felt subjects like biology made sense to her because they could be learned through diagrams and hands on experiences. She mentioned that while she still did well in chemistry and physics despite it being very frustrating to her as she hated the formulas. An overarching idea I struggled with was the darkness of these first few chapters as topics like drinking and partying are discussed.

(Image from Earth.Org) I wanted to include this picture of New York City beyond the simple plot explanation. While the book is taking place in New York City, this image specifically shows details the main character is trying to emphasize like the busyness, brightness, motion, and intense feeling you get when glancing at this image. For most young adults, working or living in New York city seems like a dream life but Esther feels trapped within the world around her.

For Blogging About Literature I choose to read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I was drawn to this book because it discusses topics such as women, social identity, and mental health. The person I will collaborate with is Megan Harmon. I look forward to blogging about my own opinions on the book and learning about life for women during this time period. It will be interesting to read about taboo topics or those not typically discussed in class. Something I am apprehensive about is reading a women’s story that is opposing my viewpoints. This will be good to challenge my reading ability but may be frustrating. To ensure success I will do reading early in the week to have time to think on what I read and have deeper and more elaborate thoughts. In addition me and Megan can have productive conversations to gain new perspectives on what we have read. Staying on top of missing work from track will also help to ensure success.

(Image from allriot) A theme depicted in this image is women’s equality and a change in social structure. This is a common theme included in the book as protagonist Esther Greenwood enters her own journey and struggle for autonomy.

Dishonesty is an emotion seen throughout all acts of the Crucible. I specifically see this emotion in Abigail. In Act 3 she is lying about the affair. She does not know Proctor has already confessed so she lies and says it didn’t happen. This is what she responds to Judge Danforth in regards to Proctors confession: “Mr. Danforth, he is lying!” (Miller 110) In addition to this, she lies in Act 2 about being poked by the needle in the poppet in regards to witchcraft.

Through the writing of De Las Casas and Red Cloud, I believe a lasting impact was left on the reader. Red Cloud had a significant impact because the form of the writing was a speech. He used rhetorical questions to invoke the reader and serve as a call to action. I feel his direct tone helped him achieve this very well. De Las Casas achieved the same, however it was done in a slightly different way. Within his writing, he uses a depressing and grim tone to feel a sense of loss, violence, mistreatment, and tragedy. Are all used to cause the reader to feel a sense of sorrow or regret for the injustices caused. Overall, through reading these texts I feel the target audience, Christians, Spaniards, Whites, and those mistreating Native Americans, were called to reform and prevent future injustices.