Preview

The Bell Jar Failure

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1269 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Bell Jar Failure
People's lives are shaped through their success and failure in their personal relationships with each other. The author Sylvia Plath demonstrates this in the novel, The Bell Jar. This is the direct result of the loss of support from a loved one, the lack of support and encouragement, and lack of self confidence and insecurity in Esther's life in the The Bell Jar. It was shaped through her success and failures in her personal relationships between others and herself.

Through life, we often lose someone we loved and cared deeply for and supported us through life. This is demonstrated by the loss of a loved one when Esther's father died when she was nine. "My German speaking father, dead since I was nine came from some manic-depressive hamlet
…show more content…
This is demonstrated when Buddy Willard Esther's boyfriend break up. "He told me that his annual fall chest x-ray showed he had caught tuberculosis...in the Adirondacks" (Sylvia Plath pg. 58.) Buddy and Esther break up due to the fact that he was not very honest with her in many ways. He did not have the courage to admit to a certain side of his character and not only that Buddy was diagnosed with an illness but he had other relationships aside from Esther. Therefore Esther experienced another loss of a loved …show more content…
You gather friends and folks together and in this framework it clarifies your identity. You articulate and express opinions. You articulate and express opinions. In framework and talk, you develop behavior patterns and priorities and define framework in terms and languages. Esther did all this in her life. But then she forgot who she was. She forgot her framework of reference and she talks about success and failures and despair.

Individuals, need encouragement and support from loves ones to guide one through life. This is seen in the lack of support and encouragement displayed when Esther's mother fails to support and encourage Esther with her aspirations. No matter what Esther had wanted to do with her life, her Mother had always wanted her to learn the skills of shorthand because she would always have that skill in her life and also that was the one thing her Mother had experienced in life. As a result, her Mother failed to enhance Esther with her aspirations that she wanted from

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Once I saw my father almost lose his life for a lady he didn’t know. These are the kind of experiences that make me surprised he lived till this age. As people entered this place today, many walked up to me offering their condolences and mentioning all the various things that my father had done for them. Some said he was a brother to them while others hardly knew him. That’s the charm about my father. You didn’t have to know him before he sacrificed something for you. I used to dislike that side of him as he hardly had time for me. It wasn’t until we came to America that…

    • 560 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “An Hour or Two Sacred to Sorrow” by Richard Steele, Steele tells his story, advocating the mourning of a loved one’s death, deeming it acceptable because of the positive memories, between the late and the late’s beloved, recalled; the acceptance of other’s help will aid them past the pain. Steele was five years of age when his father passed away. Oblivious to the situation, he felt sorrow from watching his mother grieve. Steele explains that infants’ individuality is replaced with influences from their surroundings, which explains the feeling of sorrow he felt at such a young age in spite of the fact that he had no grasp of the situation. Although humans know death approaches, they still lament over deaths; “thus we groan under life, and…

    • 197 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Judy Blume once said, “Some changes happen deep down inside you and the truth is, only you know about them.” Freud’s concepts in his 1917 work Mourning and Melancholia offer possibilities of thinking about change and loss in different ways and at different levels. In this paper I shall explore the idea that mourning rather than melancholia must occur throughout all developmental stages of life in order to reach a healthy and peaceful time in your life where the concept of loss can be fully accepted and understood. To support this I shall present and explain how it is crucial to mourn childhood, adolescence, and adulthood to move acceptably and steadily through life and not remain melancholic, or fixated, in any particular life stage finding…

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Old Lady: loss of Ella had a big change on my life. Ella was my life; I would spend every moment I could with her. We always found something to talk about; Ella and I were like best friends, mother and daughter love. When Ella passed away it was as if I had died. I lost appetite and I was replaying memories over and over again. I shut off from the rest of the world and I suffered in silence. If it wasn’t for my husband I would have died from loneliness and depression.…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Therapy is constant, calling for weekly trips to a psychologist and lengthy stays in a mental hospital. The end result of the treatment for many is a feeling of independence. For Esther, leaving therapy represented being reborn. She is now truly a free woman, after all (271). Before Esther is liberated, however, she blames her two "antagonizers", Buddy Willard and her mother. Both represent the dominance of males in society. Mrs. Greenwood portrays men stifling women's dreams and keeping women in their traditional roles, and Buddy of sexual chastity and…

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For example, in Forrest Gump, Forrest’s experiences both positive and negative helped shape and mold his character. The death of Bubba in the Vietnam War triggered Forrest to start a shrimping business. This business allowed Forrest to take a risk, and learn from its impacts and consequences. Additionally, Jenny’s death gave Forrest a sense of purpose in life. He was compelled to raise and take care of his son. Parenthood contributed to another aspect of his changing identity. He was not only Forrest, but he was also ‘dad’ for his son. Fatherhood was a significant aspect in the film showcasing relationships can lead to personal growth. Similarly, in the poem “On a Tree Fallen across the road,” the metaphorical barrier makes the speaker explore his sense identity. For example, the line “Our passage to our journey’s end for good; But just to ask us who we think we are,” depicts a reflective tone. The speaker’s reflection allows him to question himself, his choices, and decision in the past. The end of his journey provides him with a new sense of identity. Also, the hardships and challenges he experiences contribute to his individual growth. Tragedy can alter an individual’s identity, while contributing to personal…

