"The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

Submitted by salon_i t3_yffxuw in books

I've just finished The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. It felt like the book was reading me instead of me reading the book. It felt very.....validating?. Book felt very raw and honest after knowing how her life ended and knowing once I was headed to a similar end.

In my opinion, it's one of the most profoundly accurate portrayal of major depressive disorder out there. I think it was a great book but I'll probably never read it again.

"The silence depressed me. It wasn't the silence of silence. It was my own silence."

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[deleted] t1_iu3zrak wrote

I love Plath's prose, it's a bummer we didn't get a whole lot more.

>“I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.”

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St_Vincent-Adultman t1_iu4qwv8 wrote

“"I don't know what I ate, but I felt immensely better after the first mouthful. It occurred to me that my vision of the fig tree and all the fat figs that withered and fell to earth might well have arisen from the profound void of an empty stomach." Everyone forgets this part!!

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havidelsol t1_iu4015c wrote

Adore this paragraph. So well articulated, and I appreciate it even more as I get older.

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Stankin_Jankins t1_iu46v7n wrote

I have a tattoo of a fig tree because of this!! My all time favorite.

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salon_i OP t1_iu4vnci wrote

I can't describe in words how relatable and validating this passage is

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Barjuden t1_iu49yeg wrote

That was the single passage that stuck with me the most. It's so beautiful and sad. I think about it on occasion.

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FredR23 t1_iu4ccis wrote

if only the "why not both?" meme was popular at the time

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TheCheeseDevil t1_iu490rv wrote

I read the Bell Jar as a very depressed young adult and it was the first time I had felt 'seen.' Knowing her story and her final warning that the bell jar may return was a sobering look at my potential path. I found it strangely liberating despite the crushing knowledge that it lead to her end.

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miajunior t1_iu532j9 wrote

I agree. I read it during one of my most depressed - and certainly my most isolated - eras in my life and I felt so validated in my feelings.

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HighlightTheRoad t1_iu6ly7b wrote

Me too, when I first read it I thought “wow, finally a book has put into words how I feel”

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The_Real_Action_Hank t1_iu4kot1 wrote

I love the book to hell. And I cannot recommend the audiobook enough either, read by Maggie Gyllenhaal. I think she voiced a perfectly numb "Esther" (Plath) while also still managing to fit in with the other school gals.

Really enjoy the book. Read it a couple years before I was diagnosed with depression though lol.

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A11eyRat t1_iu548uu wrote

I agree about the audio book read by Maggie Gyllenhall, she executed the tone so well. She becomes Esther.

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NeekanHazill t1_iu410er wrote

I would like to read it but I'm a bit concerned about the effect it could have on me. My depression comes in waves, and I'm curious about the book because I've heard many times (including here) that it's very relatable, but I wouldn't want it to make me sink deeper, if that makes sense. I don't know if it's a read more suited for when I'm feeling ok so I could maybe handle more, or when I'm already down and it won't make me slip back into a depressive episode because I'm already there.

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GoonDocks1632 t1_iu45c0m wrote

I was very careful about reading it for that reason. I picked a time when I didn't have a lot of external stressors, and I had family on hand. I read it when I was feeling ok. It did pull me down a bit, but I had my coping mechanisms in place to bring me back up. I could not have read it while I was already low.

It's a great read, but I won't read it again.

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wine_oclock_ t1_iu5wj3u wrote

I read it and felt so depressed while reading it and after. I sometimes think it deepened my depression but I think it really just helped me realize that I was depressed and finally brought those feelings to the surface

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purplebinder t1_iu5tk4l wrote

I've attempted to read it a few times, and never made it through, for this reason. I would like to finish it it some point in my life, but now that I'm very happy, I don't want to be pulled down. I prefer my entertainment to be more light.

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Feedme10tacos t1_iu765j8 wrote

I honestly thought it was the most boring book that I have ever read! I expected to be profoundly moved after hearing/reading all the reviews, but it was just really, really boring for me.

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HotChildinDaCity t1_iu89xbd wrote

Bummer that you're getting downvoted for having a different opinion about a book. We don't all love the exact same books.

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Thenedslittlegirl t1_iu3jsvy wrote

I always read The Bell Jar when I feel depressed. I agree it's very validating.

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Redflawslady t1_iu4l7qi wrote

It’s arguably one of the best written works ever, regardless of its subject matter.

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ajh158 t1_iu3ggsx wrote

Great comment. I read it as a teenager and it resonated with me. I've been thinking about reading it again. Thanks for sharing.

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108mics t1_iu4i6oc wrote

I noped out after the first few chapters. My life is already like that, and most of the time I don't want to think about it, especially during my downtime. In a way that's the biggest compliment I can give the book, it's too real to read.

