The Bell Jar Part 2

Mirrors : Esther can't recognise herself even when faced with an image(reflection)    Birth   Water   The Fig Tree ' I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig-tree in the story'  The Skiing Accident :   Mrs Willard's Rug :   The Fireworks :   The Bell Jar : 'I would be sitting under the same glass bell, stewing in my own sour air' 'The air of the bell jar wadded round me and I couldn't stir'  Ladies Day Banquet : is all about how to be the perfect wife and mother however it is symbolic because it makes them sick i.e. perfection makes them sick. Even the whole day is staged

Suicide Attempt p160  Vs  Recovery p230

Doreen - represents esters rebellious side She is rebellious young women who is Esther's roommate at the hotel in New York. Esther wants to please Doreen, and spends most of her time with her 'like a secret voice speaking straight out of my bones'   Betsy - represents Esther wanting to conform to society   Mrs Willard - 1950's women She is Buddy's mother a dedicated homemaker, who is determined to set up Buddy and Esther   Buddy - 1950's ideal man He is Esther's former boyfriend from her hometown. Esther adored him until he slept with a waitress who worked at a restaurant with him. He proposes to her at one point, and Esther laughs it off and then argues about how unrealistic and hypocritical he is   Constantine- Is a simultaneous interpreter with a foreign accent, got Esther's phone number from Mrs. Willard. They go on a date together and Esther sleeps the night at his apartment   Marco - women hater, he is in love with his cousin who has gone to be a nun He is a Peruvian man and friend of Lenny  Shepard, is set  up to take Esther to a party and ends up abusing her. 'The ground soared and struck me with a soft shock' he hits her 'if I just lie here and do nothing it will happen' meaning he will rape her and she is just going to accept  and summit allowing male dominance When he calls her a 'Slut!' she begins to fight back 'I began to writhe and bite' this links to limited view's of women as they were only viewed as sluts or wives   Dr Nolan- befriends Esther and she represents the more modern approach to mental illness. She is Esther's doctor at the countryside hospital. She is a slim young woman who manages to connect with Esther more than any other doctor. She also administers shock therapy to Esther and does it correctly, which leads to positive results.   Dr Gordon   Joan - follows the same path as Esther but it is only when Joan commits suicide that Esther breaks away from her and gets better She is an old friend of Esther, is mentally unstable and eventually commits suicide after living in the asylum with Esther for a while.  

Fragmented narrative - as Esther loses her grip on reality the narrative becomes more fragmented so it reflects how Esther feels, showing that she can't follow a logical progression. In writing like this Plath makes the reader feel more sympathy for Esther.   Time slips

NYC   Suburbs   Asylum     Contextual setting America 1950s

Symbolism

Pathetic Fallacy

Role of other Characters

Structure

Setting