Coming of Jar Novel
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One key way that Esther has changed throughout the book is her experiences with extreme mental health problems, including a suicide attempt. While she is in the asylum, she has multiple moments where she wishes that she could forget about all the stuff that she went through throughout the book. However, she knows that she won't ever be able to and accepts that these things will always be part of her, for better or for worse. Having had these experiences will change her forever, especially as she recovers and digs deeper into the causes behind how she felt. In particular, her time with Doctor Nolan helps her clarify what she actually wants in life, and how to achieve it. One key example of this is her desire to have independence.
Today I will talk about The Bell Jar and whether or not the main character, Esther, has really come of age at the end of the book. The first question to ask is what exactly it means to come of age. In this case, it is the transition from Esther's college life to the real adult world, and how and where she will fit into society. The main problem that she has with this change is her loss of control over herself and her decisions in life. Her only option appears to be getting married to a man. She despises the idea of losing control over her autonomy, being confined to her own house and children, and always being subject to her husband's wishes. Throughout the book, she struggles to find her identity as an independent woman in her society. I think a good argument can be made for Esther having "come-of-age" in this novel. However, I don't think it is a completely black-and-white issue: arguments could be made for both sides. Overall though, Esther develops a lot as a character in finding her place as she enters society.
One example of her achieving the independence she wants is at the end of the book when Esther finally meets up with a man. Before she meets him, she has clearly already given a lot of thought to what kind of person she wants to do it with for the first time. She wants it to be someone smart, not entirely attractive, and most importantly, wholly unconnected with her or her mother. The professor that her therapist semi-sets her up with fits all of these categories. In addition, her therapist has gotten her access to contraceptives, so that she won't have to worry about having children. Later, when he calls her afterward asking when he will see her again (and the medical bill), she tells him that he won't see her again and moves on. After she has done this, she feels very calm about it and much more solidified in her identity. Her ability to make her own choices about sex and having kids has helped lift the "bell jar" that has so long encased her. It allows her to see more options than just being married to a man and being subject to him for the rest of her life while still being able to enjoy herself.
A critical part of her sexual independence is her access to contraceptives. When she did not have access before, she constantly felt anguish about being confined to a house and housework. This access allows her to not worry about being trapped by children. This is significant because it means that she has time to do what she wants in terms of her career. Now, she is free to pursue her interest as a poet and a writer. Throughout the book, this is one of her key grievances with society. She has always felt like her only options were to be someone incredibly rare like Jay Cee or be the wife of a man (probably our pal Buddy), raise children, care for her husband, and be shown off for the rest of her life.
By the end of the book, Esther has changed a lot as a person. She has found a way to fit into society as herself. Her experiences and recovery from those experiences have allowed her to better understand her thoughts on the world and where she wants to fit into it. In doing this, she is now able to make peace with herself and the world. The most crucial change is learning what she wants in her life. Once she finally realizes what that is, she feels that she actually has a future with possibilities. The feeling of having a future allows her to look into the future and begin to work towards getting what she wants. All of these changes I think indicate her having come of age. She has found and accepted her place in the world as she leaves college and is going to join the "adult" or "real" world.
You're right that before we start assessing something so abstract as "coming of age," we first have to acknowledge that Esther simply needs to *survive* this life-threatening illness she is suffering--it very nearly kills her. But coming-of-age is about more than simple survival, and it's important to note all of the ways that Esther seems strengthened and clarified by her ordeal. The most important and profound indication of her growth, in my view, is when she declares that ALL of these harrowing experiences are part of her personal "landscape," not some shameful secret she must hide away or "start where she left off," as her mother urges. This shows not only great emotional maturity, to view her "self" as comprised of ALL her experiences, good and bad, and to own these experiences (getting away from her earlier obsession with "purifying" herself)--it also pushes back against the prevailing views on mental health at the time in Esther's culture. She is defining her own attitude toward her own history of psychological disorder in defiance of cultural norms--which seems like an important coming-of-age development in my book.
ReplyDelete"Coming of age" can mean many things. From the way you've described it, It seems that The Bell Jar would be considered a "coming of age" novel, which I absolutely agree with. I think that because Esther is undergoing change in herself and going through the process of finding her identity, it would be fair to make this judgement.
ReplyDeleteJust because Esther is already an adult at the beginning of the novel doesn't mean that she can't experience a coming-of-age journey. Esther changes quite a bit throughout Bell Jar and is practically a different person at several stages of her story. I agree that Esther's sexual encounter does help her mental state, but I wouldn't agree that that's the defining point in which the bell jar lifts. It's important, yes, but not the key moment of her story.
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