Depression In The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath

The Bell Jar: Character Analysis
Many people suffer from depression, but do we do something about it? Many don’t know when someone is suffering from depression, and if they do, they don’t pay much attention or just ignore it and don’t know what to do to help the person. What happens when a person does not get any help? Sadly, many attempts to commit suicide and they succeed. But what makes a person take away their life? Sylvia Plath's “The Bell Jar” is an interesting classic story told in the 1950s whose story ends with a mystery that is never resolved. In the novel, Esther, the main character, is suffering from depression and attempts to kill herself multiple times. Bullying is usually a significant factor in causing depression but, for Esther, this was not the case. Various reasons caused her depression, especially the death of her father, her unfortunate experience in college, and the fact that she did not have support from her mother or any other person.
This piece of literature was written by Sylvia Plath who suffered through a severe depression that brought her to the end of her life. The character analyzed in this research paper is
Sylvia Plath, also known as Esther Greenwood in this dramatic novel. Her depression started when her father passed away; this impacted her more because he was the reason for her accomplishments and dreams. After that tragedy, another one came along, and it went on like that until her last days.
Esther Greenwood lived when discrimination towards women was a big issue at the time. Society told women how they had to live their lives, and what they had to do. That influenced her depression mainly because she didn't fit in society's standards (Smith). Esther grew up being a shy person, and when her father passed, there was no one encouraging her to get out of her shell. Her mother didn't support her, and she was left on her own. Her college life started successfully with a scholarship to one of the best universities in New York City, but not even that was able to make her happy. As time passed by, she didn't get better, and any help given to her didn't get her any better either (Rosenberg).
Esther Greenwood was a person with a lot of potential, but she needed motivation. Her strong emotions made amazing poems and including this book that talks about her life in a way you can imagine the scenario perfectly. She was an emotional person with a big heart of gold, but nothing ever seemed to go right in her life. She felt like nothing compared to her friends because she was the quiet one while her closest friends in college were the beautiful boy magnets but she was the smartest of them all. She wasn't like the rest of many girls in her time; she was unique (Allen).
Many things influenced the way she acted and her view on how her life should go. Esther and other women in her times were pressured to live a particular kind of way and that made her feel confused about what who she was and if life was worth living. Society was to blame for why many girls in her time felt insecure and unworthy, especially if you couldn’t find yourself a partner whom one day you could marry. Esther was just one of many that went through this social struggle (Smith).
At some point in her life, she was sent to a mental hospital because nothing seemed to help her get out of the deep depression.
It was like she was trapped in a bell jar, Esther mentions this in the book. She was stuck, and she couldn't find a way out to her wished dream for happiness. Her dark emotions took complete control of her, and there was no light to save her from her dark self. When released from the mental hospital, she had light in her, but as time passed by, she went back to her dark side and attempted to kill herself one more time and survived. She went back to being depressed and had no hope, no sign of light once again. This recurring depression is where her mother came in and started to support her daughter in the best way she could, but it was still not the complete support Esther needed to get better
again.
The last moments of her life were in total darkness and on her own. Esther had more sad and unsuccessful moments than joyful ones, and the death of her father was the greatest influence to the start of her depression. She tried many times to make everything better, but nothing seemed to get her out of that bell jar. She's an example of all the people that have had terrible lives and tried to give up many times.
The bell jar ends with Esther being the same way through the whole book, depressed. It was left with unanswered questions. But this character was actually Sylvia Plath, the author, and she committed suicide in 1963. This book is based on Sylvia Plath's life story. The story ended with doctors deciding whether Esther was ready to go back to college, or whether she needed more therapy. But in real life, Sylvia Plath ended her life in a very tragic way. She did leave some of her literature behind like her poetry and this book. Her work is still saved, and her books are still bought. She's remembered because of her novel “The Bell Jar” and her admirable writing skills. Because of her, and many other people that committed suicide, people are more aware of depression. Her book demonstrates the importance of giving help to people that suffer from depression and the many factors that can lead someone to depression.