Symbolism In The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath
The Bell Jar, written by the Sylvia Plath, follows Ester Greenwood’s decent into and recovery from madness. Esther is a young and brilliant writer, whose ambitions are stunted by a crippling depression. Plath, through Esther, describes an outlook on reality that is distorted by mental illness through the symbolism of the fig tree and the bell jar. Indirect characterization of Esther also gives a perspective of this distorted reality. Though she wants to move forward, her state of mind holds her back. Mental illnesses give one a distorted perception of the world, inhibiting one’s ability reach outside of themselves and move forward Obviously the bell jar is a the most major symbol, represented in the novel. Literal bell jars are glass jar shaped like a bell, often used in laboratories, for they create a vacuum inside, practically making the environment within the jar airless. The symbol for the bell jar is one of the most appropriate ways Plath does, and ever could, describe a distorted reality created when people with depression fall within themselves. Although, the bell jar is not mentioned till much later, it is appropriately within the …show more content…
She imagines her life as the green fig in the story and at the end of each branch sees a purple fig representing a future she can have. She also sees herself sitting and starving, but she is too indecisive, so all the figs began to wrinkle and go black and fall at her feet (Plath 77). Esther had an emotional and physical motive to reach out for a fig, or, symbolically, a future, but paralyzed, she lets her opportunities waste away. Her depressive state makes her lose the will to try and achieve one of the future possibilities. The fig tree is a creative symbol of Esther’s possible opportunities, however, her lack of will to try makes the point
Symbolism In 'Crabbe' By William Bell
1041 Words | 5 PagesCrabbe is a novel by William Bell, where Crabbe, an alcoholic teenager, is so troubled by the people around him that he feels his only chance is to flee. Bell uses extreme amounts of symbolism to add extra depth to the plot, without directly affecting it. Crabbe has a problem with alcohol, as seen in the main plotline, but if one were to look at the symbolism provided by Bell, a greater understanding of what he truly meant will arise. The main symbols in the novel ( at least the excerpt) are those that define hypocriticism, less dominant ones that convey irony, and random symbols scattered throughout Bell’s work that provide situational symbolization. Symbols are images and ideas that add a secondary level of detail to the work, but do not
The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath Quotes
875 Words | 4 PagesIs there a point behind what Plath is writing or is it just for fun, well in this paper this well be one of the topics covered and how Plath point of view on the mental system the last thing that will cover is how the mental health system if bad, and different or the same to the real world from the book. So Plath being the writer of this book The Bell Jar, along with many other book must have had some kind of meaning in that she is saying. you would have to assume Sylvia could be just writing this for fun though but, the subject of this book would be very hard to have fun reading. In the book you have everything from depression to electroshock
Bell Jar Esther Journeys
435 Words | 2 PagesIn The Bell Jar Esther journeys from one location to another. Her expedition is predominantly an innermost one, within the self and superficially to the world. Her ailment is a result of the world surrounding her. Conversely, Esther’s estrangement is not individually concerned, but a feature of existence. Yet, it is when she comes home after not having been accepted to the writing course that her mental and carnal fragmentation fundamentally ensues: “All through June the writing course had stretched before me like a bright, safe bridge over the dull gulf of the summer.
Thematic Essay On The Bell Jar
728 Words | 3 PagesThematic essay “The Bell Jar” In Sylvia Plath’s award-winning book “The Bell Jar, " the main character Esther struggles with suicide, sex, and expectations. Sylvia uses Esther's conflicts with herself and others, and figurative language such as imagery, metaphors, and personification to illustrate Esther's feelings as she battles with her image and worth. Esther struggles with her oppressive surrounding and the constricting ideals of her cohort. She battles with the feeling of alienation originating from her mother and their complicated relationship.
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2137 Words | 9 PagesJournal 1 Krakauer, Jon. Into The Wild. New York: Villard, 1996. Print. Journal 2
Symbolism In Mildred D. Taylor's Roll Of Thunder Hear My Cry
503 Words | 3 PagesIn the book “Roll of thunder hear my cry”, Mildred D. Taylor uses symbolism to provide context, and background information of the how their community is, and who the Logan’s fit in it. A great example when the author provides context and background information would be the fig tree. When the author is describing the fig tree, she describes it as “It keeps on blooming, bearing good fruit year after year, knowing all the time it’ll never get big as them other trees.” (pg 206) The author is trying to describe how the Logan family fits in in the community.
