Thoughts on "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath 

Very relevant to me. I had a breakdown at 21 when I was due to leave art college. The fig tree analogy is perfect for I felt

just finished the bell jar today. as I was reading, I was surprised to see my past thoughts and feelings being put into words. that feeling is amazing. I find myself remembering quotes even though I have only done one read. the words just feel so familiar, like they were from my heart. no wonder it’s a timeless classic.

I love The Bell Jar. The part about the fig tree and choosing a fig really resonated with me too. I graduated from university in 2011, and it's only a year ago when I finally decided on a path. My inability to decide between those years made me fall into depression, but now I realize I needed to experience those so that I can have more conviction in my decision and to know the specific person I want to be.

To my knowledge, I’ve never suffered mental illness/depression. Reading The Bell Jar was my first introduction to Sylvia Plath and after only a few pages, I immediately connected with Sylvia. I think she had a brilliant mind, more-so, I found her brand of humor somewhere in my own mind. I’ll always believe that Ted was the worst thing to have happened to her.

The ending of the bell jar is so good imo, I feel like the ambiguity of it really symbolizes the fact that you will never know if youre *really* okay, or if the bad stuff is just lying dormant in you for now. Have you really escaped your bell jar, or is it just suspended for the time being? Also, I dont know why but one of the main parts I always remember is her talking about the little PR gifts she received during her time in NY, and saying how she let her baby play with a little shell she cut off of a makeup bag (or something similar she got while in NY). And she says something along the lines of keeping all those items hidden somewhere until she "felt alright again". I genuinely have no idea why that very very small part sticks with me so much, but the imagery of taking things from a bad time in your life and hiding them away as if tokens of witchcraft but not being able to bring yourself to throw them out because its a fine purse! Or lipstick! Or whatever-the-hell! Idk it really suggests both the absolute horror but ultimate banality of depression to me. P.S. update: I'm halfway through Jane Eyre and holy god Mr. Rochester is *so weird* and *such a bitch* and *I would gladly die for him* . I just finished the chapter where he pretends to be a fortune teller to bait Jane into admitting she's attracted to him. What a psychopath! Love him to death! If they dont end up together I'm never reading again!

I finished The Bell Jar today and immediately concluded I had not understood it. Your review really helped! Your honesty about your experiences with mental health and how you related to the book colored the review, and I think I understand it much better now, so thank you. Yay for RU-vid and book reviews!

“Hours have the value of discarded pennies, days weeks and months blur into years yet the accumulation of those years at the end seem so few, why weren’t they as precious as they were rare”

I couldn't agree more with your final statement. I've always believed that every book has two authors: the writer and the reader. Sylvia uses ambiguity in such a beautiful way that makes this 60 year old book feel timeless. There's an intimacy in it. That ambiguity leaves space for the reader to project themselves. While I read the book, my mind wandered to my personal experiences and how I felt she understood them perfectly. This book is both a perfect mirror and a fantastic window into a world I've never truly experienced myself. Since reading the book, I've reassessed how I use ambiguity in my writing, and how I can use what I've learned from her writing moving forward. It's a difficult balance and I imagine I'll continue to come back to this book to learn more and more. Thank you for this wonderful conversation about such a heavy story. It helps to have some to talk to/listen to.

55 and still watching figs drop to the ground. Sadness in choosing a wrong path overwhelmed and overwhelms any promised joy of “knowing” what to do. Not as simple as some think to just “do it”. Thank you for the honesty in this review. ✌️

