Study Questions &
Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. What is the
significance of the Rosenbergs' execution in the novel?
2. What reasons
does the novel give for Esther's madness?
3. In what way
is
The Bell Jar a coming-of-age story?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. What role does Esther's memory
of her father play in the story?
2. Choose a poem by Sylvia Plath
and relate its imagery to the imagery of The Bell Jar.
3. The Bell Jar is
both a true story and a novel. Describe the ways in which Plath
selects and presents the episodes that she describes to give her
narrative dramatic shape.
4. There are several recurring
images in the novel, such as the bell jar, the dead baby, and the
fig tree. Select one of these images and trace its occurrence from
the beginning of the novel to the end, describing how its meaning
evolves.
5. How does Esther's attitude
toward men change over the course of the novel? What role does this
attitude play in her madness and recovery?
6. When Esther tells Dr. Nolan
that she hates her mother, Dr. Nolan interprets this statement as
a breakthrough in Esther's recovery. What role does Esther's mother
play in her insanity? What does Esther's attitude toward her mother
tell us about Esther herself?
