In Sylvia Plath's depiction of depression in her novel The Bell Jar, even the tiniest detail plays an important role in the development of the character's mental breakdown principal Esther. The most obvious manifestation of Esther's detachment from reality is her progressive inability to fully grasp what society defines as acceptable social behavior. Because of this difficulty in accepting the true reality of his environment, the main character derives his own version of the truth from his interpretations of social interaction as well as descriptions of his increasingly oppressive environment. Although Esther's mental struggle to embody societal norms can be most clearly seen through her relationships with characters such as Joan and Buddy, the tensions between true reality and what Esther creates are depicted most clearly. effective and most indistinct through Plath's use of color imagery. In The Bell Jar, dull colored, even white, images are used to signify the psychological void or abnormality within a particular thought or interaction, while brightly colored images serve both to to contrast with his former depression and to highlight the perhaps artificial character of the main character. progression towards what society considers to be the mental ideal. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayOne of the first manifestations of this dichotomy between brightly colored and dull images occurs during Esther's reading of the book sent by the Ladies' Day staff. . Following the story of a fig tree and an interaction between a Jewish man and a Catholic housekeeper, Esther states that she "…thought it was a beautiful story, especially the part about the fig tree in winter under the snow, then on the fig tree. tree in spring with all the green fruits,” and that she “…wanted to crawl between those black printed lines like one crawls under a fence, and go to sleep under that beautiful big green fig tree” (55). Although one of the main elements of this short story seems to be the social tension between the two characters from different belief systems, Esther is instead drawn to the images of emptiness or growth that are represented through the colors white and green. , respectively. The main character does not focus on the social elements of the story, but rather selects a certain image and extracts it to describe both his mental state as it is and also as he wishes it to be . It seems that the snow that covers the tree in winter at the same time as its fruit in spring could be linked to a transition between a state of dormancy, apparently useless, and a state of productivity. By taking care to clearly demonstrate the difference between the two states in terms of color, Esther allows the reader to better understand the main character's increasing mental oppression. His desire to "crawl between these printed black lines like one crawls under a fence" seems to suggest his desire to escape the emotional void, represented both by the oppressive black lines of the print and the void between them, towards a life more fruitful. environment in which she is better able to connect to normality. As the novel continues to develop, additional color imagery is used as Esther attempts to venture into what she sees as a usual progression toward adulthood through a series of sexual experiences. The first of these purely negative encounters is her interaction with Marco. Upon meeting him, Esther takes note of his “dazzling white suit” which, in this use of white imagery of a void, seems to foreshadow the abnormality of the following interaction (107). Despite Esther realizing that Marco is a misogynist and is aware of his domineering nature, she considers losing her virginity to him in an attempt to reverse her depression, stating that "It happens...It's an event." If I stay here and do nothing, this will happen” (109). At this point in the interaction, it is crucial to clarify that, in an effort to achieve normalcy, Esther remains rather emotionless and ultimately reacts in the manner expected of her only because she believes that this reaction is normal. . Despite the fact that the above quote demonstrates a passive attitude towards the attempted rape, Esther reacts quite suddenly by specifying that "…[she] squeezed her fingers together and smashed them on his nose ”, and that “Marco took out a white bag.” handkerchief and dabbed his nose. Blackness, like ink, spread across the pale fabric” (109). The color imagery of white and black is primarily used to convey that, unlike the brightly colored image of the spring fig tree, Esther's idea of ​​losing her virginity to Marco is abnormal and unacceptable due to the how he treated her. When she punches Marco in the nose, the color images are depicted as a dark, colorless spot spreading across white cloth, representing a void penetrated by negativity. Along with the image of the snowy fig tree, the use of color in this scene shows Esther's mental decline as well as her inability to display the correct reaction to negative behavior for any reason other than the desire to follow what 'she considers herself to be. the natural progression of adolescence. The tension between Esther's personal view of her surroundings and how it actually exists is also depicted through color imagery during her suicide attempt. Upon her rescue, Esther states: “[She] felt the darkness, but nothing else, and [her] head rose, feeling it, like the head of a worm… Silence returned, softening as black water returns to its former state. calm surface on a fallen stone” (170). During this most desperate manifestation of Esther's depression, the image of impenetrable darkness suggests that, despite her half-hearted attempts to adhere to young adult expectations, she became desperate and fully entered into her own ideal world, one which is free of conscience. In the following pages, however, the promise of normalcy soon attempts to penetrate Esther's mentally suspended existence when she expresses: "A chisel dug into my eye and a slit of light opened, like a mouth or a hurt, until darkness takes hold of me. turn it back on. Moments after this first appearance of light, another ray “…jumped into [his] head, and through the thick, warm, hairy darkness a voice cried out” (170). Through these quotes, it is evident that the main character feels comfortable in this new world she has created for herself, but reality is still able to spontaneously seep into her damaged mental state. The dichotomy of color in this case, simply expressed as darkness and light, suggests the possibility that she comes out of her depression and can ultimately connect to reality through the normality of social experiences. Ultimately, however, additional color images paralleling her sexual encounter with Marco suggest the difficulty of this transition. Further utilizing this negotiation between real and perceived reality through images of darkness sporadically penetrated by light, Esther has an experience similar to her suicide attempt during aelectroshock. therapy. Although treatment takes place after her suicide, Esther also begins the scene in silence and darkness, interrupted by flashes of color meant to represent an attempt to fully connect with normal society. While Esther receives the treatment, she closes her eyes and there is “…a brief silence like an inhale.” She then describes that the machine "...screamed, in an air crackling with blue light, and with each flash a great jolt hit her until she thought [her] bones would break and the sap would flow." would fly out of me like a slit. plant” (143). Much like the light penetrating the darkness in Esther's suicide attempt, flashes of colored light penetrate the darkness during electroshock therapy, although this time a color is specified. The colored light penetrating the darkness seems to represent the difficulty and discomfort associated with the combination of these two psychological states as well as the intensity required to successfully negotiate between Esther's consciousness and that which others attempt to instill in her . Due to the fact that both in the treatment and in the suicide attempt, the color imagery is not consistent, the transition to normality manifests itself in different, ineffective ways, and Esther's depression is still capable to dominate his impression of his environment. of interaction between normality and abnormality through color imagery, Esther again describes her exploration of personal sexuality and social normality in these same terms. By losing her virginity to an academic named Irwin, Esther expresses her newfound feelings of belonging... the stories of blood-stained bridal linens and red ink capsules bestowed on already deflowered brides came back to me... he m It occurred to me that blood was my answer. I couldn't be a virgin anymore. I smiled in the dark. I felt part of a great tradition. (229) Besides the main character's clear recognition that she is now part of a kind of sisterhood that includes all normal women, this statement is also emphasized by her mention of the vibrant color of red ink. Following this passage, it appears that, unlike the blood expelled during Esther's encounter with Marco, the blood involved here will be brightly colored, signifying entry into the normal world. The reverse image of her smiling in the dark, which is reminiscent of her suicide attempt, foreshadows the negative events that will follow. When Esther looks at the blood and communicates that "when [she] held [her] hand up to the light coming in from the bathroom, [her] fingers were black", and later details her application of "...a new section white towel” (229), the possibility of her normal entry into her image of ideal femininity is immediately refuted. Much like the image of blood described earlier during his violent encounter with Marco, as well as the white color of his costume, the colors black and white play an important role in relating to the anomaly of the interaction. Despite the fact that Esther believes that all of her mental separation from normal society will be lessened after losing her virginity, the color imagery used here seems to suggest a failure in this regard due to the towel as a representation of a void penetrated by apparently black beings. blood that seems to symbolize a colorless and empty interaction. Ultimately, while this encounter provides an opportunity for normalcy, the color imagery involved suggests that it is more of an unpleasant experience that has a negative impact on his mental recovery. Despite the fact that Esther often struggles to negotiate between her desire for normalcy and the limitations of her life. her depression, she seems to be able to.