Im 26, but in my younger years i had 3 stays in a psychiatric hospital due to similar reasons, w out going into much detail. I went in blind with this book. Id saved i knew it was my Sylvia Plath, and i knew id love it so i wanted to be able to dedicate time to it. The first few chapters had me living 'Esthers' life. I was sucked in by Sylvias imagery. There were moments where the characters responses and thoughts were genuinely humorous because she was so blunt and dry, whilst being surrounded by colourful scenes and colourful people. I was ill prepared for how fast the unravelling occurs. When it begins to really unravel, it is shocking and hard to stomach. As it should be. Outwardly, i doubt anyone ever noticed that Esther was suffering internally to the degree that she was. Plus the added weight of the decade and what was expected of all women. None of them had happy endings. There was no model of a 'happy fate' not even a glimmer of hope there for Esther to cling to. She isolates herself, she hates herself and she hates everyone around her. She pushes away any chance for real female friendship or connection by pointing out each persons flaws wickedly, so she can justify hating them. She really just hates herself. She judges Doreen for being promiscuous, free, and glamourous. She judges all the other girls', despite them not actually doing anything wrong. Esther feels like she isnt 'allowed' to be 'free' or 'loose' because that makes her unclean, unpure, wrong, bad. Her self hatred+depression smashes any hope of comradery between her and the women around her. Joan was practically begging for a friend, and Esther just couldnt open herself, she did not know how to relate. If she had been able to connect with other women and share the heavy burden of womanhood with them, it would have given her a lifeline. However her mental health and society at the time, prevented her from ever having that. Shes totally isolated, except for the men who consistently hurt/disrespect her and all the other women around her. Which makes her feel even worse. I know what its like to be in that dark place. I related so much that i had to take breaks toward the end of the book, due to it reminding me so much of my first experiences in psych hospital. Walk privileges, moving up to town priviledges, and eventually to being let out. You didnt want to live, you didnt want to get better, but you were forced to do so anyway. So when the time finally comes when you are let out, its almost worse than before you went in. It is blank. Like the end of the last chapter. Ive never had that feeling or experience summed up so well. A devestating 'what now?' 'i have to do all of this again?' 'i am trapped in this hell cycle forever'.

I like the way you did this review It seemed like a conversation between you and me. I just finished reading it myself and the whole time, I felt like I was reading out the story of my own life. The part about the fig tree hit me deep. I was a good student all throughout my high school life and right after that I dropped out for three years trying (though I wasn't trying at all) to go down the logical path of pursuing medicine and spiralling into a depression because I wanted so much out of life and yet I didn't even know what it was that I wanted to become, and realizing I wanted to be in Literature and the Arts but again feeling completely hopeless and aware of my shortcomings and flaws and it's just utter despair and an endless void facing all these roadblocks and obstacles and never knowing how it is like to truly live this life that I've been given.

You might enjoy reading Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf as she explores several of these themes using the internal monologues of the characters

You are so, so pretty! 😍 And I love listening to you. I’m currently reading The bell jar and I really admire Plaths writing style.

Kind of beautiful that it snowed the day you filmed this review. The I am, I am, I am quote comes on a snowy day in the book, with some powerful imagery and emotion. Beautiful book, wonderful review thank you

I listened to Maggie Gyllenhaal reading the bell jar. It was great. I couldn't stop picturing Maggie as the main character.

I read this book when I was 13 and since then I have read it over and over, it is the only book I can stand

I love your thoughts and insights on these modern classics. Even when you *didn’t* enjoy the book in question you bring a lot to the table. Definitely looking forward to more!

Love your review! Feels so nice to know we’re not alone in how we think and feel. It can be so isolating sometimes. Ditto on the “don’t quit after one therapist”! I went through a handful before I found the right fit. It’s worth the work. 💙

About finished reading this for the first time-- struck me as interesting you found parallels with VILLETTE, another book on my to-read list for awhile, and perhaps a prompt to move it up in the order. As far as your self-described "incoherent thoughts," seems to me such genuine responses are a great literary compliment.

thank you for your thoughts... I really could listen to you read and talk about this book for hours, as I'm folding my laundry and sitting on my bed. everything that you've felt and highlighted in the book, I did too. thank you for sharing!

I read this in 1982 in psychology and domestic violence … Sylvia was in a tumultuous marriage with Ted. I read it several times also in lit alongside the Individual in Society - then again in A level Women in Society with a student who is dyslexic now studying Theatre, drama and English. She is happy knowing it is ok not to fit in. I read Plath’s letters and Biography. She says how marriage and children stole her creativity. I was writing a ghost story in a café and a man had to interject …. Same thing ….they eventually spoil it. I struggle with the greed of Capitalist societies and at 60 have the same feeling of being an outsider. Literature is still my first love and enduring passion. Ideation is in the book …. I still have no idea what the world is about apart from what it means to be human in a world built for people who have money to pay for their education. I don’t. So I tutor children which is enough as we laugh and they have become my Why…. I chose to live as me and not be an identity created by a colonial patriarchy that has not given me much… Write we shall!

