This is a semi-autobiographical novel and the only one written by Sylvia Plath.
Esther Greenwood,the protagonist is a beautiful and talented young woman who becomes mentally unstable during a summer spent interning at a magazine in New York City.We follow Esthers slow descent into extreme depression.Being unable to fit into the culturally acceptable role of womanhood and tormented by the death of her father,Esther attempts to commit suicide and end it all.She is sent to various psychiatrists,given shock treatments and psychotherapy sessions which ultimately aid in lifting the metaphorical Bell Jar in which she has felt trapped and stifled.However the journey to fight ones inner demons in never easy and to honestly document it is even more difficult.
My Views:
I had read a few of Sylvia Plaths poems and had studiouly avoided reading this book for a long time now.I knew it would be a difficult read but I have also challenged myself to read books I wouldnt dare to in 2016.So I took it on as a dare.Let me be honest and say that I took a really long time to get through this book mainly because I was reading it in small doses to bear the emotional onslaught in installments.
It is very simply narrated as if by detached observation and no histrionics but when it eventually sinks in ,you find it difficult to handle her emotional turmoil.It is written using a series of flash backs that show up parts of Esthers past.It addresses important questions like a womans role and living up to societal expectations.The way men percieve women.Nothing much has changed in any aspect even years after she wrote the book.The issues are still the same and its still very much a patriarchal society.Nothing much has changed for people with mental illnesses.There is still stigma attached to it.It is just like Esther has described her mother saying,'I knew you'd decide to be alright again'.'
Why cant people understand that it could happen to anyone.Arent we all on the brink of insanity anyway dealing with what life throws at us.All it takes is one bad moment or one bad day to push anyone over the edge.It is very easy to descend into the whirlpool of gloom.What is important at times like these is knowing that you arent alone,having moral and emotional support and seeking timely help from a professional.
There are so many scenes in this book which I will never be able to forget.It was a visceral experience to read it.This is so intense that it grabs you by the lapels and drags you to the darkest corner in your mind and leaves you there for sometime.
Read it is all I can say!
