Esther Greenwood: An Unreliable Narrator in The Bell Jar

Running head: ENGLISH ASSIGNMENT
ENGLISH ASSIGNMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1
ENGLISH ASSIGNMENT
Esther Greenwood is the main character of the novel The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and also
she is a clear example of an unreliable narrator. The plot designing and setting of background
plays an important role in furnishing Esther’s character that makes it distinct from the other
characters in the novel. This essay mainly aims at analysing Esther Greenwood’s character as
the first person narrator in the novel The Bell Jar, (Plath). It is identified that Esther
Greenwood is a young girl who is the protagonist and narrator of the novel and all the facts
revolves around her character. In the following pages her character will be analysed in
relation to the novel and also that being a first person narrator how the character played
beautifully in the plot.
The plot shows Esther’s role as the narrator in the novel that follows her character
from decency into depression and again returned back from madness (Plath). The Bell Jar
tells a pathetic kind of story and in place of taking quality education, positive attitude in the
world, Esther is pursuing madness in adulthood, she spent the parts of her life being mad
from a mental institution while her age is to attain education of graduation. Her behaviour
was getting unconventional to the society she lives in because she has darker side and always
melancholic in nature but society expected her to be the girl of her age who would be
cheerful (Plath). She has a rebellion attitude and have a tendency to perform such activities
which was forbidden. Just like, her being rebellious when society wants Esther to be a virgin
till the time she marries to a boy, but she was not contended with this statement and then
decides to break the rule and wanted to loose virginity before marriage. Just because she
wanted it all before marriage and that society will not permit her to go for a healthy
premarital relationship so she got engaged into a loveless sexual encounter for
experimentation. She was casted upon by the madness which is disastrous and will spread
like an epidemic incurable disease. Due to her being mentally ill, Esther behaves odd like a
selfish and does not even have botheration that how badly her suicidal attempts affected her

2
ENGLISH ASSIGNMENT
mother and her friends (Plath). She is engrossed with her own world of terror and have
preoccupied thoughts. Although Esther is tender aged girl but she is very observant, poetic,
and generous. The narrator in the novel is highly obsessed with the "worst" things of world.
For the society Esther's attempt to suicide would symbolises her selfishness (Plath).
Esther has self-critical character that contrasts often with the other most characters in
The Bell Jar, who seems so self-approving. Her character shows politics and not even curious
to move away the worst from the world. No characters unlike Esther really seems to question
every time to the world surrounds them in the novel. This self-critical attitude of her has now
become her tragic side as it can be merciless to even become the self-disastrous (Plath). In
this phase of life she remains no more in herself as if she has been parted off in two halves
and have a stranger like feeling for herself. Her personality was distorted and have come in
front of the readers when she splits to another personality when she meets up with any men. It
may be feasible for her that by being stranger she can recognise people on the margins of
American Society (Plath). She revolted against the societies so called hypocrisy rule who
takes for granted strangers who are criminals or are mentally ill people that they do not fit to
the society only because they do not follow certain so-called rules as if those rules are the
gateway for allowance to stay in the American society. Her self-secured nature about German
background is also effecting for this or her growing up in a non-orthodox family may have
influenced her behaviour that she thinks like this. This is not her fault nor can be called as a
flaw in her character because she has come from relatively modest family which
differentiates her from other girls in college. Esther has that character which can be shaped
into something that influence her and also changes her personality. She takes stand for what
she likes to do irrespective of what she is allowed to do. This is what give her character a
blend of modernity and traditional at the same time (Plath). She has a modern approach in
exposing her thoughts in front of the society. She wants to reveal the sexism in the modern