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“The Bell Jar” is an account of a young woman’s nervous breakdown. It follows protagonist Esther Greenwood during her depressive episode, treatment and recovery.
The novel is generally classed as semi-autobiographical. Although it is a piece of fiction, it is very closely based on the author’s own breakdown. Some sources go as far as to say that Plath only changed the names of people and places — her experiences remain the same.
On the surface, “The Bell Jar” is the story of a young woman dealing with some very real mental health concerns. Looking at the bigger picture, however, the book considers what it was like to be a woman in 1950s America.
It’s about Esther’s struggle to be the ‘right’ sort of woman and her need to live up to the heavy expectations placed on her by her contemporaries.
“The Bell Jar” is often touted as a depressing, morose read. But while Esther’s depression is at the center of the novel, there’s a lot more to it than that. The book is witty and funny and searingly honest.
So, does “The Bell Jar” hold up over 60 years after it was first published? What lessons can we learn from Sylvia Plath’s only full-length novel? Let’s take a look.
‘The Bell Jar’ Book Summary: A Young Woman’s Breakdown and Journey to Recovery
“The Bell Jar” starts in the summer of 1953. Esther Greenwood, the book’s protagonist and narrator, is taking part in a prestigious summer program at a famous magazine in New York.
It’s a hot month of glamor, parties and dates, but Esther doesn’t feel like herself. She struggles to connect to the experience. The book often flashes back to Esther’s college year, as well as her romantic relationship with ‘perfect’ medical student Buddy Willard.
Esther returns home from New York preoccupied with the kind of woman she should be. She contemplates virginity, motherhood and marriage — and whether she wants these things or whether she wants to pursue a career.
Her mental health soon deteriorates and, after a failed electro-shock treatment, she attempts to kill herself. She is admitted to a city psychiatric hospital but soon moves to a private asylum where she begins to recover.
Esther’s new psychiatrist, Doctor Nolan, encourages her to stop receiving visitors and gives her the freedom to explore who she is. The book ends with Esther’s final interview at the hospital. We are led to assume that she will soon go on to resume her ‘normal’ life.
“The Bell Jar” reminds me of “Girl, Interrupted” by Susanna Kaysen, who spent some time in Maclean, the same hospital as Plath.
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Audience and Genre: A Coming-of-Age Tale for Young Women
As a modern literary fiction classic, the novel’s audience is wide-ranging and diverse. Despite its serious nature, it is written in a straightforward way that will appeal to anyone looking for a good story.
However, it is first and foremost a coming-of-age novel. As such, it will appeal to young women who can relate to Esther’s story. Growing up is tough, and Esther personifies that struggle.
Perspective: A First-Person Look at Mental Illness
“The Bell Jar” is told from Esther Greenwood’s point of view (POV) in first person. This perspective works well for this type of novel. It helps the reader understand exactly why Esther’s mental health has deteriorated. We can get inside her head and feel that ever-present connection between the author and her character.
Although there are lots of interesting characters in the novel, jumping between multiple perspectives would hinder the ‘up close and personal’ relationship we have with Esther.
Three Cs: Compelling, Clear, Concise
Editorial Note: We believe these three factors are important for evaluating general writing quality across every aspect of the book. Before you get into further analysis, here’s a quick breakdown to clarify how we’re using these words:
- Compelling: Does the author consistently write in a way that would make most readers emotionally invested in the book’s content?
- Clear: Are most sentences and parts of the book easy enough to read and understand?
- Concise: Are there sections or many sentences that could be cut? Does the book have pacing problems?
Compelling: You’ll Care About Esther Greenwood
Esther Greenwood’s story is interesting enough to keep the reader engaged. This outcome is essential, because everything we see is through her lens.
She’s relatable. It’s very easy to read her point of view, despite the heavy subject matter. We feel emotionally invested in Esther’s breakdown and recovery. This connection makes for a compelling, character-driven narrative.
The first line — ‘It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York’ — draws the reader into the story. It puts us into a suffocating post-war New York, and we can immediately understand what Esther is thinking and feeling.
Clear: It’s Easy to Follow Esther’s Train of Thought
“The Bell Jar” is written clearly. The author gives plenty of detail about Esther’s life without excessive waffle, and it’s easy to understand the overall plot. I didn’t spot any typos or plot holes, and the book has clearly been professionally edited.
