How Does Sylvia Plath Use Water In The Bell Jar

Bell Jar Essay: Water I walk in the door after running yet another race. The season has been dragging on for so long and my legs ache everywhere. Immediately I fill a large bucket with cold tap water and add tons of ice. I step into the bucket and the coldness temporarily paralyzes me. Eventually, my legs go numb and the pain of thousands of miles is gone, at least for now. Eventually the numbness is replaced by a burning cold. I check the timer and am stunned to see I am nowhere near done yet. After what seems like an eternity the alarm goes off. I step out of the bucket and my legs are incredibly red and frozen but they feel better. Water also help heal, purify, and save Esther as she suffers through depression. Sylvia Plath uses water throughout

After a night out drinking with Doreen and Lenny, Esther feels dirty and very sad about the night's outcome and elects to take a hot bath saying to herself “‘All that liquor and those sticky kisses I saw and the dirt that settled on my skin on the way back is turning into something pure”’ (20). In this instance the water is bringing life back to Esther when she feels dead inside. Esther believes that a hot bath can fix nearly any problem and for her it sure seems that way. The next morning to finish reviving herself, Esther splashes cold water on her face showing that once again water is what brings her life. Later on, Esther recalls when she went skiing with Buddy and broke her leg. She remembered waking up after the terrifying fall saying “My teeth crunched a gravelly mouthful. Ice water seeped down my throat” (98). After suffering from a nasty fall that could have killed her, the first thing she notices after regaining consciousness is that ice water is in her throat. This hints that it was the water was allowing her to ignore the pain of having a broken leg and feeling alive and well in that moment. She felt so well that she actually wanted to go down the hill again but was not allowed to. Esther’s spirits are still high at this point and she acknowledges the good that water is doing for