The Bell Jar Examines The Public And Private Worlds Of...

own, Plath had dealt with years of depression, deeply rooted in her strong ambition to be perfect and successful. This part of her character is not something she tried to hide, and one friend even described Sylvia as having had â€Å"a sort of natural excellence at whatever she turned her hand to. If she wrote an essay it was effortlessly good†¦ her very remarkable efficiency was also very natural to her and was never accompanied by any sense of strain† (Wagner-Martin 141). Plath strived to seem naturally perfect, and this description easily translated into the character of Esther Greenwood, who is the main character of the novel and whom readers follow along on her journey to insanity. Esther Greenwood is very ambitious and talented, and†¦show more content†¦This is what society saw as their ‘mental illness,’ but the real suffering they experienced is reflected the same way their mentalities are. Esther’s breakdown, for example, is â€Å"pre cipitated by the discovery of an inner deathliness concealed under the glossy surface of New York and her own compulsive drive to achievement† (Harris). The process of this is lengthy, whereas with Sylvia it seems to happen all at once, which is the only difference between them. Plath’s discovery of her inner deathliness being concealed under a perfect New York life happened in May of 1953, where she wrote â€Å"New York: Pain, parties, work†¦ Carol vomiting outside the door all over the floor- and interviews for TV shows, and competition, and beautiful models†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hughes 87). She began to realize how her high expectations had ruined her trip, and how her mental illness was feeding off of the life she was living, which, like Esther, causes her to go back home in July more depressed than when she left. Other characters,