The Bell Jar #1

In the novel, The Bell Jar, the author Sylvia Plath uses symbols as a major part in revealing how Esther Greenwood is gripped by insanity. It really is quite scary how she completely loses control over her life and mind. The most obvious symbol is the bell jar itself. Esther feels closed in and trapped by this suffocating jar. I looked up what exactly a bell jar was online and it's found to be used in displaying an object that is typically studied for scientific reasons. This is ironic because throughout the novel Esther was constantly being monitored, inspected, observed, and analyzed as if she was an experiment of some sort. She fears the bell jar will come back at any time and steal away her sanity again. "How did I know that someday-- at college in Europe somewhere, anywhere-- the bell jar, with its stifling distortions, wouldn't descend again?" (page 197). I wonder if this is a sign that she isn't completely better, but at the same time can a person ever fully regain their sanity after they lost it? Another example of the symbolism is the fig tree. Esther is extremely indecisive, especially when it comes to difficult life decisions. The figs represent all the different paths in life Esther can take, but since she can't decide causing the figs to rot, or in reality, those opportunities to pass her by. "I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet." (page 63). I think this is symbolic of the decline in her sanity and the feeling that her life is slipping away is what causes her to try and commit suicide numerous times. Which leads to the next symbol being the beating heart. Each time something significant happens the words, "I am, I am, I am." are repeated. This is her heart speaking to her, saying that it wants to live. For example, when she tries to drown herself in the ocean, she keeps popping back up every time. Her body is fighting to live; it has no desire to die. "I dived, and dived again, and each time popped up like a cork. The gray rock mocked me, bobbing on the water as easy a lifebuoy. I knew I was beaten. I turned back." (page 131). In this section life triumphs over death. I think it's also symbolic that she fails to kill herself numerous times, meaning that she has the power to overcome the insanity and she will get better.