Did Esther Come of Age?
Did Esther really come of
age at the end of The Bell Jar? Personally, the end of the novel did not
leave me with lingering emotions like The Catcher in the Rye did. I had
trouble connecting with Esther and found it difficult to track her character
development. The end of the book seemed to mark Esther’s beginning and not her
end. I think Plath’s decision to end the novel right at the moment where Esther
prepares to step into the room suggest that her journey isn’t over yet, and
that it may have just begun.
While I think Esther had definitely not fully “come of
age” by the end of the novel she does change a lot. From the point where Esther
returns to the suburbs her mental condition decreases dramatically and starts
to see the world through the “bell jar”. Her perception of reality seems warped
and is sent to a private hospital where she in attended by Dr. Nolan. Dr. Nolan
is an interesting figure in the story and while I think she doesn’t really get
to the “core” of Esther’s problems she definitely helps Esther recover in a
healthy way. Dr. Nolan’s treatment consisted mostly of shock therapy, and
providing a safe and comfortable environment for Esther to express her
opinions. While Dr. Nolan listened to Esther and often agreed with her points
she never really expressed her own ideas, and never seemed to have a deep
conversation with Esther about what was going on in her life. This makes me
wonder whether or not Esther would relapse after she is released. Is this
“coming-of-age” a temporary phenomenon she experiences at the end of the novel?
I think Esther has fleshed out her understanding of the world and her values
throughout the book and is ready too try again. This ending seems to be setting
up for a bigger and more profound coming of age that we might have been able to
see if there had been a sequel.
I also struggled with really deciding if Esther had a Coming of Age. I do agree that the end is more of Esthers beginning. Reading your thoughts I lean more on the side of not a coming to age story. It is interesting to think if Dr. Nolans fix would be temporary, it is unfortunate we never received a sequel to this novel.
ReplyDeleteI also was debating whether or not Esther would truly continue to improve after the novel. To me, it seems like her problem had a lot to do with societal pressure and expectations of women. And she'll continue to face those issues once she gets out of the mental institution. It really depends on whether she now has the strength to fight through those cultural norms or not.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely! I also wrote a bit on this topic, and I felt that Dr. Nolan's treatment was very effective for Esther in the short term, but still left Esther to deal with the larger societal issues that made her feel trapped in the first place. I think you did an excellent job writing about this, and I completely agree that Esther has not fully come of age, and still has some things to flesh out personally.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Esther's story throughout the Bell Jar was a sort of coming-of-age. At the beginning, she feels trapped and experiences a form of imposter syndrome. Although it was not an entirely good experience, her time at the hospital gives her what she needs; a complete turn around of her perspective of life. I agree that the end of the Bell Jar seems to be the beginning of her greater journey, which in a way could be what the "coming-of-age" is!
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