Insight into human suffering (The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath)

Member Name: FilmstarUK

Product:	The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Date:	14/09/00 (266 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hard to put down

Disadvantages: Quite depressing

I found this book rather harrowing to read, its overall theme being human suffering. The author explored themes related to this, such as the human mind, struggle, suicide, and young women's positions in society during the 1940s and 50s: more specifically, how this society refuses to take women's aspirations seriously. However, the general theme and certainly the best explored idea of this book would be human suffering and madness. The author explores this well, probably because this was an autobiography. Sylvia Plath obviously understands at the deepest level the theme of this novel; it being a theme in her own life.

First Plath explores how suffering begins and develops in a person. In this book, it is not actually clear what brought on the main character's terrifying internal battles and descent into madness. But the development is portrayed clearly; the stages of self doubt turning constant feelings of having no worth whatsoever. The character (as Plath calls herself, Esther) accuses herself of being useless in a society that has no place for her. And so begins a spiraling, quick decline in this young woman as she descends into a life of self mutilation. Throughout this novel, Esther contemplates suicide frequently: "But when it came right down to it, the skin of my wrists looked so white and defenseless against the blade of my Gillete that I just couldn't do it." However, after following multiple attempts at suicide, Esther finally manages to overdose on enough sleeping pills as to land herself in the hospital. Shortly after she is sent to a Psychiatric Ward, where it is expected Electroshock Treatments will cure her depression. After endless, blurry days full of pain and misery, her condition improves. Esther is released from the Ward and is almost herself again.

Around this time in her life, Plath completed the book The Bell Jar and produced a plethora of poetry, all astounding pieces of work. By this time she was ma
rried to a poet, Ted Hughes, and had two children. Although she was said to be hopeful and optimistic during these days of her life, on the morning of February 11, 1963, Plath ended her life without explanation. This book conveys a journey of an individual's personal experience with human suffering. The theme is well explored by the author, to the extent where the novel was criticized for being hitting the reader with such disturbing impact. I, as well, found this novel to be disturbing. Sylvia Plath dug deep into the landscape of the human mind and eloquently portrayed darkness, disillusion, and despair.

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