I read The Bell Jar in the summer and I could really resonate with it. Your video was amazing and it helped me to understand the book in a different light

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I also identify strongly with Plath. As a male, I can't truly appreciate some her greatest anxieties, but I do share many of her other insecurities: the fear of not measuring up, the sense of futility, the paralyzing inability to commit to a life path. It can be a very isolating experience, but her work makes me realize that it's not unique to me. As for the question of symbolism, I wouldn't be surprised if it was intentional. From reading her poetry, it's evident that she's meticulous with her choice of language. Also, if you do enjoy her poetry, I would recommend reading Ariel as it was originally published. In the collected poems, her husband made some controversial editing choices, such as arranging every poem chronologically; this was not how she originally arranged the poems in Ariel. I've heard it argued that, given how meticulous she was in her creative process, the arrangement of the poems probably had some significance that was lost by changing it.

"but isn't the point of art less what people put into it and more what people get out of it." This exact same interpretation was done by the writers of Bojack horseman. Once you said it I immediately remembered . Nice video.

I just finished my reread of the bell jar and felt so empty and lonely after I was done. This video nourished me again. Thanks 🤗

Just finished this for the first time. Really enjoyed your review.

You're so beautiful! That warm sky-blue colour is looking absolutely gorgeous on you! I feel really deeply for people with clinical depression. But the solution doesn't come from out but from inside. Realisation of self is really important for life. Death is inevitable as well as birth. The life inbetween these is what you make of it. I suggest people to surround yourself with positivity and read anything triggering. Talking openly to those who listen will help you a lot. More power and strength to you and to all those who feel the same. Lots of love and best wishes from India 💐💕

9:15 I think it's very interesting that I interpreted that scene completely different. Throughout the book, Esther has this obsession with "purity" and later with getting rid of it and having her first sexual experience. To me, the bath escene was her cleansing herself of the "impure" things that had happened that day, and washing Doreen from her skin. I like your interpretation better, though. I was projecting a bit too much and red Esther as having a crush on Doreen, and at first I thought the whole obsession with purity and sexual experiences and being appealing to men without actually being attracted to them had a "closeted lesbian" vibe to it, but eventually I dropped that idea.

this book resonated with me,. fabulous review ! thank you

Hi! I love your videos! I love the way you chose lines that resonated with you, made me feel like I was in a book club with a friend :). This motivated me to read it! I was on the fence, I jsut wasnt sure because I am not in the best place and didn't want to read something even more depressing,

excellent book.likewise i am a slow reader but i zipped through this in a couple of days.i will definitely re-read this.the only books i re-read are AClockwork Orange (numerous times.) and The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter.a great review.thank you.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

I’m obsessed with Sylvia Plath, I own everything written by her and published and there’s something so beautiful in her use of unflinching language and the way she turns everyday objects into something dangerous trying to hurt her. And the raw honesty of it too is just incredible

Hi Saoirse, I found your RU-vid channel late last night while looking for a Sylvia Plath documentary. I watched your Thoughts on The Bell Jar video and I ABSOLUTELY lived it! I then watched your introduction video and I subscribed to your channel!!!! I love your passion for reading and books, I am the same way! What a joy to discover that you love The Brontes as much as I do! I look forward to watching more of your videos and to having book discussions with you!!! What are you reading now? I am reading Volume One of Sylvia Plath's Letters!!!!! Hope to hear from you soon! Stay safe, Liz P.S. when you said that you will never live long enough to read all of the books you want to, i could not believe it because i have been saying that since I was 15 years old!!!!!! Sylvia Plath said it as well in her journals!!!!!! 😊

