PlotOverview

Briefly,butusingtheentirespace,discusstheplot,
conflict,andrisingactiontosummarizetheplot.
Useyourownwords.

Thenovel
TheBellJar
beginswithacollege
studentcalledEstherGreenwood,a19yearoldgirl
whoislivinginNewYorkinthebeginningofthe
story.Anygirlheragewouldbejealousbecause
herlifeseemstobeperfect,butEstherthinks
otherwise,shefeelslikeherlifejustisnotrightand
isunhappywithit.Shereceivedascholarshipfor
hercollege,shehadahadashortjobasaguest
editorforafashionmagazine,hasnewfancy
clothes,goestoparties,andplentyofmenfindher
attractiveandhaveaninterestinher,butitsimply
doesnotsatisfyherormakeherhappy.Herfather
haddiedwhenshewasonlynine,shewasnotable
toattendherfathersfuneralorseehiscorpse,so
hisdeathdidnotseemrealtoher.Shehadnever
criedoverherfathersdeathuntilshevisitedhis
graveoneday,andcriedmorethanshehad
ever.Sheclaimsthatsheisnevergoingtoget
marriedbecauseshethinksshecandobetterthan
beingawomanwhoishomealldaycookingand
cleaningforherhusband,shedidnotthinkthat
peopleshouldwastetheirlivesinsuchaway.After
shewentbacktostaywithhermother,shebegan
tothinkmoreaboutsuicide.Shethoughtofso
manydifferentwaysitcouldhappen,but
sometimesshefoundanexcuse,itwasnotthe
rightway,somethingstoppedherfromdoingit,or
thingsofthesort.Onedaysheshetookaboutfifty
pills,andbythenexttimeshewokeup,shewasin
ahospital.Sheisthenbeingtreatedatsomesortof
mentalfacility.Sheisbeingtreatedatonemental
facility,andthenmovestoanotherone,abetter
one.Bytheendofthenovel,sheisenteringan
interviewthatwilldecideifsheisabletoleaveor
not.

AbouttheAuthor

Includeimportantinformationabouttheauthor.You
maywanttoincludewhatinspiredthem,other
workstheyhavewritten,significantlifeevents,what
timeperiodheorshewrotein,andhowthetime
periodinfluencedthewriting.

SylviaPlathwasagiftedwriter.Shewona
scholarshiptoSmithCollegein1950after
publishingsomeofherworks.Shespentthe
summer1953inNewYorkCity.After,shetriedto
killherselftakingsleepingpills.Shestayedina
mentalhealthfacility.Plathfellintoadeep
depressionafterherhusbandleftherforanother
woman.Whileendeavouringwithhermental
illness,shewrote
TheBellJarw
hichwaspublished
onJanuary14,1963.Justonemonthbeforeshe
hadcommittedsuicide.Herworkswerestill
releasedafterherdeath.

HistoricalContext

NovelNotes

TheBellJar

SylviaPlath

ValeriaLepe

Period.3

1/3/16

EssentialQuotes

Iwassupposedtobehavingthetimeofmy

life(Plath2).
Includeinformationonthetimeperiod,social,

economical,cultural,andothersignificant
Dontletthewickedcitygetyoudown(39)
influencesthatcharacterizethisnovel.

Hetookmyhandandsqueezedit,andIfelt
Shewasinfluencedintowritingbecauseofher
depression.Shelivedinatimeperiodwhenwomen happierthanIhadbeensinceIwasaboutnineand
runningalongthehotwhitebeacheswithmyfather
werestillobligatedtothelifeofdomesticity.The
thesummerbeforehedied(7475).
novelitselfissomewhatarepresentationofthe
author'sownlifeinaway.Shesomewhatbasedthe
novelonherownlifebutchangedthenamesof
AddWorkCitedHere:
peopleandplaces.
"SylviaPlathBiography."
Bio.com
.A&ENetworks
Television,n.d.Web.07Jan.2016.

Drobnik,IgaHelena.
LifeNarrativeinSylviaPlath's
TheBellJar
(2014):174.
SylviaPlath
.JuneJuly

2014.Web.4Jan.2016.

CharacterAnalysis

Identifyeachmajorcharacterinthenovel.
Describethemostimporttraitsthatcharacterize
thisperson.(
S
peech,
T
houghts,
E
ffectsonother,
A
ction,
L
ooks)