Except for short flashbacks to flesh out Esther’s memories, “The Bell Jar” follows a pretty linear style. It takes us through Esther’s life in order, until her eventual breakdown, committal and recovery.
Some of Plath’s imagery and phrasing do require thought, especially considering how she uses more abstract prose to reflect Esther’s mental state. Nonetheless, it doesn’t require a lot of effort to follow the main story itself.
Concise: A 258-Page Novel That Packs a Punch
Although “The Bell Jar” is an insight into Esther’s mental health over only six months or so, Plath manages to pack a lot of plot into the novel. We see Esther go on dates, make friends, struggle with her mental health, argue with her boyfriend, clash with her mother and more.
The text itself is broken up into 20 relatively short chapters over 258 pages, so it’s easy to dip in and out of Esther’s narrative or read the book in one sitting.
Character Development in ‘The Bell Jar’: Esther Greenwood and Her Maverick Doctor
There’s no surprise that, as a semi-autobiographical novel, the most developed character is Esther Greenwood herself. As a character, she is dry and authentic and — at times — unlikeable.
She feels unique, as she doesn’t fall into the stereotype of the ‘perfect’ 1950s girl, nor does she become an archetype for the ‘rebellious’ girl we often see in books and movies. Instead, she almost tries on lots of different roles. This transformation is very realistic for a young woman growing up.
Esther experiences some growth in the novel. She recovers from her breakdown, she loses her virginity, and she eventually gets closure on her relationship with Buddy.
Doctor Nolan also stands out as a particularly unique character in “The Bell Jar.” She expresses some radical ideas, such as encouraging Esther to get contraception. This advice feels unusual for the time. We see her character come alive through dialogue, as well as through the protagonist’s personal reflections.
In “The Bell Jar,” all of the characters feel very real. However, we only really see how they interact with Esther and impact her journey. Our thoughts about the characters are all dictated by her observations.
‘The Bell Jar’ Story: A Clear Thread for the Reader to Follow
“The Bell Jar” is a very clear story. We witness the events that culminate in Esther coming home on the brink of a nervous breakdown. We then see that breakdown and we follow her recovery. It’s a clear structure that works.
There’s a surprising amount of plot, and the story never feels boring or predictable. I didn’t consider leaving the book unfinished, and it was engaging until the end. “The Bell Jar” feels unique and even unusual in places, such as when Esther describes her thoughts on pregnancy or her odd dates at the hospital with Buddy.
The ending is simple and uplifting. It neatly ends the novel without feeling the need to spell out exactly what Esther will do next.
Prose Style: Simple But Beautiful
Like Plath’s poetry, “The Bell Jar” is full of beautiful phrasing and imagery. By using these literary devices, the author portrays Esther’s inner turmoil. The novel makes effective use of metaphors and symbolism, such as the bell jar, which represents Esther’s madness. As she recovers, she feels the jar start to lift.
There are also some more abstract excerpts, such as when Esther tries to kill herself and is found hidden in her mother’s basement: “A chisel cracked down on my eye, and a slit of light opened like a mouth or a wound, til the darkness clamped shut on it again.”
These sections are evocative. They helped me understand exactly how Esther felt, and, despite a few somewhat complicated devices, the story is still very easy to understand.
“The Bell Jar” reminds me of Françoise Sagan’s “Bonjour Tristesse” in its simplicity. You feel as though Esther Greenwood has sat down to recount her tale just for you.
Dialogue in ‘The Bell Jar’: Short and Powerful
Dialogue is a powerful tool in “The Bell Jar.” Plath uses short and realistic dialogue to build up Esther’s relationships with the other characters, such as Buddy, Doreen, Doctor Nolan, Joan and her mother.
The dialogue pushes the story forward and adds to Esther’s interactions with other characters. It also naturally breaks up Esther’s inner reflections and, in some cases, adds power to them.
Esther says some very odd things at times. This dialogue seems like an intentional way of showing Esther’s deteriorating mental health, especially in her interactions with other people.
‘The Bell Jar’ Setting: New York and Boston — It’s Not All About Hospitals
Although Esther Greenwood spends time in hospital, the majority of the book is actually set in New York, recounting the events leading up to her breakdown.
