Trapped in a Bell Jar
Trapped in a bell jar
Bell Jar
/bel jär/
a bell-shaped glass cover used for covering delicate objects or used in a laboratory, typically for enclosing samples.
Esther Greenwood depicts herself as being in a bell jar, metaphorically, throughout the book. A bell jar is used to close off an object. She feels that she is trapped by her emotions, such as depression. As she progresses with her condition towards the end of the book, she changes the way she portrays the bell jar.
She mentions that, “I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air.” Esther thinks that the new asylum she will be sent to will not have an impact on her health. She feels like there is no solution to her major problem. She acknowledges that she has her “own sour air” that does not allow her to feel positive emotions, no matter the place she is sent to.
Moreover, she declares, "The bell jar hung, suspended ... I was open to the circulating air." This shows the importance of treatment to Esther. The treatment she received, shock therapy, even though she did not look forward to it, in the end, made her feel like she was not under the same bell jar. She could go back to interacting with the world again.
She questions herself, “How did I know that someday—at college, in Europe, somewhere, anywhere—the bell jar, with its stifling distortions, wouldn't descend again?" The bell jar makes her see the world differently in a negative light. The “stifling distortions” were, in other words, suffocating her inside the bell jar where she could feel no sense of comfort or relief inside this bell jar. This shows that the bell jar had a deep impact on her, where she felt depressed. This also shows that she has no permanent solution. However, this quote shows that the bell jar has been withdrawn, and she can see clearly once again.
The bell jar represents a perturbation to Esther, where she alone can not escape. She heavily relies on her treatment to feel better and escape the bell jar. This story with the bell jar exhibits Esther’s story of battling depression and her major win against it.
This is a great way to summarize the title of the book and its relevance to Esther as the main character. It is indeed a scary thought to imagine the Bell Jar, or in other words her mental health struggles, dangling over her head for the rest of her life or the foreseeable future. I agree that her steps back into college and out into the world at the end of the book were a major triumph for Esther.
ReplyDeleteStarting with the literal definition of a bell jar was such a smart way to open this because it really sets up everything else. I also made that same connection with the shock therapy, and I liked how you pointed out that she still worries it could come back even after all of that. It makes the ending feel more like a moment of relief than a full win.
ReplyDeleteElda I love how you started with the literal definition of the bell jar, pronunciation and everything! Your summary of the progression of Esther's mental health journey and the connection to being in a bell jar is effective. It is definitely compelling that by the way she describes herself, and her mental state, is reflected based on what she says regarding the bell jar. I liked how you ended it with the victory of leaving the asylum after having battled depression and escaping the bell jar.
ReplyDeleteDear Elda, this was a great blog! I really like how you were able to articulate so precisely the "bell jar" condition that effects Esther. I think it is interesting that you mention shock therapy as one of the reasons she got better. I agree with you, and I think in addition, having a strong woman like Dr. Nolan spend time to her also helped her condition improve.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we can see Esther's narration as reflecting a "bell jar" aesthetic from the start of the novel, if we associate the "distorted" and isolated nature of her narrative perspective as suggestive of the transparent confinement that suffocates her and warps her view of the outside. But there's also a dynamic where she is gradually becoming *aware* of the "jar's" presence and its effect on her: early on, it's "something was wrong with me that summer," and she grasps for imagery like the "numb trolleybus" of the "eye of a tornado" to try to describe how she feels. It's only past the midpoint of the novel, after her initial horrific shock treatment and suicide attempt, that she has arrived at the "bell jar" metaphor. But this metaphor serves to describe what has been slowly happening to her since the first page of the novel (even visible in the earlier time-frame, her interactions with Buddy Willard)--the implication, I think, is that poetic language gives her an ability to begin to comprehend her experience, and being *aware* of the bell jar (rather than just experiencing its distortions as "reality") is maybe a critical step toward recovery.
ReplyDeleteHi Elda! The way that a bell jar was portrayed in this story was definitely in a negative light, but I also agree that Sylvia Plath was able to make a beautiful ending out of it by showing her battle against the bell jar and how she eventually won. Even in the moments throughout the book where the bell jar was slightly hung open, it was more a temporary relief rather than a permanent one, showing that even those moments were bound to come to an end. Esther was eventually able to have a permanent win against the bell jar which let her to overcome the hardships throughout the book. Great blog.
ReplyDeleteHi Elda, I love how you laid out each instance of Esther's "bell jar" and what it meant for her metaphorically and narratively. I'd also add It's quite interesting how Esther presents the bell jar at the end of the book. She recognizes that she is no longer trapped under it, however it still looms over her, "waiting to descend again." This statement is a bit ambiguous, as by Esther's own words, she and the reader are unsure if she has truly "recovered."
ReplyDeleteHi Elda! I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I think that the topic you chose is an interesting one because we only get introduced to the Bell Jar later in the book, but we can see patterns throughout the book that describe how the Bell Jar has been affecting her throughout her life. Good Job!
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