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The Bell Jar. A novel published by Sylvia Plath in 1963 that has since become a controversial

classic. Banned (particularly in the decades following its publication) due to strong themes of suicide,

sexuality, and separating from the traditional role of women, The Bell Jar follows protagonist 19-year-old

Esther Greenwood and her mental spiral that intensifies throughout the novel.

Set in the 1950s, Esther dreams of becoming a poet one day, and seeks to find opportunities to

become a writer as a college student. Accepted to be an intern for a month at Ladies’ Day magazine in

New York City as an editor, Esther’s story begins when she starts feeling miffed with herself and her

writing as she is exposed to women who challenge her idea of herself and who she wants to be.

Unfulfilled, Esther returns home to live with her mother for the summer, where her condition

worsens. Struggle after struggle, minute or not, Esther’s struggles coalesce into an overdose. The majority

of the novel focuses on Esther’s rehabilitation and her attempts to bandage her disconnection to reality

and her fear of her own femininity which she works to overcome

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244 pages in length, I found this book to be easy to understand even though it was written in a

very different time period. This book also did not take me longer than a few hours of total reading time to

get through, and I enjoyed the time I spent reading it. Additionally, this book reminded me of the classic

Catcher in the Rye, where main character Holden Caulfield contends with unprocessed grief and struggles

with his personal identity as a teenager in New York City.

I liked that this book covered topics such as extreme mental health issues and sexuality, especially

in a time period where these subjects were significantly more taboo than they are today. I also liked how I, as the reader, got to be inside Esther’s head, and almost got to experience her life for myself. In some

ways, I think Esther’s story is relatable to many teens, especially concerning the lack of motivation and

direction that can frequently accompany adolescence, which is something that I find to be comforting. I

also really enjoyed the ending of the book, because of the hope it contains in stark contrast to the middle

of the storyline and the openness to interpretation it leaves for the reader.

Something to note about this book is it’s monotonous tone. I’ll admit, this book could be slightly

boring at times. However, after finishing the book I realized that’s part of the reason it’s so good, is

because it’s realistic. Life is not normally what we read in adventure books, which is why I enjoyed

reading a book like this one that is more relatable and easy to connect to.

The Bell Jar gets its name from Esther’s feelings of suffocation by her life and identity, as if she

were trapped beneath a large glass bell jar. Throughout the novel, you can feel Esther’s frustration at

being confined by her own thoughts and feelings, and you can feel her fighting to lift the bell jar. If you

are not sensitive to themes such as suicidal ideation and actions, mental health in general, and the

exploration of the role that women play in society, I would highly recommend this book.

Check out The Bell Jar at the Newport Beach Public Library.