basil_stan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Self harm, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Racism
holmartell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Suicide, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Death
stavoosh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Blood, Misogyny, Vomit, Death of parent, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
lochsides's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It is doubtless that Plath is a master wordsmith and The Bell Jar leaves no room for argument on that front. Plath intertwines poetic writing into prose seamlessly. I think that while I definitely saw parts of myself in the character of Esther, Plath’s writing is where I truly felt seen. There was something almost unsettlingly satisfying about the beautiful way Plath describes dark emotion. The use of first-person narrative in this almost stream-of-consciousness-like storytelling worked really well for this novel and its themes. While I, personally, found the pace of the book to be quite slow, which made it hard to get into straight away, I also believe the pacing was intentional and used as a tool to build the gloomy feeling that the novel is saturated in. As the story unfolds further, I wouldn’t say the pace picks up but that we get accustomed to it, mirroring how Esther becomes accustomed to her declining mental health as a part of her identity.
Esther’s mental health is her defining character trait, and in a character-driven novel, everything is a reflection of that. From the very start, despite the glamorous lifestyle Esther leads in New York and all the ‘success’ she has accumulated, we never get the feeling that she is content with her life. Much to the contrary, even Esther is aware of the emptiness within herself. At first, it seems she cannot make sense of it but as the novel progresses, she comes to accept this as a part of her identity and holds it up as a shield against a world that does not understand her. What I really liked about the characterisation of Esther is that she never feels like an exaggeration at any stage of her mental breakdown.
I really liked all the themes Plath explores in The Bell Jar but one of the most interesting, to me personally, was the discussions of the concept of feminity and the way that attributed to Esther’s mental health. Esther rejects the social conventions of womanhood pertaining to the roles of wife and mother. Plath addresses the double standard that is placed upon women to be caregivers and to be self-sacrificial in the name of marriage and motherhood. This, at the time, common concept that women cannot have it all and that she would inevitably have to give up her career for the sake of her marriage and children challenges Esther’s sense of identity and individuality, which is a contributing factor to her mental decline. The ‘bell jar’ is a symbol of suffocation and entrapment by societal norms. Esther sees and participates in society and is both removed from it and trapped within it. She feels she cannot lead the life she wants and wants not to live the life she feels she must at all.
While this novel ends on a hopeful note, there is a lingering heaviness to it. I felt that this was Plath perhaps channeling her hopes of recovery onto her main character. I also feel that recovery often comes with a looming feeling of despair to it. When you’ve struggled with mental health concerns most of your life, you don’t fully trust recovery. It sometimes feels like it's only better until it isn’t again. I think Plath captured that feeling perfectly in the ending.
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Suicide, Racial slurs, Misogyny, and Racism
angelinarainey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, Racism, and Death
looneytunes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Homophobia, Misogyny, Suicide, Racism, and Self harm
ilana_pop's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
We have so many better classics than this one. Honestly, don't bother.
Graphic: Misogyny and Racism
imaginefishes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Spoiler
the main character Esther herself was quite literally stuck in the drudgery of mental institution after mental institution.Graphic: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/injury detail, Death, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide
thessie_rby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
However, as a somewhat autobiographical book, the amount of rasict depictions in here made me struggle to continue a few times. It certainly won't become a book I will recommend to people.
Graphic: Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Racial slurs, and Self harm
Minor: Blood
headachesince03's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Confinement, Death, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Self harm, Blood, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Lesbophobia, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, and Vomit