Originally published in 1963 under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucus," The Bell Jar was to be, sadly, Plath's last and only novel. A month after its initial publication, Plath, a long suffering depressive, committed suicide. The world lost an immense talent in Plath, as The Bell Jar would go on to prove.
Synopsis of The Bell Jar
The story begins when Esther Greenwood moves to New York to pursue an internship at a prominent fashion magazine. Esther is overwhelmed by this experience, and instead of enjoying it like her fellow peers, she contemplates about unfortunate past events. Esther's mental health slowly deteriorates and takes a turn for the worst after she is rejected from a writing course she applied for. Uncertain about her future as a writer, and seeing herself as a failure, Esther completely breaks down. Esther's battle with clinical depression leads to suicide attempts, hospitalisation and electroconvulsive therapy.
The Importance of Plath's Novel
The Bell Jar attracted global attention for its controversial subject matter and its parallels between the author's life to that of her protagonist, Esther. Indeed, much of what Esther experiences in the book was played out in Plath's own life during her younger days; the breakdowns, the attempts to take her own life, the shock treatments, the death of her father at a young age, the sense of enormous failure and apprehension of one's own future.
Plath writes from the heart and produces a masterpiece that is so scathing and bittersweet, much like her poetry. Plath is not afraid to tackle such topics as suicide and traditional notions of femininity. She confronts these issues with brutal honesty and humour. Therefore, Esther does not come across as a victim needing to be saved, but as a vulnerable, sensitive young woman, who is trying to find herself in a world ridiculed with sexist notions of what a woman should be.
The Bell Jar: Breaking Taboos
The Bell Jar is perhaps one of the few books that speaks to depressives on a universal scale. It touches the heart of anyone who is struggling with mental illness. It is beautifully written, as one would expect from the poet and startlingly frank on a subject that is still, to this day, shrouded in taboo.
Plath's novel has been influential in the development of confessional literature and has had a profound impact on writers like Elizabeth Wurtzel, who was to chronicle her own experiences of clinical depression in her bestseller Prozac Nation. References to The Bell Jar is littered everywhere in popular culture, from films to television shows.
Due to Plath's death so close after the publication date of the novel, she never got to experience the accolades, the critical acclaim, or the notion that she touched the hearts of many with this book. And that is a tragedy in itself.
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