Growing up as an angsty teen I always assumed I would love Sylvia Plath’s work, I mean one of my favorite bands was even called salvia palth. Even though many people might disagree, I found Plath’s novel overrated, despite its compelling metaphors for mental illness.
“The Bell Jar,” for me, was one of those books that you keep reading expecting it to finally get better but it never did.
In theory I like the idea of conveying a character becoming depressed and descending into madness in spite of having an objectively great life. However, the way that is portrayed in the book, just makes Esther, the main character, constantly come off as pretentious and spoiled. Even as someone who has struggled with mental illness it was hard to relate to her.
However, the fact that it was semi-autobiographical resulted in an accurate representation of depression. It was not a sad book, it did not romanticize depression, rather, it painted a bleak picture of mental illness and what these struggles are like. Because of this, there were two analogies that made this novel worth reading.
First, there was the idea of the bell jar. Esther has this analogy that depression feels like you are in an airless jar that alienates you from everything and everyone else. Even though you can see that world, you are stewing in your own sour air and the asphyxiation distorts your perception of the world, no matter where you are.
Secondly, and my personal favorite, the analogy of the fig tree. Esther imagines that there’s a fig tree and each fig represents a possibility of a different life. The issue is she can only choose one fig and is so overwhelmed by this decision that it paralyzes her and the figs all rot.
Plath writes: “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 [. . .] 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.”
This idea of the fig tree is something I believe most college students can relate to. It can be overwhelming to have to choose your fig, especially since making this decision might lead to the right fig rotting before you are able to change your mind.
Even though this was not my favorite novel, “The Bell Jar” provides a lot of insight into how mental health affects people, especially in the case of young college students, that constantly feel pressure to perform well, excel and decide on a fig all while still figuring out who they are.
