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Millie

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The Bell Jar

by Sylvia Plath

bookshelves: fave-books, summer-2023-tbr, currently-reading

Reading for the 9th time

read in December 2021

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Millie said:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

" It's odd that I've not yet reviewed this book considering I just finished my 6th reread (of 2021), so consider this a belated review, if you will- the Bell Jar is largely, to me, perfection in a novel. From the endless metaphors to the structure to t It's odd that I've not yet reviewed this book considering I just finished my 6th reread (of 2021), so consider this a belated review, if you will- the Bell Jar is largely, to me, perfection in a novel. From the endless metaphors to the structure to the physical length of the book, it all ties together incredibly well, forming a novel that will hang over your mind for days, weeks, after you finish reading it. I think that something which makes this novel so great is the timelessness of the book. In a number of ways, Plath captures the zeitgeist of the 50s- social attitudes, to a myriad of topics, including sexuality, gender, race, and virginity, as well as the narrator's thoughts and feelings, particularly in the first half of the novel; conversation about the Rosenbergs, technicolour cinema, and so on. Overall, though, all of the narrator's thoughts, feelings, delicately chosen similes and queer descriptions of people are incredibly timeless in the sense that they could easily mirror the lives of thousands of people in the 21st century alone- and provide incessant comfort to those who think in a similar manner. For a book written upwards of a century ago, it is only growing more relevant and relatable in the dawn of ever growing societal standards- and rates of mental health issues worldwide. This book captures perfectly the entire essence of depression, from the mindset and the relationships with other people to the physical symptoms themselves, and even the occasionally graphic depictions of suicidal ideation and action. It is clear to most that the book is semi-autobiographical; reading this book feels almost like that of stepping into someone's mind for a few hours, and returning, dazed, with an entirely altered perspective of the world. It could be largely agreed that readers will find themselves realising that some aspects of the novel would be almost impossible to portray, at least correctly, without having had done them first. I think that the most blatant example is the glaring portrait of self harm and suicide, in which these feelings would be, at the very least, largely difficult to describe for someone inexperienced in the topic, and the deep-rooted feelings of failure and mediocrity that seep through the roots of the first chunk of the novel. The most predominant and glaringly obvious theme in the book is, of course, Esther's depression. It intertwines every interaction, every character dynamic, the structure of the novel as a whole- at first, it peeks through the pages of the novel, one which already begins as an overtly sad and depressing book, rapidly making itself clearer and clearer, until it suddenly envelopes both the structure of the book as well as the reader and Esther herself. It's almost unexpected, even alongside the backdrop of the grey opening to the novel, a theme which is largely explored in the underlying details of the book. While most will go into this book being fully aware that it is a book on depression, it's almost easy to brush off the emotion that you'll be faced with in the book. There are books that will make you cry, for a death, for a burned out romance, for a character- the Bell Jar is sad in an a brutally different way. Personally, I've never cried because of the book (though I would probably understand if people had), yet the book remains one of the most melancholy ones I am yet to read, a book which withholds the type of emotions that make you pause and reread a line over and over or stare at your wall in dismay. It is almost a numbing expression of emotion, again working as a reflection of depression in Esther and Plath herself. One of the saddest parts, for me, is the knowledge of Sylvia's tragic end contrasted with Esther's; while the novel is extremely depressing, it finishes on a hopeful note, and in the beginning, Plath writes- one of the few occasions in which the present tense is used in the novel- 'for a long time afterwards I hid them away, but later, when I was all right again, I brought them out, and I still have them around the house. I use the lipsticks... and last week I cut the plastic starfish.... for the baby to play with'. Here, though this line may initially be deemed irrelevant to a first-time reader, when contrasted with the rest of the novel, it foreshadows how Plath thinks that Esther's (and her own) life has turned out- it suggests she is 'all right' now, with a baby, providing a premise of hope and expectation for the future of Esther's character that awaits when she leaves at the end. And to me, this knowledge that Plath had a hopeful ideal for this character so like her own is incredibly depressing once combined with the knowledge that she killed herself a few weeks after the book was published. One of the other heart-wrenching moments in this book was in the hospital in the last section of the novel was Joan showing Esther the photograph of her in New York that previous summer, a photoshoot taken for a magazine. Something about it is just so plainly, quintessentially sad, moreso in the context that she was on the teetering verge of her depression at that point in her life, yet it's still looked back on as though it was this dazzling, wondrous time for her. For a relatively simple scene, it creates one of the largest bouts of sympathy for the reader to hold for Esther's character. We see everything she has lost, even though she didn't have much to begin with (from the start of the novel, not her life). This has probably been the longest review ever but I vastly enjoyed talking (typing) endlessly about this book so really it is worth it. 5 stars, in case that wasn't clear.... ...more "

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(page 10 of 294)
— Feb 02, 2026 03:39PM

Aug 21, 2024 05:24PM · see review