Is the Bell Jar Really Gone?
Adding to the fear of the bell jar is Buddy's comment about who Esther would marry after this, as well as her mother's plan to think of it all as a bad dream and forget about it. Esther says that she never forgets any of it since now it's become a part of her, and if she decided to take her mother's approach it could just end up sending Esther back where she started and bringing it back down. There's also what Buddy says about who Esther would marry after this, which does not help, since concern and pressure about her future is kind of what got Esther into this. The story about the fig tree on page 77 comes to mind since it shows how self-destructive the pressure to choose eventually was. There was also the pressure to marry Buddy, though by this point that's gone. Esther also didn't really like the few other possibilities for her future that were available to her since while they seemed good on the surface, they were really just another kind of bell jar.
There is also some evidence that the bell jar isn't entirely gone by the end of the book. While the "stifling distortions" aren't nearly so pronounced, there is one minor one when Esther mentions the "pocked, cadaverous face of Miss Huey" which is probably not a completely accurate description. The atmosphere of the interview does also seem a bit like a bell jar in the way that Esther only sees a bunch of eyes that she doesn't really recognize, and how it's an assessment where she's being observed. Esther also seems to be giving more importance to the interview than it really has, since Dr. Nolan describes it as just a few questions before they can leave. The only other thing that could imply that the bell jar isn't completely gone, is Esther's uncertainty about what comes next when she mentions that, "all I could see were question marks" (Plath 243). However, it's unclear that that's a result of a distorted perception, or the fact that she's just now leaving an asylum and has been spending the past several months putting her life back together. It's possible the bell jar Esther was under could be replaced by another when she goes back to college, or come back later considering her experiences up to this point, it's not exactly clear just considering the ending of the book, but what does seem clear is that for now it has been lifted.
Absolutely. I think it's interesting that you noticed Esther was still uncomfortable at the interview where she was being observed to see whether she had recovered. It's as though the bell jar has been lifted, but it is still hanging right above Esther, ready to descend at a moment's notice.
ReplyDeleteI definitely didn't get a sense of 'closure' at the end of the book because Esther herself says that there was always the chance that the bell jar would descend on her again. It's interesting to see her academic environment where she's constantly pushing herself to overachieve as another bell jar so she's really just going from one to another (although going to a mental institution sort of takes off the pressure that she had previously because a lot of people start to treat her as a scholarship girl who has fallen into disgrace). Anyways, I agree that the ending isn't lear but maybe it isn't supposed to be.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely true that the book leaves you in a lot of doubt about Esther's state at the end of the book, outside of the fact that it has improved to some extent. There were also some clues to the bell jar not being entirely removed that I missed, such as the descriptions of people and the anxiety and stress she feels about the interview. These things lead you to think that perhaps the bell jar has only been opened, but not removed: simply hovering above the plate she is on.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! Esther says after her electroshock therapy that the bell jar "had lifted up a few inches," but it is still hovering there, ready to close down on her again. The examples you gave of the evidence that the bell jar never really left are really interesting, and really add to the depiction of the bell jar just hovering over Esther. Sadly, knowing both that this novel is mostly autobiographical as well as the story of Sylvia Plath's life, it is likely that the bell jar comes back down on Esther again.
ReplyDeleteA lot of what Esther seems to feel during her recovery stems from disorientation. Viewing the world through the bell jar for so long, and then lifting it suddenly could be very confusing, seeing everything in a suddenly new light. Uncertainty would be sure to come from that sort of situation. And even if things were better than they were before, it looks like Esther is still subject to some distortions and pressure like you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteThe bell jar is definitely not "gone" but the smoke has cleared in essence. I think Esther has room to breathe now that the bell jar has been lifted, but there is still the possibility that the bell jar falls back down again. You provided good points about how she seems disoriented even after she says the bell jar has been lifted, but I think this can be attributed to suddenly being back to "normal". Good post.
ReplyDeletePersonally I believe Esther... if she says the bell jar is really gone, she doesn't make that statement lightly. You know when you've gotten better, and that did not happen after any of the other events that could have "shocked" her into seeing an improvement (including, of course, the literal shock therapy). It could always come back, of course, but at least temporarily, she doesn't see it anymore.
ReplyDelete