PLEASE read "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin. after reading TBJ so many times in my life, I read the awakening for a "self-chosen" book report in high school and wowww the similarities. it is heartbreaking and relatable and the prose is so good.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, I like it

Ughhh.... the rug that Mrs. Willard makes... Is love real? I seriously felt the same way. Thank you for putting this out in the world. I resonate with this so much.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I just finished reading the Bell Jar for the first time, and it resonated in so many ways (especially the the passes you picked out to share in this video. Brilliant eye). The medicine the woman had during birth is also explored in The Birth House by Ami McKay (a Canadian historical fiction novel set in a small village on the coast of Nova Scotia). So many threads tying so many women authors together across history, geography, and time, and how 'funny' is it, that their words all carry a kernel of the same truth? I would also be interested to compare Sally Rooney's debut novel, Conversations with Friends, with the Bell Jar. How the main characters have so many similarities, and how so much has not changed over time. Thank you again for the review, and for showing the snow.

I just read this and I really wanted to like it since so many people love this book but I just didn't. As someone who struggle with mental health I just felt that she didn't say anything ground breaking or anything that made me think, maybe because it was written a long time ago when the world was very different. But if anyone would like to share why they love this book I would really appreciate it since it might open my eyes a little bit.

I can't agree with the back cover description being a copout. She continues to pose the question throughout the book whether her response to that society is natural or neurotic, and that is one of the strengths of the novel.

This was amazing. Now I must go read this book. How on earth did I find this video at nearly 2am? Albeit, I am here for it.

Great book! I read this twice!!

I think you raised a good point that reading literature there are different interpretations of the symbolism and the direction of the story. I think the reader can have their own perspective and that is more important. Then one could consider other aspects of the book that others think about. This book is actually complex and much more than it seems at first thought.

I want to know page numbers of these quotes. Someone HELP

I think sometimes what comes out in writing as far as symbolism is unintentional. But who knows... I think it’s interesting too what readers apply to the writing. I think it means what you need it to mean. Without the reader the work was only for the writer. She got what she needed from it. As do you when you write. I think that peering into the words of others you are finding deeper truth about yourself. Such a poetic and deeply sad story. Thanks for sharing it. And holy crap snow!!!!!! I’m jealous!

Hi just wondering which page the fig tree/ decision quote is from? i just read the novel and i really want to find the page :) love your reviews and thoughts, it always helps me understand the book better x eva

hi, new subscriber here I finished the bell jar too and I loved it and I loved your soothing voice and the way you express yourself, by the way since you show the bluest eye at the end of your video about jass by Toni Morrison Iam waiting for you to review it and read passages about it. greetings from Argentina.

I think in some respects symbolism is planned. But I suppose when an author writes something, subconsciously there own feelings seep into their work. Maybe without knowing it they places things in their story or describe things in a certain way without knowing themselves just how symbolic they are and how reflective they are of their own feelings. I don't know if that makes much sense hahah!

I’m teaching a unit on Plath using that book that you have (collected poems). I really enjoyed your video. Like all art, we, the audience, are co-constructors of meaning. So I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t think it matters what the author intended. If we think a symbol is there from the evidence in the text, then it’s there. Have a great day and keep up the great content!

You are a very pretty girl! So nice to hear you, you are very innocent and kind. Thank you!

Have you read Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom by Sylvia Plath? I recently read it and fell in love with the story.

So I have just finished the bell jar and it was such a difficult book for me to read and made me feel suicidal at certain times. I don't think I relate to it very much now but I definitely did younger and it felt like I had gone back in time But now I'm thinking about it more I don't think it was me going back in time ...I think I just never really dealt with some of my issues I have, like people pleasing. As much as I tell myself no I'm not a people pleasure (and parent pleasure) anymore, I think I still have that part of me that I carry from the past and although I significantly am better at saying no and prioritising my happiness, I have been saying no to things recently I want to say yes to out of fear what others might think. For context I am a lesbian and I want to be out and I want to date and I want to cut all my hair off but I have this scared 13 year old who can't accept herself inside of me and now I'm just a tired 18 year old who wants to live authentically already. This book has really connect the past me to the present me in a way I didn't expect it to and now I'm just suppose to move on with my life?? Damn it

