The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - 10 out of 10

 The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

10 out of 10


It is for the second time that I have read this fabulous novel...more exactly, it was read for me by the astonishing Maggie Gyllenhaal, with her sensuous, hypnotic voice, used for an extraordinary production of the audiobook.

It is compelling to find that the story in the mesmerizing novel is inspired by events from the life of the author, who has committed suicide and has experienced much, if not all, that the heroine has to suffer through in the book.
I think it was Kingsley Amis who said that in a novel, the life of the writer finds its way, even if it is fiction, it still represents a reflection of events, people and places...he has not said it in these words, but if you want, you can look on YouTube and there are a few interviews and he mentions this in one of them - I think the are no more than five, six.

Esther Greenwood is the projection of Sylvia Plath in narrative form and for the first part of the book, she seems to be a sunny, rather positive, if not hilarious, at the very least amusing figure that the reader finds endearing and he or she can sympathize, perhaps even identify with.
One of the friends of the protagonist is Doreen and together they seem to have a great time, even when they vomit in a taxi and the latter has an affair with Lenny Shepherd, a disc jockey, who has some violent exchanges with Doreen.

Another friend is Joan, a girl who would commit suicide, after being committed to the same institution as the heroine.
In the first few lines, Esther mentions the horror of the death penalty pronounced in the case of the two spies accused of having betrayed their country, working for the Soviet Union, the Rosenbergs.

Buddy Willard is the boyfriend that the heroine had in high school, a very promising prospect that her mother and others thought very desirable, handsome and quite a catch.
This young man would study to become a doctor and when he invites Esther out, she is the envy of the other girls, who think the world of him.

Unfortunately, Buddy has to be hospitalized with a very serious diagnosis for that time - not that it would be a minor issue today - tuberculosis, which makes the heroine more than uneasy.
His father takes Esther to see his sick son, but surprises the girl when he returns home without her, forcing her so what to spend more time than she wanted, considering that she thought they would drive back together.

The patient tries to smooth her fears by saying she would not catch TB, but their bond would be severed when she finds he had slept with a woman, for a whole summer and she feels he has been tarnished, soiled by this affair.
On the other hand, he seemed to see her innocence, virginity as paramount and there was a discrepancy- the still is - wherein men seem to be allowed, encouraged to have sexual experience, while girls are prevented as much as possible.

After a while, thinking that she should become a woman, the protagonist evaluates Irwin, a man that is quite a few years her senior, to be the best partner possible, on account of his experience and the fact that he would not be in a position to brag about it, talk in her circle of acquaintances.
As they prepare to have sex, Esther states that she is a virgin, only her partner pushes her gently to the bed, without giving her words too much, if any attention.

He was sure she is joking, but the girl is not just truthful, she is severely affected by her initiation, which causes her a serious hemorrhage.
Alas, the heroine is soon in horrendous trouble.

When she is diagnosed with mental health problems, the treatment recommended and applied is barbaric.
Electric shocks would cause tremendous pain.

The Bell Jar has been interpreted by various scholars.
It can represent " a retaliation against suburban life", or "the standards set for a woman's life".

Whatever the wondrous, glorious author intended The Bel Jar to mean - aside from the space wherein the heroine suffocated and suffered - the book is magnificent.