ThemaincharacterintheNovelisa19yearold
girlcalledEstherGreenwood.Shegrewupin
Bostonwithhermotherandbrother,herfatherdied
whenshewasnine.Sheis19yearsoldinthe
beginningofthestory.Sheisveryattractive,smart,
andprettymucheverythingbugsher.
BuddyWillardisEsthersboyfriendfora
while,whilesheisincollege.Heisasmartand
intelligentmanwhoreallycaresforEsther.He
graduatedfromYaleandwenttomedicalschool.
LateronthroughoutthestoryheasksEstherifshe
willmarryhim,butsheremindshimthatshehad
oncetoldhimthatsheisnevergoingtoget
married.
DoreenisoneofEsthersfriendsthatshehad
whilelivinginNewYork.Theybothworkedina
positionintheirjobasguesteditorsforamagazine.
Doreenisoneofthepeoplewhomadeandinvited
Esthertodosomeofthethingsshewouldnot
usuallydoonherown.
JoanGillingisEsthersfriendfromthemental
hospital,eventhoughtheyalreadykneweachother
beforetheywerebothinthere.Joanalsodated
BuddybeforeEstherdid.Shesaysthatshelikehis
parentsmorethanshedidhim.Estherdidnotlike
Joanbutthenshebegantothinkthattheyarevery
muchalike.
DoctorNolanisEstherspsychiatristinthe
privatementalhospital.Thedoctorisoneofthe
veryfewpeoplethatEsthertrustandloves.Sheis
kindandunderstandsEstherverywell.Estherwill
listenanddowhateverthedoctortellshertodo
becauseshehasgrownfondofher,andiseven
likeamotherfiguretowardsher.

Themes

Identifyandanalyzesomeofthesignificantthemes
inthenovel.

Onethemecouldbe,donottakelifeforgranted.
Estherdidnotcaremuchaboutherlifethatiswhy
shebegantothinkaboutsuicide,andeventriedto
commititmultipletimes.Shehadalifethatmany
peoplewouldbejealousof,butforsomereasonit
justdidnotpleaseher.Eventhoughshehas
peoplewhocareaboutherdeeply,sheonlypushed
heraway,evenherownmother.Bytheendofthe
novelshegotherlifetogetherbutwasnotsureifit
wouldstaylast.
Anotherthemeissex,marriage,arenottotake
lightly.Throughoutthestory,Esthertalksabouther
virginityandhowshewantstomakesurethatit
happenswiththerightguy.Whenitfinallyhappens,
lateronthesameguysgetsincontactwithEsther
andshejustblowshimoffwithnowayofcontacting
her.ManyguyscomeintoEstherslifebutnoneof
themactuallyendupstaying.Inthestorythetopic
ofmarriagecomesupafewtimes,butEsthers
choiceforthefutureisthatsheisnevergoingtoget
married.marriageisabigpartoflifethatpeople
decidetodoandsomedecidenotto.
Anotherpossiblethemecouldbe,familymatters
andcangetyouthroughyourtroubles.Inthenovel,
Estherhasfamilyandfriendsthatcareforher
dearly,butshenevergavepeopleachancetoget
closetoherorhelpheroutinanyway.
Athemecouldbe,simplybeyourself.Inthe
novelsomeofthewomenarejudgedbasedon
theirappearance.Estherisaverysmartwomanbut
alwayspretendedtobesomethingorsomeonethat
shewasnot,notbecauseshewasashamedofwho
shewasbutsimplybecauseshejustdidntwant
peopletoknowwhoshewasespeciallyiftheywere
strangers.

MotifsandSymbols

Identifyandinterpretsomeofthemajormotifsand
symbolsinthenovel.

Asymbolinthenovelisthebelljar.Thebelljar
symbolizesthemaincharactershysteriaand
madness.Throughthestoryshebeginstotalk
aboutabelljarthathoversoverherandshefeels
likeinawaysheisbeingsuffocatedbythe
circumstancesthatsheissurroundedby.Bythe
endofthenovelshefeelslikethebelljarisbeing
liftedbecausethingshavechanged,butisnotsure
ifatanymomentitwillcomedownonheragain.
Ababyinthenovelsymbolizeshowababyisa
giftamotherreceives,butEstherdoesnotwanta
baby.Shedoesnotwanttohavetheproblem
hangingoverherofgettingpregnantsoshegoes
andseesadoctorthatspecializesintakingcareof
that.
Thesleepingpillsareasymboloflifeanddeath
forEsther.Herintentwastokillherselfwiththese
pillsandjustfinishwiththelifethatshewasliving.
Shetookaboutfiftypills,andbysomechanceshe
stillhappenedtolive.
Thementalhospitalrepresentshowisconfined
butthenagainsheisnot.Sheisstuckinthis
mentalhospital,thatIbegantothinkthatshe
actuallywantedtostayeventhoughinthe
beginningtimewhenshearrivedthereshehad
somethoughtsofrunningaway.Ithinkwhyshedid
notwanttoleavewasbecausemaybeshethought
andrealizedthatifshewentbacktoreality,then
shejustmighthavenothing.
Esthersfathersdeathshowshowherlifecould
havebeendifferentifhehadnotdied.Ifherfather
couldhavebeenthereforherthenmaybeher
circumstanceswouldbedifferentthroughouther
life.Shemostlikelywouldhavecontinuedgoingto
collegeandtriedtoobtainahighermajor,and
maybeshewouldnothaveendedupinamental
hospitalortrytocommitsuicide.