The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath has witty dark humor throughout the book to describe the harsh nature of entering adulthood and the struggles of depression. The main character, Esther Greenwood, is a smart yet fragile woman. She displays traits of ambition while struggling with the overwhelming amount of sadness she experiences. At the start of the novel, she takes an internship at a fashion magazine in New York City. The novel then progresses showing the mental health issues she deals with. Plath perfectly illustrates the struggle of wanting to experience all that life has to offer, but being unable to find the energy to grasp those opportunities. My favorite part of this book is the fig tree analogy. Esther compares all the dreams she has in life to a fig tree, with each branch being a path to who she could be.
Currently, I am reading Plath’s personal journals and I can see the connection between her and Esther. They both talk about the separation they feel from their bodies. They explore the societal expectations that have been placed on them. Furthermore, both describe the facade they present to the world; wanting to gain things like wealth and status. Both also dealt with stages of ambition and being overly productive. Overall, The Bell Jar is a fantastic book that documents the real struggles people like Plath faced. She portrays depression in a raw form, demonstrating that not all times are bad. In the darkness, joy can still be found.