“And It seem like I was trapped in a bell jar.”

Sylvia Plath was well-known for writing poems, but in 1963 she wrote her first and last book. An autobiography that was titled The Bell Jar discusses her journey with a mental illness.

The main character, named Esther but whose experiences are based on Plath’s own, is a young women who appears have everything. She has a young man wanting to marry her, and is the winner of a competition to go to New York. Nevertheless, Esther is depressed. Once she returns home to England after her trip, she discovers the tragic news that she was not accepted into the writing course she had wanted to take.

Esther stops eating, showering, and does nothing but lay in her bed. Her mother decides to take her to a therapist. A therapist who she hates. A therapist who tries to make her talk. Still she stays silent, which only angers the therapist.

The author wants the reader to come away with the idea that people grow through pain, which is done by showing all of the negative situations Esther goes through. Even though life seems like it is full of constant pain and suffering, all of the trials make us into stronger people.

Sadly, The Bell Jar ends in a cliffhanger and we do not know what happens to Esther. However, we do know that Sylvia Plath killed herself after writing the last sentence “…I stepped into the room.”  Some readers think that these last words represent her steps into heaven.

I recommend this book because it can be relatable to people working their way through similar struggles as the main character. I give “The Bell Jar” a 10 out of 10 due to the emotions and pain that are expressed so vividly.