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Summary FULLY types notes of the bell jar
Characters, context, literary criticism and themes of the bell jar by Sylvia plath. FULLY typed notes that helped me achieve an A* in my exam.
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The Bell Jar – Character analysisEsther Greenwood
-Protagonist & narrator throughout.
-Plot follows Esther’s descent into and return from ‘madness’
-Coming-of-age story instead of learning through a positive education Esther learns
through madness // graduates not from school but mental institution.
-Behaves unconventionally
-Society expects cheerful & peppy
Esther is Dark & melancholy that resists society
-Obsessed with execution of the Rosenburgs & cadavers at Buddy’s medical school
brooding nature finding no expression.
-Esther wants to mirror Buddy and lose her virginity before marriage
(going against restraints of society)
providing an outlet for healthy sexual experiment
-It is clear society does NOT make Esther mad
instead it is an unpreventable and destructive illness
-Esther behaves selfishly
& doesn’t consider others
e.g. suicide attempt // no thought on family & friends
-Ether however is also NORMAL, poetic & kind
Mrs Greenwood
-remains in background of novel Esther makes little attempt at describing her
-Subscribes to society’s norms and notions about women.
e.g. sends Esther an article showing importance of virginity
encourages Esther to be a secretary
-main concern is if dreams will interfere with domestic duties
-Clearly loves Esther & worries
-pays for Esther’s stay in hospital & brings roses on birthday
-Esther faults mother for madness
Esther tells Dr. Nolan that she hates her mother & Dr. admits it is an important step to
recovery
-Esther hating mother for inflicting so much pain on her ?
Buddy Willard
-Contemporary review perfect specimen of ideal 1950s American male
-Handsome/Athletic/Attends church/loves parents/educated/doctor
-Esther appreciates the near perfection & admires from afar
she sees his flaws
-seen as normal behaviour, Buddy sleeps w/ waitress & no apology
-Eventhough intelligent // not thoughtful
-Does not understand Esther’s desire to write poetry
e.g. saying poems are like dust & passion will go when a mother
-Buddy’s sexuality is boring to Esther everything being clinical
, -In last meeting wonders who will marry her after being in an institution
-Both Esther & Buddy show promise at start of novel
muted and worldly at end
-Buddy’s time in sanitarium mirrors with mental institution
-Both premarital sex
-Esther rejects Buddy because she rejects his life
she will not be a submissive wife
Doctor Nolan
Esther’s psychiatrist at the private mental hospital. Esther comes to trust and love Dr. Nolan,
who acts as a kind and understanding surrogate mother. Progressive and unconventional,
Dr. Nolan encourages Esther’s unusual thinking.
Doreen
Esther’s companion in New York, a blond, beautiful southern girl with a sharp tongue. Esther
envies Doreen’s nonchalance in social situations, and the two share a witty, cynical
perspective on their position as guest editors for a fashion magazine. Doreen represents a
rebellion against societal convention that Esther admires but cannot entirely embrace.
Joan Gilling
Esther’s companion in the mental hospital. A large, horsy woman, Joan was a year ahead of
Esther in college, and Esther envied her social and athletic success. Joan once dated Buddy,
Esther’s boyfriend. In the mental ward, Esther comes to think of Joan as her double,
someone with similar experiences to Esther’s whom Esther does not particularly like, but
with whom she feels an affinity.
Jay Cee
Esther’s boss at the magazine, an ambitious career woman who encourages Esther to be
ambitious. She is physically unattractive, but moves self-confidently in her world. She treats
Esther brusquely but kindly.
Betsy
A pretty, wholesome girl from Kansas who becomes Esther’s friend when they both work at
the magazine. Esther feels she is more like Betsy than she is like Doreen, but she cannot
relate to Betsy’s cheerfulness and optimism.
Constantin
A UN simultaneous interpreter who takes Esther on a date. Handsome, thoughtful, and
accomplished, he seems sexually uninterested in Esther, who is willing to let him seduce
her.
Marco
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