I’ve heard people say that The Bell Jar is a depressing book. I don’t feel that way. Granted, it is about a young woman’s descent into depression, or schizophrenia, but Plath’s writing is so beautiful and her truthfulness so stark that the book is fascinating. In the end there is hope of recovery. We know that Plath ended up committing suicide years later, but that’s not an inevitable ending for Esther. She has hope. She’s going back to college, recovered. Of course, Esther does make a point in the last pages of the novel.

How did I know that someday—at college, in Europe, somewhere, anywhere—the bell jar, with its stifling distortions, wouldn’t descend again? (pg. 241)

Plath provides us with insight into how mental illness really feels to person, how it distorts their perceptions, thoughts and actions, not just a dry description of the symptoms. At the same time, Esther is a young woman dealing with sex, men, familyand friend relationships, college, finding her place in a world where she doesn’t quite fit, issues women are still dealing with today.

I don’t want to give the impression that the book is all doom and gloom. There are some very funny moments, like when all the interns get food poisoning from a lunch at Ladie’s Day.