In New York, Esther lives in the Amazon hotel for women. Based on the Upper East Side’s Barbizon Hotel, this type of accommodation was popular during the 1950s.
Parents were assured that their daughters wouldn’t mix with men or engage in sexual activities. Yet again, Esther’s narrative offers an insight into the “purity morals” of the time.
Plath uses evocative imagery of Esther’s New York experience to show how her mental state deteriorates over the summer.
Her mother’s home in Boston is described as a more suburban setting, compared to the fast pace of New York. She watches her pregnant neighbor out of the window and loses all hope for what she wants to do with her life.
At the private asylum, we see her in her own room. The hospital seems almost homely, with a garden and certain freedoms for the patients. As Esther starts to recover, she moves to Belsize — the ward for women closest to release.
Plath uses accurate and believable descriptions that help the reader imagine the settings. Although none of them are particularly unique, Plath’s imagery and Esther’s dry narration bring them to life.
Rhetoric: Esther Isn’t Alone in Her Struggles
“The Bell Jar” is an honest portrayal of women’s lives in 1950s America. Esther represents every woman’s struggle of choosing where they want their life to go.
She is being pushed in many different directions, and, whether directly or indirectly, Sylvia Plath explores that conflict in her writing. For example, she uses the symbol of the green fig tree, with each branch representing a different life choice for Esther.
This theme is particularly in reference to educated girls — we can assume, middle-class girls — who feel they are given mixed messages about what they should want to do with their lives.
On hearing of a drug that makes women in labor forget the pain they experienced, Esther remarks, “I thought it sounded just like the sort of drug a man would invent.” This line is Plath’s POV coming through. She was terrified of getting pregnant in her 20s, so she puts those opinions into Esther’s mouth.
However, these are Esther’s genuine experiences, so the rhetoric doesn’t feel forced into the narrative. Through Esther’s viewpoint, Plath demonstrates the impossible position of a smart young woman in the 1950s.
Cultural and Political Significance: A Time Before 1960s Second-Wave Feminism
“The Bell Jar” is set in 1953. This time was before things really started to change for women in the 60s, and it’s an important backdrop for Esther’s story.
Esther is meant to want marriage and children, but she’s also meant to be a driven student. She feels stuck and confused.
Interestingly, it’s not only Esther who feels this pressure. Joan, another patient at the hospital, is also a ‘perfect’ young woman who goes to college with Esther.
This story all feels relevant even today. Women have always struggled with the pressure to maintain a career while caring for children. This book will resonate with people who can relate to this context, feminist readers in particular.
Critiquing the Critics: Is ‘The Bell Jar’ Too Depressing? + Racism and White Feminism
It’s always hard to review a book that is held up as a modern classic. However, browsing through critical reviews on Goodreads, one reader criticizes “The Bell Jar” for being ‘a relentlessly depressing work that goes entirely nowhere.’ I think that’s an unfair criticism.
Yes, depression and suicide play a large role in the novel, and Esther’s narration has a morose, often sardonic nature to it. However, Plath uses dark humor and witty observations in her novel. There is a surprising amount of plot, and the book ends on an uplifting note.
There have been criticisms about racism and white feminism in “The Bell Jar.” These comments are fair, as Esther Greenwood uses a few racist descriptions of others, such as a man serving in the hospital. Some readers view the novel as generally feminist, while others believe it only applies to privileged white women perspectives of young womanhood.
Although it’s impossible to know Plath’s intentions, it seems these observations reflect the ignorance of the time. Esther is a typical young white woman living in a very racist 1950s America. As such, unfortunately, these types of casual racist comments may be realistic for her character at the time.
That likelihood doesn’t excuse it, however, and this racist language is jarring and offensive for modern readers of the book.
In literary criticism, “The Bell Jar” has been criticized for being ‘too real.’ This point is also fair, as the characters are all very similar to the real people in Sylvia Plath’s life.
It does beg the question: why didn’t Plath write “The Bell Jar” as a memoir? This is a perpetually debated topic about novels that draw heavily on their authors’ real lives.
For me, I think “The Bell Jar” works best as a piece of fiction. It is full of beautiful prose and vivid characters that really jump off the page. I’m not sure Plath’s writing style would have been quite as powerful in the form of a memoir or nonfiction text.
