SYLVIA PLATH’S THE BELL JAR

STUDY GUIDE

1.- In already chapter 1, Esther knows there is something wrong with her. Explain how this is
correlated with “the problem with no name” Friedan talks about. Give examples from the text.

2.- In chapter 2. Esther’s peculiar way of eating caviar is revealing of her outlook on society.
Explain.

3.- In the novel there are female characters Esther compares herself to. From Esther’s point of
view, what do Doreen, Jay Cee, Dodo Conway, Mrs. Willard and Esther’s mother mean to her.

4.- For some scholars, The Bell Jar is a reflection of the woman’s situation in the 1950s. Find
examples of this in the text.

5.- Explain the metaphors of the fig tree and the arrow. Contextualize and illustrate.

6.- Love is not relevant in The Bell Jar. Why?

7.- Suicide is a recurrent theme in the narrative. Explain while providing examples form the text.

8.- Analyze the following quote: “to the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead
baby, the world itself is the bad dream” (BJ 227).