Maelynn

=Maelynn's Book Review=

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Most teenaged girls are depressed. Whether it’s from breaking up with their boyfriend or some problems at home. In the case of the book The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, a young newly high school graduate finds herself in New York City, trying to survive all the crazy boys and her problems.Esther Greenwood has been an overachiever all her life. Esther is one of twelve college students on special assignment for a month, with a fashion magazine in New York City. She has won scholarships through college. Between the work needed for the magazine and the functions the twelve women are expected to attend, she is extremely busy. The woman she is closest to in the bunch, Doreen, often skips the functions and goes off with her older, mature male friend. Occasionally Esther joins them, and fends off trouble at times because of it. These men harass her making her go closer and closer to snapping point.When the magazine trip is over, Esther returns home with her mother, expecting to be invited to a writing class. The invitation doesn't come through, and for the first time in years Esther is at loose end. Esther begins to write, a her writing seems to be getting depressed and not well. They are troubling. When she starts describing her thoughts, she says the different ways she should commit suicide, we know now she has a problem.Sylvia Plath has taken experiences from her own life and turned them into a compelling book. Although his book takes place fifty years ago in the 1950’s, all the depressed people are about the same amount to this day. American stress level is very high. In sexual relations tension is always around, with different standards now than in the fifties. Family relationships have their ups and downs, and some families have more troubles than others. Any or all of these stressors can put one over the edge. Esther (and Plath) goes deep when she goes over the edge. In this case feeling like you are covered by a jar.I would not recommend this book to any depressed people. The reason I say that is it can give a depressed woman or man an idea to stick their head in the oven. I would not recommend this book to any not depressed person because when they get depressed they could have the same idea. Over all the book was well written and I think Plath did a well job on writing it.