Book Aesthetic: Typical of the Coming-of-Age Genre
There are quite a few different cover variations of “The Bell Jar,” usually featuring abstract-style art or an image of a young woman. This aesthetic is typical of the coming-of-age genre.
The cover of my book (1966) has an illustration by Donna Muir of a young woman with a Sylvia Plath-esque pageboy haircut and pearls. It doesn’t give away anything about the novel, except to suggest that it is character-focused and centers around a woman very similar to the author herself.
Another popular cover (2005) shows a close-up of a woman’s face with the words, “I was supposed to be having the time of my life.” This cover gives the reader a little more insight into the novel itself.
‘The Bell Jar’ Book vs. Movie: Skip the 1979 Film
“The Bell Jar” was adapted into a psychological drama in 1979. Although we always expect directors to change things around, “The Bell Jar” movie doesn’t feel like the book at all.
It uses telling rather than showing in a strange, surreal and almost sinister way. There’s a certain level of shock value, and it doesn’t evoke the same thoughtful, nuanced feelings as the book.
“The Bell Jar” isn’t a psychological drama by nature, and glaring plot discrepancies such as Esther and Joan’s relationship don’t feel in keeping with the novel. The movie also ends in a strange and sudden way, so even those with prior knowledge of “The Bell Jar” will be left confused.
There are rumors of a TV adaptation starring Dakota Fanning, but there isn’t currently a release date set for the project.
Reviewer’s Personal Opinion of ‘The Bell Jar’: A Teenage Favorite That Followed Me Into Adulthood
My mum first introduced me to “The Bell Jar” as a teenager, and I instantly fell in love with it. I’ve re-read it at least three times since then!
I think what I love most about “The Bell Jar” is how real it feels. Esther’s observations are brutal and honest. I think many women can relate to the pressure of careers, family and finding your way. Esther is blunt and even funny at times, and I love following the story through her lens.
As a history graduate and feminist, the book covers an important time in history. It looks at the impossible position of women in 1950s America, a position that many women still find themselves in today.
I’ve always loved Plath’s writing style. She uses down-to-earth narration and vivid imagery to create beautiful prose that jumps off the page. However, I don’t like the racist observations in the novel. They are unnecessary, and they make the book a problematic read.
“The Bell Jar” has a similar feel to “The Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger. They are both coming-of-age tales that follow often unlikeable young characters during a pivotal time in their lives.
‘The Bell Jar’ by Sylvia Plath: A 1950s Coming-of-Age Tale That Still Feels Relevant Today
“The Bell Jar” is a modern classic for a reason. It is written in a compelling and concise way, with a relatable female protagonist at its center.
Plath puts the reader into Esther’s head. There are plenty of interesting and unique characters. Because the book is based on the author’s own experiences, they feel very real. The author’s writing style is equal parts simple and beautiful, which makes “The Bell Jar” an immersive read.
However, the racist observations in the novel may trigger some readers. We’re also forced to see everything through Esther, and the novel can be a little sad in places. Still, “The Bell Jar” is clear and well-paced. It’s very well-written, and it finishes on an uplifting note.
Overall, I’ve chosen to give “The Bell Jar” 4.5 stars — in keeping with our philosophy on star ratings. The book doesn’t have any issues with story, character or structure. It’s easy to follow, and I didn’t notice any plot holes.
The only significant detractor is Plath’s racism. Because there is little separation between Plath and Esther, it’s fair to attribute Esther’s racism to Plath. Writing the story in the 50s isn’t a sufficient excuse. Several other famous literary fiction authors from that time period, such as John Steinbeck, do not have any egregious instances of racism in their catalog.
The plot succeeds in keeping the reader engaged, and the literary devices used fit nicely into the coming-of-age genre. I recommend “The Bell Jar” to anyone looking for a good, nuanced, thought-provoking story.
Buying and Rental Options
E-Commerce Text and Audio Purchases
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Physical Location Purchase and Rental Options
You can buy “The Bell Jar” from most major stores, such as Barnes and Noble, Target and independent bookshops. You can also rent the book from your public library.
Digital Rental Options
Many public libraries offer digital rentals of “The Bell Jar.” You can access these copies via an app or online platform. The 1979 version of “The Bell Jar” movie is available for free on YouTube.
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