1.) The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, First published in 1963, 258 pages.
2.) I chose this book because I wanted a short book to read but a book that kept me interested and made me want to read more. I found this book interesting because as Ester Greenwood begins her journey in life she faces many challenges and obstacles that she has to overcome. Through out some point of the book she becomes bi polar which makes it hard for her to get through her life. I found this very interesting because I know what it is like to work with bi polar people, and I would eventually like to be a special needs teacher in the future and I am interested to find out how she can overcome her disability.
3.) From what I have read, The Bell Jar is actually very interesting to me. I have never been able to get into a book before and want to keep reading but so far I cant wait to read more. So far the book is giving Ester’s background information but I am very interested because I can relate to some of the things she has done. For example Ester got a scholarship to college and keeps getting prize after prize. Currently I am working on getting a scholarship to go to a university in the United States so I can easily relate to her. At the very beginning of the chapter Ester is very appalled with the news of the Rosenberg’s being electrocuted. I can also relate to this but in a different way. I had received bad news one day and I could not get it out of my head. Even though I moved on and tried to get over it, it was still in the back of my mind and didn’t go away for a long time.
4.) I have only read chapter one of my book so far. This book has really got my interest and I can wait to start reading more. The first chapter just talked about background information and some of the main characters in the book.
5.) From the first chapter I have read I found out that the setting was a ‘sultry summer in New York.’ The first chapter mainly takes place at an all girls hotel called the Amazon. It also takes place at a bar that the girls from the fashion contestant winners decided to go to. One character that is in the first chapter is Ester Greenwood, who is the narrator of this novel and the main character, which the novel is based on. Another character that was introduced was Doreen, a friend she met at the hotel when they sat beside each other at the conference table. Doreen is a person who makes Ester feel that she is much sharper then all of the others. The other character that was apart of chapter one was Lenny Shepherd, who was a disc jockey that walked up to their taxi while they were stuck in traffic and invited them to come into the bar with him. The first chapter is setting the background and is starting to develop the character of Ester Greenwood. Ester had won a fashion magazine contest and received a prize including: a job in New York for a month, expenses paid for and a bunch of free bonuses. Ester met a girl named Doreen at her hotel conference and becomes good friends with her and they end up going out to a bar and meeting a guy named Lenny Shepherd. He is a famous disc jockey and Ester and Doreen end up going back to his house after he bought them drinks.
6.) Only reading the first chapter, it was really hard to pick out a theme. I believe the main theme in chapter one and the theme that will continue to appear in this book is societal pressures. From the very beginning of this book it was all about looking your best and competing with the other girls. One example in chapter one that portrays societal pressures is when one of the girls named Betsy let the Beauty Editor persuade her to cut her hair so she could be a cover girl. This one example is small but it shows what people will do to be someone who the ‘society accepts.’ I think the author is trying to set a theme throughout the book about societal pressures, and how Ester Greenwood is going to have to face through her battle of depression, anxiety and any other things that may come up.
The only secondary source I have found so far is one from Electric Library Canada. I have found this to be very interesting because a lot of her book so far actually relates to her real life. Sylvia Plath committed suicide at the age thirty, but had accomplished many things such as writing short stories and poems earning many honors and awards just after she finished publishing her first novel ‘The Bell Jar.’ The only thing that is confusing about this secondary source is her background information. What I have read of the book so far is relating a lot to her own life which is really confusing but interesting at the same time.
8.) “I thought it must be the worst thing in the world.” Stated by Ester Greenwood. This quote really speaks to me because there have been many times that I think to myself that it is the worst thing in the world. For example, I am in the middle of trying to chose a university to attend for the next four years of my life. I am currently thinking this is the worst thing in the world and is probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in my life so far. I can really relate to this quote and I’m sure anyone else could because we all face difficult challenges in life. Whenever a new problem arises the first thing a person thinks is how they are never going to get through it and how it is the worst thing in the world. Once that person gets through their difficulty another problem arises and then they will continue to think the same thing over and over again. This is a viscous life circle that will keep appearing through out ones life, and that is why I chose this quote.
