Appearance In The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath

Physical appearance can tie a lot into a person’s character, as well as their self-esteem, and this all stems from the opinions we receive from others perception on our physical attributes. From The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath, you can tell that Esther has many problems, yet it isn’t until you get deeper into the novel that you notice this originates from self-esteem issues. From the beginning, Esther has a critical eye on society and the people in her life, this contrasts from almost all of the characters in the book. Most of the other characters are portrayed as smug and conceited, being unaware of current events and eerily involved in others, as well as, their own social lives. Esther’s “unconventional” ways of thought tend to leave her feeling isolated from society which reflects upon her confidence. It is proven that appearance and personality are completely separate entities; appearance is derived from genetics, whereas personality develops from exposure to different environments. There are studies that have proven that a person’s physical appearance alters their personality due to others reaction to them. Cynthia Fisher’s experiment with children and their appearance affecting other’s opinions, proved that physical
This madness seems to stem from criticism on her appearance and comparison to other characters in the book. When Esther begins seeing Dr. Gordon, to help treat her depression, she describes him as, “perfect… almost pretty.” (128) She noticed that he was, “young and good-looking, and [she] could see right away he was conceited.” (129) Research has proven that people with attractive physical appearance tend to have heightened self-esteem. This could be why Dr. Gordon’s actions came off smug or conceited, as Esther would say. On the other hand, poor physical appearance leads to a lower opinion by others which results in a lower