Essay On Symbolism In The Book Speak
1197 Words | 5 PagesArt is way of expression. People can use actions and art or express themselves in ways other than speaking. In the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, symbolism holds a big significance. The trees mentioned throughout the book symbolize Melinda’s changing “seasons” (her “growing” as a person). People, like trees, go through phases, they freeze in the winter, becoming nothing but lonely limbs without leaves covered with white slush.
Distorted Ways Of Life In Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar
304 Words | 2 PagesSylvia uses symbolism throughout her novel; the first symbol presented in the novel is “the bell jar” (Forbes). The bell jar represents madness and the struggle between a young woman
Esther's Personification In A Worn Path By Sylvia Plath
988 Words | 4 PagesThe above excerpt is a clear display of how Esther’s vaulting ambition ultimately drained her, causing her to achieve nothing instead of her desired everything. Plath’s use of imagery comparing her life to the fig tree that “branching out” is a metaphor comparing her constant, growing goals to a long lengthy tree. The journey of reaching her goal can be seen as the prolonged and rough branches, while what she wants is the satisfaction at the end - the fig. She also includes an example of personification when the figs “beckoned and winked” for her future, implying that these figs are not only pieces of fruit but certain goals that she wants to achieve. Although not included here, she mentions many of the figs representing certain futures
Pan's Labyrinth Essay
975 Words | 4 PagesThis emphasises the enormity of the task Ofelia is about to embark upon and also her vulnerability as the tree’s dominating presence fills the frame. The fig tree itself is symbolic in its representation. Firstly, the entrance of the tree resembles that of a female’s ovaries, with its curved branches replicating the fallopian tubes. Moreover, the tree’s sickened state mirrors Ofelia’s pregnant mother’s own fragile condition.
Point Of View Of Characters In Jody's The Bell Ear
495 Words | 2 PagesThe title of the bell jar gives the reader the point of view of being much like how being behind a bell jar the images viewed behind the glass is distorted, muddled, nothings able to get in or out creating a stifling atmosphere. Giving us an inside look at the view her depression cast on her ) Plot: Development/kinds: stream of consciousness With the bell jar a book speaking from the point of view of being trapped inside one it would make sense to have the story follow her consciousness, tracking just when her decent into madness began. D) Conflicts: Dominant (man vs. self) in the novel Esther’s inability to conform to the social standards that were common for women parried with the constant feelings of naivety, inadequacy, and uncertainty
Comparing The Bell Jar And The Yellow Wallpaper
279 Words | 2 PagesSylvia Plath’s 1963 novel ‘The Bell Jar’ and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 1892 short story ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ both feature a female protagonist that experiences a provoked descent into madness and hysteria as a result of the prolonged and unjust treatment of women situated in a society dominated by the male authority figure. This societal oppression is a proven factor in the deterioration of the mental and physical health of both protagonists and therefore impacts their lives as well as the choices they make. Plath’s The Bell Jar can be seen as a bildungsroman tale of the young Esther Greenwood, entering college in New York in the early 1950s. Esther’s dreams of becoming a professional writer and desire for sexual exploration outweigh her
Esther's Response To An Iconic Image In The Bell Jar
233 Words | 1 PagesAn iconic image in The Bell Jar is that of the fig tree – the starving Esther sitting below it; watching, with the passage of time, as each available opportunity falls to the ground in the shape of a dead fig. This also means that Esther has so many things to choose from yet she was undecided which path she will take until all these possibilities fade away in just a matter of time. Sometimes, viewing this scene simply as a reflection of the unfairly diverse choices that society is forcing Esther to choose from, as critics are prone to do, one cannot quite encompass the reality of the situation. Actually, Esther's response to the dilemma in her life reveals much more about her than the fact that she was burdened with these dilemmas of what she
The Bell Jar
347 Words | 2 PagesThe Bell Jar is a story that focuses on the life of Esther Greenwood, a teenage girl in college. At the beginning of the story Esther is working as an editorial intern for a Newspaper in New York City. Esther spends most of her time in New York with her friend Doreen who is usually with her boyfriend lenny. Esther goes on many dates while in New York in which the last one ends with a boy named Marco, trying to rape Esther. Esther Leaves New York the next day and goes to her mom's apartment outside of Boston.
Symbol And Idea Of Esther In 'The Bell Jar'
1481 Words | 6 Pages“Wherever I sat—on the deck of a ship or at a street café in Paris or Bangkok—I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air.” It is this quotation in chapter 15 that the symbol and idea of the bell jar is introduced. In this description Esther is showing how she is constantly trapped within the hell of her thoughts. She further goes on to say that nothing can help her escape this feeling, no matter the accomplishment. It is the bell jar constantly hanging over her mind that is keeping her from the important ones in her life.
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