The Bell Jar : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Piece of Literature
Review: Sylvia Plath was one of the greatest writers to live, in my opinon. And The Bell Jar captures her disturbing brilliance perfectly. I found myself having several things in common with Esther, leading me to question my own sanity. But nonetheless, this book is amazing. Read it and you will not be sorry.

Rating:
Summary: The Bell Jar: Psycological Relativism at its Best
Review: I found Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar" to be an excellent read and source of understanding. It is not just another book, but a mirror in which the souls of many are reflected. Young women of all generations, both young and old, can relate to the situations young Elly finds herself in, from the awkward boys she meets and the "perfect" best friend, to the moments she feels as though life itself is not worth living. Ultimately, she is the female version of young Holden Caufield, and for that reason, the book finds such success.
While I found it quite easy to relate to the main character in the book, I found bits and pieces of the story itself to be quite confusing. Several questions remain unanswered, and one must work actively to "connect the dots." However, perhaps the abrupt twists and turns Plath takes throughout the story are meant to throw the reader off course, and further explore the inner workings of Elly's psyche.
All in all, I would rank Plath's "The Bell Jar" at 5 stars, because that it was it truly deserves. Never before has a book kept my mind so intrigued and eager to move forward than that about a young woman named Elly.

Rating:
Summary: The Bell Jar Question
Review: The book I thought was wonderful, but I had a question I had hoped someone could answer. Why after her suicide attempt was her face brusied and swollen and why was her hair all but gone. She never explained what happened- does anyone have any insight? Thanks!

Rating:
Summary: Does Not Depict
Review: Forgive me, but I just can't understand the popularity of this book. It's supposed to get us inside the mind of a mentally ill young woman, but to me it's merely a two-dimensional relating of events without any true depictions of the raging emotions that must have been going on inside the heroine's mind during them.

I came across Plath's "The Bell Jar" in a roundabout way. After seeing the rental video version of Elizabeth Wurtzel's "Prozac Nation", I read the book. Being prone to depression myself, I felt quite a bit of empathy for Wurtzel's stream-of-consciousness relating of her experiences when she was suffering from acute depression and the way her mind was racing at the time. Yet, when I read other readers' reviews of Wurtzel's book, I was shocked at how many readers felt it was unconvincing and recommended Plath's "The Bell Jar" or Susanna Kaysen's "Girl, Interrupted" instead. So, I read those books, too.

Plath's "novel" is actually a novella-length, autobiographical sketch of Plath's own experiences with depression/schizophrenia as is made clear by both the Introduction and the Biographical Note included. The plot itself is interesting enough (hence, two stars), but that's ALL Plath gives us. A book like this needs to make us FEEL what Plath is feeling. And this Plath doesn't do at all

Example: Plath blandly states that she hasn't been able to sleep at all for three weeks. And just leaves it at that. Maybe she assumes everyone's had the same experience. But I've BEEN there. Chronic insomnia cripples and isolates you. If she hadn't slept in three weeks, she would hardly be able to communicate with anyone around her. And believe me, most "normal" people do NOT know what that is like at all.

Another example: Plath suffers from schizophrenia. Fortunately, I don't; but many years ago I read Joanne Greenberg's "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" -- another autobiographical novel by a schizophrenic and, interestingly, written at about the same time Plath was writing this book (the 1960s). Greenberg's depictions of her "voices" holding counsel inside her mind haunt me to this day. At one point Plath mentions that her own "voices" were screaming at her, too. And again just leaves it at that. What did her voices say to her? How did they say it? How did they affect her? You won't find out by reading this book.

At any rate, for those who are trying to experience what it's really like to look out at the world from a mind suffering from some sort of chronic depression, I still highly recommend Wurtzel's "Prozac Nation". For those interested in what it's like to be institutionalized, I recommend Kaysen's "Girl Interrupted", but not as highly. For those wanting to experience the world of schizophrenia, I strongly recommend Greenberg's "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden", even though this book is hardly mentioned in other readers' reviews.

As for Plath's "The Bell Jar" . . . alas, I can't recommend it for anyone.


