To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, we’ve recruited five reading groups to share their thoughts about the book. Here, some readers share their views.
Kathy Hamilton: Like Plath, I grew up in North America so am very familiar with the American emphasis on appearances – the “toothpaste smile” was everything. I can also identify with her focus on the transition time between older teenager to young adult – a time for finding oneself and one’s way in the world – a time that can prove challenging for many and especially those who defy the norm. It was at this time in my own life that I discovered Sylvia Plath through her poetry in Ariel and I still have my copy purchased in ’71. I had not read The Bell Jar previously.
Plath describes so well the confusion that Esther experiences after leaving the security of being “top girl” in her relatively unsophisticated home environment to the experiences of New York City and meeting other bright young women so different from herself. Her attempts to emulate others’ behaviour and to fit in rings true. For less fragile characters, this time can be one of intense personal growth and self-affirmation (fortunately, it was for me) but for Esther, this provided the catalyst for the loss of self-belief which triggered her fearful depression.
For me, the relevance of The Bell Jar is less about the expectations for women in the 1950s and their lack of opportunities, but more to do with Plath’s very personal and detailed account of her descent into serious mental illness. As the mother of a mentally ill adult, now very disabled following his last suicide attempt, I didn’t find this an easy read but it became a meaningful one. It is so very difficult to comprehend mental illness unless one has experienced it at first hand. The stages of Esther’s lack of confidence, loss of interest in her future and then frightening loss of control over her life, parallels what happened to my son and has helped me to understand his irrational behaviour.
Today, fifty years on from the first publication of this book, although more is known about the nature of mental health and treatments appear to be more sophisticated, many people continue to suffer. Sadly, stigma is still attached to this largely “invisible” illness and sufferers are met with lack of understanding and empathy from those around them. Fortunately, we now have Stephen Fry championing this cause and challenging our perceptions. If Plath’s story sheds some light on this cruel and debilitating illness, it remains relevant to many of us.
