The Bell Jar Analysis

The Bell Jar is the first and only novel written by poet and writer, Sylvia Plath. Sylvia began writing the Bell Jar in 1961 and it was first published in England, under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, in January 1963. A few weeks after the publication, Sylvia committed suicide. The Bell Jar was not released in America for many years out of respect for the author’s family. Although the novel did not receive much attention immediately upon it’s release, Sylvia’s untimely death created much publicity and a new level of interest for readers who saw it as a window into the late author’s life. The Bell Jar is the fictionalized autobiography of Sylvia Plath. Sylvia is represented in the book by the nineteen-year-old Esther Greenwood. The novel follows Esther as she deals with the obstacles of womanhood and those of becoming an adult. It begins during her time as a guest editor at a fashion magazine and covers the events leading up to her nervous breakdown and suicide attempt and the months she spent in a mental hospital. The Bell Jar tells the story of Esther’s personal development, her frightening descent into madness, and her perception of the repression of women in the 1950’s.

The story takes place between June 1953 to January 1954 in New York City and Boston. The 1950’s American society was in many ways oppressive towards women. The expectations society placed on women are very important to the story as Esther struggles with the certain roles she feels expected to fulfill. The