The Bell Jar is the only novel written by Sylvia Plath, an American author, poet, and one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. The Bell Jar was originally published in 1963 under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucas" and was finally published under Plath's own name in 1966 in England. The book is highly autobiographical, drawing on Plath's own struggles with mental illness and her personal life up until her tragic death. The novel follows the story of 19-year-old Esther Greenwood, a talented and ambitious young woman whose life takes a dramatic turn when she falls into a deep depression.
The book opens with Esther living in a penthouse in New York City, where she is interning as a junior editor at a magazine. Esther is a bright and talented student and expected to excel in her academic pursuits. However, she finds her life crumbling around her when she begins to slip into depression. She struggles to understand her feelings and why she can no longer find joy in the life she has worked hard to achieve. As a result of her deepening depression, she loses focus at work and decides to return home to end her internship.
When she arrives back in her home town of Boston, Esther's descent into darkness continues. Her relationships become strained and she finds it increasingly difficult to interact with other people. She begins to exhibit symptoms of psychosis, in particular experiencing disturbing and bizarre hallucinations. She stops caring about her personal appearance and health and her thoughts become increasingly nihilistic. Esther also experiences a dramatic decrease in self-confidence and a deep sense of worthlessness.
Esther's spiral of despair further intensifies as she descends further into the bell jar, a metaphor Plath uses throughout the novel to compare the crushing weight of depression. She begins to rely heavily on sedatives and alcohol, further numbing her emotions and sense of reality. Esther is eventually hospitalized in a mental institution, where she undergoes shock therapy, a common treatment for depression in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Bell Jar is an evocative and often painful read as it delves into Plath's experience of psychological distress. As an autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar is mainly a story of one woman's courage in the face of tremendous suffering. Plath wrote the novel during a particularly difficult period in her own life, having been diagnosed with depression only two years before. Although the book ends with optimism, it clearly illustrates Plath's ultimate despair and her longing for a life she would never be able to fulfill.
The Bell Jar is an essential work of literature, having been described as one of the earliest books to depict the mental health issues of women in an honest and comprehensive way. Plath's writing is powerful and uncompromising and her voice remains an enduring influence on writers and readers alike. The Bell Jar is a powerful exploration of one woman's journey from defiance to despair and a painfully honest story about the consequences of mental illness.
