Meg Wolitzer's Belzhar: The Wooden Barn

In Meg Wolitzer 's Belzhar, five students embark on the journey of a lifetime. Little did any of them know that their life changing adventure would begin in English class. Much like Sylvia Plath, the students Mark, Casey, Jam, Griffin and Sierra are isolated. However, unlike Plath, the students went to The Wooden Barn, they did not have access to technology, and they turned to each other instead of suicide to work through their problems and heal in more ways than they could have ever imagined. All five students in the Special Topics in English class faced problems that some, including me, could not even imagine living with…besides rejection, it is only a matter of time, right? Luckily, The Wooden Barn provided a safe and stable atmosphere for all of them to get the help and closure that they needed to move on with their lives. "The Wooden Barn, which is described in the brochure as a boarding school for "emotionally fragile, highly intelligent" teenagers" (Wolitzer.9), I feel like all teenagers would benefit from some form of The Wooden Barn. An isolated boarding school that focused on education, interaction and involvement was instrumental in the healing of Casey, Jam, Griffin, Mark and Sierra. The school provided just enough isolation and rules that students

As Jam 's voice described, "There 's one ancient pay phone in the girls ' dorm, and one in the boys '. There isn 't any accessible Wi-Fi" (Wolitzer.16). The lack of access to technology also made it easier to connect and communicate with other students. Technology makes it hard for anyone to concentrate, especially when you are being constantly reminded of the past that you are trying to forget. The lack of access to technology forces students to interact and engage with each other and the world around them. Sylvia Plath isolated herself from the world, but the world continued to move