Esther's Self Perception and Her Mental State
Throughout The Bell Jar, it's clear that Esther, as her mental state deteriorates, has a change in the way she perceives herself physically, even at some extents not recognizing herself when seeing her reflection in a mirror. I noticed this happening multiple times times in the book, in each one she recognizes herself differently, and can therefore demonstrate her mental status' change throughout the book, particularly the worsening of her mental health, and descent into what some people, especially at the time, could call insanity. Despite this, I will talk about the two most significant ones I noticed. I first saw this chapter 2 in page 19 in my edition. In the scene, Esther has just returned to her apartment after partying with Doreen, who is still at Lenny's house. Esther had just finished narrating her thoughts about the city and the UN building, which she could see from her apartment window. When she describes the mirror placed above her bureau ca...