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St_Vincent-Adultman t1_iu4q53p wrote

Also check out

The Snake Pit by Mary Jane Ward Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen Chocolates for Breakfast by Pamela Moore (Author sadly also committed suicide a year after Plath) Prozac Nation - Elizabeth Wurtzel

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Jakyjak t1_iu3oahh wrote

Was gifted this from someone I really respected while growing up. Took me months to finish, in a good way. Don’t know if I ever will read a novel like it again. Really opened my eyes to what the world can look like through both a young females perspective but also a person struggling with mental illness. Lots of moments resonated with me and made me appreciate the struggles the women in my life have faced. It also made me self reflect on my own depression. I’ve gifted it and always highly recommend it.

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Umbrella_Viking t1_iu3y6p9 wrote

Amazing book, very insightful portrait of living with depression.

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fatherjohnmilfy t1_iu4s1r3 wrote

It’s a good ass book. There’s some questionable sentences but the prose and poetry of her prose is undeniable. Plath was a god tier writer imo

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choco_butternut t1_iu3ksth wrote

I will always remember the first paragraph of The Bell Jar. Truly remarkable and sad at the same time.

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Proof_Surround3856 t1_iu4scsc wrote

It took me VERY long to read this even though it’s a classic. The non-linear style was jarring at first and there was barely any plot. But then I couldn’t stop and I started loving the prose, the bell jar metaphor is so evocative like and so relatable, I felt just like that.

Also the characters are actually quite timeless? I almost forgot this was set in the 50’s, Esther sounds exactly like a hapless zillenial pursuing a part time job/studying in college. Her boss and doctor are female! like sorry that it surprised me a bit but the general stereotype of 1950’s was how women were nothing but brainwashed housewives. And of course, the triggering subject of mental illness. It was written very well, and it’s heartbreaking to realize how it was all autobiographical. She wasn’t the perfect protagonist and is still reflected of the times, but again, I find I relate to her especially her reluctance to marriage after everything she went through.

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BoazCorey t1_iu5ab68 wrote

Along with the often praised depictions of depression, it's just an amazing reflection of social alienation in the mid-century United States. She was such a highly intelligent and creative young who sort of became her reflection in the mirror of a sick society. I feel similarly about Kurt Cobain.

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dwegol t1_iu3mf3i wrote

It’s something I read many years ago as a suggestion from a friend and I really should read it again.

It was so dark but I agree, validating.

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themasalaisburning t1_iu3l5tq wrote

I remember reading and rereading it when I was a depressed teen and really relating. I don’t think I could read it now.

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digdugs t1_iu4taxt wrote

Read her journals.

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FatherPayne t1_iu6jwpv wrote

If you read her unabridged diaries showing the silly things Hughes took out, the Ariel, and then Hughes’ Birthday letters, you’ll have an unparalleled sensory experience.

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brandname_cloudy t1_iu6phdy wrote

I really loved it but I had to stop listening to it (the Maggie Gylenhall version) for a while because it was feeding into my lowest ever low. It was weird, I didn’t know how close I was to the end of the book until I finished reading it in paperback once I was doing better and realized that I had been so close to things becoming more hopeful. If that’s not a metaphor I don’t know what is.

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tiffanylockhart t1_iu3oumg wrote

ill never forget my first reading of that book, i loved sylvia so much.

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Haselrig t1_iu3z5rx wrote

Just a great book you experience more than read.

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doobadedo t1_iu4tfcx wrote

I loved it so much after finishing it and felt relieved and validated. But when I found out she died by suicide shortly after, that was all ripped away. I still love the book but it’s painful to think about now

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Redneckshinobi t1_iu4zzsh wrote

One of my favourite books I've read this year. It's strange some of the online reviews I read before really painted her and this book in negative light, saying she wasn't talented and she only got a book deal because of connections. I am glad I didn't listen to the haters because I absolutely loved her writing style and story telling. I wish we got more stories from her and it felt too real to me sometimes and like you it validated my own experience with suicidal depression. She was just born too early in a time when doctors had no idea how to deal with it and it's a shame we lost her over it.

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Mkwdr t1_iu5toed wrote

Her poetry is very powerful.

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wildflowerafternoon t1_iu4zar2 wrote

This is one of my all time favorite books that I’ll also never read again. It felt like it was written just for me.

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NANNY-NEGLEY t1_iu64f7a wrote

Wikipedia's bio is so sad, almost painful. Even her son was plagued with depression that cost him his life.

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44_lemons t1_iu66n70 wrote

I think there is further context to her suicide. Her husband, the poet Ted Hughes, was having an affair and his mistress was pregnant. He married the mistress after Sylvia’s death, and four years later, she also took her own life along with taking the life of their four year old daughter. Some have theorized that Ted Hughes may have played a role in both women’s suicides. Not literally. But perhaps driven them to it in some way.