    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    events in a person’s individual life that has an impact on the way they treat or interact with…

    • 1984 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sylvia Plath, an extremely influential and beloved female poet who lived in the mid-20th century, was the author of numerous poems as well as the semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar. Her work, especially that of her adult life, heavily reflects the darkness and depression that she dealt with. Plath, born in October of 1932, began writing at a very young age. Her first published work, titled simply “Poem”, was published before she had even turned ten. Plath wrote many short stories during her early years, and she even won several writing competitions. One of these was a fiction contest that earned her a position as guest editor at Mademoiselle…

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    I never thought me, of all people, would experience such a sorrowful day. I have tried to forget it time and time again; but the reality is I will always remember every miniscule detail, moment, word, and facial expression on that particular day. My heart managed to shatter into a million pieces, leaving me without a reason to pursue my existence. My salty tears freely rolled down my warm cheeks, causing my eyes to burn sensationally. I remember mourning on the comforting shoulders of my family members, as they too were consumed by their feelings. The most valuable lesson that beared a reservation in my spirit was to cherish every moment and loved one, for tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone. I wish I could have fathom this reality before the climactic tragedy struck me like a ton of bricks. Although death is normal, it seemed almost foreign when it abducted the life of my favorite uncle.…

    • 1141 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Bell Jar Analysis

    • 967 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is a novel that was published in 1963 that chronicles the story of Esther Greenwood. Esther is a young woman who just finished her junior year of college, and like most young adults her age, she is plagued with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty about what lies in store for her in the future. Esther is extremely conflicted between the various paths she could choose to follow, which leads her into a state of depression that ultimately sends her to an asylum. There, she undergoes electroshock therapy, which does not alleviate her depression in the slightest. Esther only ever starts to feel emotions apart from her depression when her friend, Joan, whom she met in the asylum, surprisingly commits suicide. Esther continues…

    • 967 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Through comparing Samuel’s mother’s initial response to the loss of her son which was full of grief and sadness, to the beam of hope that comes with a new birth, Paley makes a direct correlation between the shock of death and hope of life. When a child is born, it is the beginning of something, a glimmer of hope for humanity. Whereas, death means the end of something, the loss of hope. Paley goes on to say that “She and her husband together have had other children, but never again will a boy exactly like Samuel be known” (Paley). When a life is ended, the hopes and dreams that parents have for their children die with them. The goal of life is to experience, this the reason human beings are alive to live with purpose. People live…

    • 221 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The early events of the grandfather’s life were complicated for him, and resulted in his mind being corrupt. Through the quote, “Does it break my heart, of course, every moment of every day, into more pieces than my heart was made of, I never thought of myself as quiet, much less silent” (Safranfoer 17), the seclusion between him and the world is starting to become noticeable. After suffering the loss of his first love, as well as his child, left him with an unbearable sadness so early in his life. This causes his views on living to be altered; as he thought of it as something that is a shame to partake in. His inability to even talk anymore; starting with the name “Anna” and slowly reducing to nothing, verifies that her death triggered his isolation. With that, he was left empty and reluctant to allow anyone to fill that void.…

    • 1268 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Grade 12 Comparative Essay

    • 3676 Words
    • 15 Pages

    How do experiences, good or bad, shape the identity of an individual and make them stand apart from others? In the award winning novel A Complicated Kindness, by Miriam Toews and the classic best seller Anne of Green Gables, by L.M Montgomery, the struggle and desire to find personal identity is profound. Through a series of experiences, the main characters in each novel, one a rebellious Mennonite and the other a red headed orphan, are forced to look within themselves and realize one of the most commonly asked question, “who am I?” As both Nomi and Anne grow internally, not only do they find gratification for themselves, but they also allow others to be set free in the same way. From the beginning of the book to the end, Nomi and Anne’s personal changes are drastic and through all their hardships, both characters and their companions become changed for the better. Experiences are the foundation to discovering personal identity, seen through death, expectations, rejuvenation.…

    • 3676 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Dealing with Death

    • 1491 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Death, an event that cannot be avoided is often paired with tragedy. Poem at Thirty-Nine by Alice Walker shows a daughter grieving for her dead father, Mother in a refugee camp tells the story of a mother’s care for her dying son, and Rosetti looks at a dying woman wanting her lover to forget her and move on in Remember. Death has been taken on by many poets from Thomas Hardy to Seamus Heaney, and whilst they explore death’s effect from different viewpoints, they all agree on the sorrow that it can bring.…

    • 1491 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    All throughout the novel, characters such as Esther’s own mother, Buddy Willard and Mrs. Willard all exist as manifestations of the suffocating environment that characterised mid 20th century America. Ideologies such as “a girl shouldn't sleep with anybody but her husband and then only after they were married” reveals the double standards to which marriage and sexuality was held to. Esther…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics