Suicide In The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath

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The Bell Jar is a semi-biographical novel written by Sylvia Plath. The novel tells the story of Esther Greenwood, a depressed 19-year old college student and writer. Since its publication in the United States in 1971, The Bell Jar has been challenged and banned from schools. The reasons why The Bell Jar should not be read in schools is because of the controversial topics of suicide, anti-religion, and homophobia. The main character, Esther, suffers from depression and this chronic illness leads her to begin completating suicide throughout the second half of the novel. In Chapter 12, Esther beings to self harm using a blade and self-harming is a severe negative side effect of depression. In Chapter 13, Esther attempts to commit suicide by hanging …show more content…
This scene causes Esther to become upset and she coldly tells Joan that “I don’t like you..you make me puke.” (Plath pg. #164) because Joan is a lesbian. Back in the 1950’s and 1960’s, being gay or transgender was seen as a mental health problem that could be cured. This old fashioned view may offend a student who is LGBT. In 2017, being LGBT can be accepting or rejecting for a person and if a student’s sexual/romantic orientation is not being accepted, this does dramatically offend them. Others may argue that The Bell Jar should be read in schools because like Esther, who doesn’t know her plans for the future, it is easy for a student to relate to that feeling. However, this is incorrect because the novel contains many sensitive topics that some students may find offensive or not appropriate for a school environment. In conclusion, The Bell Jar should not be read in schools due to the constant recurring mention of suicidal thoughts and actions, the main character’s anti-religious belief and homophobia towards a minor character. After reading this novel, these controversial topics may cause a student to experience a negative reaction and a less controversial classic novel should be chosen for a student’s
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