Annotated Bibliography: The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath

Annotated Bibliography: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Behrent, Megan. "Trapped in The Bell Jar." SOCIALISTWORKER.org 25 Mar. 2013: Web. 26 Oct. 2015. .
Behrent thoroughly explains how The Bell Jar has remained relevant throughout the fifty years since its publication and how relatable The Bell Jar is for young women. Society’s prejudice towards women and the mistreatment of psychological illnesses are aspects that still haunt society today. One example that Behrent identifies is how numerous women resonate with the situation of when Esther had to get fitted for a diaphragm. The fact that Esther must break the law to gain control of her own body rings true with many women because of the shady actions women sometimes have to perform to obtain

The word intern appeared in the middle of the nineteenth century as a transitive verb meaning “to confine” or “to detain”, as within the four walls of an asylum where people, like Esther, lived for numerous years. Eventually, the word acquired an intransitive force and became possible to speak of interning somewhere as opposed to being interned. In reference to The Bell Jar, Esther is interned three times: first, in the offices of a New York fashion magazine; second, in her home when she returns from New York; and third, in a psychiatric hospital that is subtly compared to a college, the institute responsible for assisting internships spread beyond the general confinement. Generally, only one of these internships would be considered white-collar work, but Nicholas states all three work together to provide Esther with the experience she needs to launch her literary career. To paraphrase Nicholas’ essential point, Esther’s eagerness to acquire experience through internships sent her on a rocky road that many college students face, but ultimately the experiences serve as catalysts in searching for