Significance of the bell jar as a metaphor for Esther's illness

The bell jar is used in this case as a societal symbol that aims at depicting the constraints together with depicting a mixed message that traps the likes of Esther Greenwood within its dome of glass. Suffocation that has been brought out by this metaphor is also a symbolism of the mental illness that Esther is in due to the unavoidable depression settling after her psyche and also the fact that this tends to change the way that the novel is perceived by the majority of those who read it. Metaphoric symbolism has a significant impact on the way that people may view a given content. The author of this novel has been able to change the way that people perceive the message in the book through the use of this metaphor.

The bell jar has been used in this novel as a symbolism of psychological disorder of the author, together with her biased view of the world around her. Esther has the feeling that she is cocooned in her inner alienation world, the bell jar. Instead of remaining strong with her original identity, she feels that only those who are around her are the only way that she can overcome her breakdown. In addition to this, her unclear plan for the future is of a significant contribution to her failure. She is under pressure from different sources to achieve certain things in her life, and all these ideas are just but floating in her head thus forming a tree-like diagram, with each limb of the tree representing different directions that her life could take.

“One pig was a husband and a happy family, and another pig was a famous poet… and beyond and above these figs was many more pigs I couldn’t quite make out (Plath 15). She also has the feeling that the world around her in New York should make her joyful, but despite this, her life is full of poison, violence together with drunkenness. Even though her relationship with men is supposed to be meaningful and confident, they are short-lived and also detrimental. All these lead to her feeling the sense of unreality around her all the time. Bell jar has also been used in this novel to reflect on how the death of Esther’s father has completely changed her life. Beck, in her research, was able to conclude that Esther is distressed by two different types of dejection.

According to Beck, her campus life was "nineteen years of running after good marks and prizes and grants of one sort and another” (29). Her initially achievements in academics where she was seen as a heroine left no chance for any future failures despite what later happens to her life. All these are due to the notion that people have about depression. From this, it is quite clear that Bell jar, as a metaphor used in this novel, has helped in developing themes of this novel. The theme of mental illness and depression that dominates the novel has been well portrayed through the use of this metaphor. Macpherson, Pat. Reflecting on The Bell Jar. London: Routledge, 1991. Print Plath, Sylvia. The Journals of Sylvia Plath.