Hi Saoirse! I hope all is well! Just wanted to say hello! Thank you for sharing with me what you were reading!!!! How are you enjoying Plath's Collected Poems? I am on to her Second Volume of Letters. You MUST read them if you have not already, ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT IN EVERY WAY!!!!! I am also reading the Charlotte Bronte biography by Claire Harman, which I am really enjoying and I am also rereading These Ghostly Archives: The Unearthing Of Sylvia Plath by Gail Crowther and Peter K. Steinberg which I can not get enough of! What are you reading now? Thank you again for your wonderful channel, you are awesome! Stay safe and healthy. I look forward to hearing back from you soon. Liz

Is love real? LOVE is very real. Its best unconditional. It is always put to the test. Love overcomes all. You alone get to decide its' course and nature. Its then a simple matter of chosing yes or no. Is this it or not. Walk quickly away at the merest hint of the negative. Alternatively, go live on an isolated island. I'd rather turn myself into an island among other islands. BTW, luv Sylvia, luv her output, luv what she brought to the conscious mind. Glad I found your channel, if belatedly so.

Should you avoid reading it if you suffer from depression personally?

i hope you're ok

I started to read this and was like okay it's about a woman gaining herself in newyork and then fifty pages later wtf. I am depressed myself so I wished I had trigger warning before

i learn how to read a book at age 5 and i hope to one day read a book to my biggest fans so they can see that i still read.

The Bell Jar is so relatable it's scary sometimes. By the way where is your top from?

Hello from Greece

Where did you get that top, it’s so cute!

thanks

the racism pissed me off so I dropped it.

Φ i should have been an astronaut.

Are you Irish? Love your name!

☼ everything she wrote made me want to *[REDACTED DUE TO RU-vid TOS]* & that turned out to be my mom, so. deal w that.

ohh my gosh... yoou cute 😍😍

My first video, new subscriber

Can someoen please do a review under here WITH SPOILERS? I would really aprecciate this. Thank you guys in advance

you look like Sylvia

(perhaps spoiler) What was the point of her bleeding profusely after losing her virginity. I mean, the doctor says "this is a one in a million" case, and he can fix it.... But they never say what it was that actually happened. It just ends at that. Is there symbolism here or was it strictly autobiographical?

Looking at symbolism is the true way to learn the authors intended meanings, assuming of course, that they knew about the symbolism themselves. Sylvia Plath, needless to say, did

the more i watch you more i find you similar to me...

I hope that anyone reading this will not think I am trying to trivialise their inner agony ... I was depressed for 10 years ... why ? Well , let's leave the why ... but I was healed by a visit to Thigse Monestery , an hour's bus journey south of Leh which is a 3 hour flight north of Dehli in India .... I saw the Friend Buddha and stated ... I need help and She lifted the depression - like an painful shard in my mind - it went . Gone . So , if you feel suicidal or if you have PTSD ... go . Go to Thigse , it healed me ... a spiritual wound needed a spiritual balm .

god, that really is a horrible bio on the back isn't it? it absolutely destroys the true atmosphere and intent of the book lol?? whoever wrote it either didn't read it, was told by the publisher not to mention even a lick of mental illness, or has no idea what any of the prose devices entail, which is really really difficult to imagine with the way the imagery (if nOTHING else) is written in this novel. i mean, did they just read the first paragraph and think that it was intended to just paint a picture of the era in new york rather than the atmosphere of 'esther''s life via her mind at the moment. the cover looks cool i guess?..

Sadly, her son, Nicholas was also an adult suicide fairly recently

You are so pretty! You read books, I read books, why couldn't we read books together? :) It's sad someone with Sylvia Plath's intelligence could end so young. What a loss!

It’s just hard for me to take the book as serious piece of feminist literature when it only focused on the advancement of one person while belittling everyone else.

A very bad book. Poorly written 'women's fiction' of the era. Were it not written by a great poet no would read this today. Even Plath herself knew it was trash. It is absolute garbage.