Bell Jar 2

Wow, that wasn't as bad and dreadful as it looked. Though it was quite depressing, and pessimistic, it showed that some people do have mental slips, but they can eventually recover from it. Dr. Nolan was probably my favorite character because she really did help Esther get to where she had to be to become free, and get better. She was constantly there for her, and helped her through the shock treatments. After her 1st shock treatment with Dr. Nolan, the bell Jar comes into play. She says that "the bell Jar hung, suspended, a few feet above my head." (pg. 215) The bell Jar is a symbol shows how trapped Esther is not only in her self, but in her life. She was perfect before, and that lead to her traumatic down fall. Another thing I noticed is that the media played a big influence on her depression. That is a very big problem now a days because girls think that they need to be absolutely perfect, just like the girls they see on tv, magazines, and on the internet. Esther becomes very involved in the fashion magazine in the beginning, and her picture is taken and put into one which we find out later. Another thing that was common through the novel was that during this time period, Esther was stereotypically was supposed to be very upbeat, confident, and living her life to the best of her ability. This also brought on her depression faster than it would have if people were weren't so judgmental. After she had left the note saying "im going for a long walk" i became really frustrated with her because people would obviously figure out something was wrong. (i know this is going to sound horrible) but i wish she would have just killed her self there and then instead of putting her self through all that extra pain. I think that some of this might have had something to with not having a Dad for most of her life. I know my Dad plays a very important role in my life, and I think if my dad had died, I would not want to have to live with the pain, and the post depression that comes along with it. After reading this book, i have a pretty solid idea for my essay topic! wohoo!