Rating:
Summary: Riveting and Wonderful
Review: For anybody who has suffered from clinical depression, the book presents a powerful reminder of how it feels. I never interpreted this part of the novel as a criticism of patriarchal social attitudes. I never found Sylvia's annoyance at the squeak of baby strollers outside of her bedroom window to be a statement about the role of women as mothers and wives in society. Why not? Because I was too swept up in her mental illness. Plath writes one of the most vivid accounts of depresson ever put on paper. The disease is characterized by the analogy of the bell jar. Living under a transparent cage, surrounding by stale, suffocating air and unable to escape. For Esther, everything is flat, uninteresting, and terrifying.

Esther's mother becomes worried and takes her daughter to a psychiatrist, who happens to be a man. This doctor immediately decides to treat Esther with a crude form of electro-convulsive therapy. This was a common treatment for depression at the time, and is still used in a modified (and more humane form) today. The "shock treatments" are traumatic for Esther and don't seem to do much good. She never accepts her doctor, and resents the pain he caused her during the ECT treatments. Is this a patriarchal figure abusing Esther as men have always abused women? I don't know. I do know that he is a doctor living at a time when very little was known about the causes or treatments for serious depression.

The time immediately following her first treatments are traumatic for Esther. She seems to be getting worse, and makes a half-hearted suicide attempt by swimming far away from shore in the ocean. Eventually, in a reenactment of Plath's own suicide attempt, she takes a huge overdose of pills and stuffs herself into a crawlspace in her basement to die.

Fortunately, she did not die. Her mother found her several days later after hearing moaning coming from the wall. She is taken to a hospital and eventually committed to a mental institution.

In this setting, Sylvia meets a doctor who can help her. This time, a female psychiatrist treats her. She has a much stronger empathy for her patient (whether it is because Plath is a female is uncertain in my mind) and uses a much gentler form of ECT to treat depression. Esther receives these treatments while moving through various levels of the institution. Finally, she begins to see the light at the end of the tunnel as the bell jar is removed and she recovers.

I read this novel as a personal account, rather than as a piece of social criticism. Whether or not Plath wanted to use this novel as a bold statement against patriarchal practices in Western Civilization is irrelevant to me. I read this on a more personal level because I have suffered from serious depression, and I deeply empathized with her character. Fortunately, I do not have the kind of bipolar depression that drove Sylvia/Esther to attempt suicide on several occasions.

The overall impression you get when reading this novel is one of tragedy, even in the face of the novel's hopeful ending. This is because, as everybody knows, Sylvia ultimately killed herself one day during a relapse. We read about her previous trials and successes with the knowledge that she would ultimately lose her battle with depression. This makes for a powerful, and sobering read.

This novel is a triumph of personal discovery. It is a coming of age story, and a story about being mentally ill. Finally, it is a lovely example of the novelist's art. Plath's writing style is unique and intense, often writing in short statements alternating with elaborate analogies and descriptions. Her pacing is wonderful, and ulitmately you read this novel as a story. It pulls you in and carries you along for the ride.

The appendix at the end of the book, detailing Plath's real life struggles with depression, are a vital read. They give insight into how Esther and Sylvia were the same person. They also include a stunning poem Sylvia wrote while in college called "A Mad Girl's Love Song" which is, in my opinion, one of the finest poems I've ever read. Along with The Bell Jar, I'd like to recommend The Losers Club by Richard Perez, another wonderful, very original book.


Rating:
Summary: Cold as Ice
Review:
Plath writes the way a surgeon would. Beautiful imagery as usual with Plath, a really good book. Yet, and that would be my reproach, it is so incredibly COLD, distant, unpassionate, almost inhuman. That probably fits with the mood but jeez, that book is depressing like hell, don't expect to "relate" or feel like you're less alone or something. It's perfect like diamond as a novel, but it's just as cold too. I might be a bit harsh here, for in fact there are passages that are not this cold, of course, but the overall mood is pretty scary. It chills you. But to be honest I think I should reread it because I read it like two years ago, so what I am talking about now is the impressions it left me with. And I remember it being cold as ice. It's as though the main character is some kind of desperate machine. Which probably is a good definition of depression (the mental disease, not your average being sad), so in that respect it's perfect.

I think the book certainly deserves more than 3 stars, but it's so cold I can't get myself to give more.

Rating:
Summary: From a Teenager
Review: It was so hard for me to read this book! To read about a 20-if-not-30-something woman who wanted to lose her virginity. She also for some reason hated herself, so much, she was writing so many ways to commit suicide. It was depressing. I've heard so many people say it is such a good book, but it is sooooo heavy. WARNING: NOT A LIGHT READING BOOK!