“The Bell Jar”: Worth the Hype? 

A Hot Take on an American Classic A Hot Take on an American Classic

Every year for the past three years, I’ve started a new “To-Read” book list in my notes app as part of my annual New Year’s resolution to consume more literature. To be honest, I don’t know why I continue this sad tradition considering that every year – despite how much free time I’m able to acquire – my resolution goes unfulfilled.

This summer, sitting bored on my back deck I decided it was time to change this disappointing narrative by picking up a new book. I opened my Notes App, randomly selected “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath off my “To-Read” list and immediately drove to my local library to pick it up.

Although it’s been a solid two months since I touched this cover “The Bell Jar” still sits in the front of my mind – but not for the reason you may think.

It’s certainly a hot take, but for all the age-old talk deeming this text a literary classic, I thought that “The Bell Jar” wasn’t worth all its hype.

Now, before you come at me please just hear out what I have to say! You may be suprised at my take. It’s not that I hated the book. Honestly and truly, I thought that the novel was extremely well-written. Plath’s wording was vivid and memorable, and she did an excellent job crafting a captivating protagonist of Esther Greenwood.That girl’s inner dialogue was something else.

My main issue was that I found the plot to be predictable. Like most readers, I went into “The Bell Jar” knowing that it was about a woman who goes insane. Others may beg to differ, but from my perspective this basic premise covered the entire plot. So about halfway through my read I became bored by the lack of suspense and struggled to make it to the end.

My other complaint is that the themes were a bit dated when viewed from a modern lens. At least to me, being a young woman, I thought that while Plath made some valid points on feminism, sex and society’s perception of mental health. What she preached only echoed what I’ve been told my entire young-adult life. When I read a book, I want to walk away having gained some perspective and in this case, I felt like the book only confirmed what I already knew.

So, overall I rate “The Bell Jar” a 7.5/10, but don’t be fooled! I’m giving Plath an extra point for her Fig Tree Analogy, because that was truly life changing.