Depression In The Bell Jar

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is a semi-autobiography detailing her fall into depression through the character Esther Greenwood. The novel takes place in multiple cities in the northeast during the 1950s as Esther tells her story of struggling with depression. While the novel mainly follows the conditions of being mentally ill during the 1950s, it also highlights the struggles of women at the time, especially those with ambition to be more than a housewife. Plath uses a great amount of intense imagery to allow readers to better understand and see as Esther, and partially as herself, all throughout the novel. Symbolism is also an important factor in truly understanding the title itself and the reality of depression. Being nothing short of shocking

She’s gifted an unlimited amount of experiences in New York and given an all-around glamorous lifestyle for a month, yet, she isn’t happy. “…I wasn’t steering anything, not even myself. I just bumped from my hotel to work and to parties…like a numb trolleybus” (3). During her trip to New York, Esther’s depression begins to show, but she has no understanding of it. She emotionlessly goes through the month of premiers and fancy dinners not quite understanding the terrible emptiness she feels. Despite depression beginning to take hold of her, there is one thing she’s still holding out hope for. She had applied to a summer course about writing, her one great passion, taught by a famous writer, she had yet to get a response, but she was quite sure of her acceptance. However, that is quickly taken away from her. As soon as she returns home, Esther’s mom explains the course didn’t accept her. “All throughout June the writing course had stretched before me like a bright, safe bridge over the dull gulf of the summer. Now I saw it totter and dissolve, and a white blouse and green skirt plummet into the gap” (114). Esther is utterly crushed.

She is unable to tell what happened to her at for the first few days, but she slowly regains complete consciousness. She had survived her suicide attempt and was being moved to a state-run mental ward. Nothing had changed mentally for Esther after almost dying and she continues to formulate ways to kill herself at the hospital. Due to her uncooperativeness, Esther is moved to another ward where things remain the same, and then finally to a private institution where she meets Dr. Nolan. Quickly, Esther can tell her experience here will be different than the other hospitals, as her doctor is a woman. “I was surprised to have a woman. I didn’t think they had woman psychiatrists” (186). In this case, having a woman doctor was monumental for her. Much of Esther’s depression had been sprung from the harsh expectations of women to do what society thought for them; be mothers and housewives. This was extremely problematic for Esther as she wanted neither of those and wanted nothing more than to have her own career as a writer. “The last thing I wanted was infinite security…I wanted change and excitement and to shoot off in all directions myself” (83). Having the great expectation to do what most other women have done was crushing to Esther and played a great part in her struggle with depression. When she meets Dr. Nolan, a woman who’s gone against those expectations, Esther begins to show signs of fighting back against her psyche. The remainder