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FantasticMrsFoxbox t1_iu6lsnr wrote

It was always on my list, I studied her in school for poetry for my leaving cert and she is my favourite poet. I only got to it last year and it was really enjoyable and also harrowing, the bit about the basement just hurt in my core. I can't identify with OP as I have not experienced deep depression but it was a revelation into her life and poetry. It strikes me as fascinating that she was seen as an amazing talent at the time while alive (I also find her work amazing) and awarded so much opportunity but in her book it just comes across as 'oh well whatever'. It's so sad she could not appreciate her own genius. But I wonder how many true artists really do realise their own worth

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bravosauce t1_iu74fo1 wrote

The concept of the bell jar is too perfect of an analogy for feelings of isolation. The whole book really clicked with me. Unfortunately.

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hadestowngirl t1_iu7mkj9 wrote

Plath has a way of writing prose that makes you feel it. Like synaesthesia in text except it speaks to the heart. I've never related to a book about depression as much as The Bell Jar.

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DrewJayJoan t1_iu67ii1 wrote

I've been meaning to get around to reading The Bell Jar, but I'm in sociology 101 right now and just the other day the textbook used a quote from The Bell Jar to explain fatalism. The passage was about Durkheim's theory about how there are 4 kinds of suicides.

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silverilix t1_iu6kk9y wrote

I have been considering reading this. Thank you for this view

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kiki_june t1_iu7c766 wrote

Ooo I should add this to my list! I’m almost finished with The Road. Then, I have Jeannette McCurdys book. Thanks! I’m catching up on my reading fairly quickly!

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Ifixart56 t1_iu7fgkh wrote

Read her journals. She was a phenomenal writer even as a teenager!

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aflyfacingwinter t1_iu7kihr wrote

I love this book so much. I actually read once in a while when I find myself deep in my own bell jar. I don’t know why it helps me bear it. I first read it at 18 and felt so seen.

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salon_i OP t1_iu7oj6c wrote

seen is the right word actually

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aTreeThenMe t1_iu7lpif wrote

I carried this book with me every day through high school and in my heart every day since. Top 3 all time for me.

"I felt very still and empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo."

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JamesDeanAndLean t1_iu9excn wrote

Sylvia Plath has a special place in my heart. Equal parts because of her talent and because of her tragic end. The heart is a lonely hunter... Part of me feels if she were alive today she would have found another way but we'll never know. For some reason I find a lot of beauty in tragedy... like its the dark that makes the light seem all the more brilliant. This led me to read her husbands collection Birthday Letters, essentially letters to his dead wife, which he wrote while terminally ill finally giving a voice to his side of the tragedy. Im unsure of the controversy surrounding the two but if you can see the beauty in ugly things its certainly worth a read.

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DrSarahDavid t1_iu42fmc wrote

I've never shied away from depressing material, but there's a difference between the tone serving the story, and a relentlessly depressing work that goes entirely nowhere.

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AnotherOmnishambles t1_iu4fvra wrote

I understand if a book isn’t to someone’s tastes but I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at.

How can a book about depression be criticised for being “relentlessly depressing”? Isn’t the whole point that she has loads of promise and goes “entirely nowhere”?

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HaxRyter t1_iu4a7xf wrote

I’m intrigued by the book, but I have no idea if it is going to depress me or be eye opening.

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_AnnualObligation_ t1_iu4oev5 wrote

It truly is a very accurate depiction of major depressive disorder like I've never read before. It's a fantastic book, I like everyone should read it. I've actually bought multiple copies over the years to give to friends.

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EVEOpalDragon t1_iu63i91 wrote

For some reason the awaking reminded me of it . I didn’t get to much from it and don’t remember much , I think I read it because Lisa Simpson made a joke about it.

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adognamedwalter t1_iu6tnzm wrote

Are you living the life you chose? Or are you living the life that chose you?

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Asheby t1_iu75p39 wrote

This book prompted me to change many things in my life.

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EllenSoGenerous t1_iu75ref wrote

I am a Sad Girl™️ and would read this over and over in high school.

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RuleRepresentative94 t1_iu7xz3v wrote

Oh, recently read it (in Swedish translation). It made me depressed but it is very good. Also interesting to read a US 50s description that is from that time - not memory, commercial of movie.

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non_avian t1_iu43iqr wrote

I've always questioned if major depressive disorder was really the correct diagnosis, because it doesn't quite seem like it. She died while we were still on the DSM-1 and I'm not even certain it was called MDD in there.

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Feedme10tacos t1_iu75wvt wrote

Everyone loves this book! I thought it was the most boring thing that I have ever read.

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salon_i OP t1_iu7oetd wrote

It's okay not every book is for everyone

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