Sylvia Plath Research Paper TitleThe Bell Jar "place[s] [the] turbulent months[of an adolescent's life] into[a] maturity perspective" (Hall, 30). In The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath uses parallelism, stream of consciousness, the motif of renewal and rebirth, the symbolism of the mentally ill trapped by limitations, and autobiographical details to embody the mental downfall of the protagonist, Esther Greenwood. Plath also explores the idea of ​​the severity of these timeless and poignant issues that can affect a fragile, aspiring woman during an unforgiving time for women. Sylvia Plath quietly places many similarities between herself and Greenwood, displaying a sense of verisimilitude and describing a real-life experience. of mental illness in his writings. This essential link between Plath and Greenwood allows the reader to fully understand the author's state of mind. The parallelism displayed in The Bell Jar proves that the novel is in a sense “autobiographical” (Hall, 30). Sylvia Plath's early teenage years are told through the fictional scope of Esther Greenwood. Sylvia and Esther both interned at a hip magazine company while in college, where their depression took root. Both had fathers who died early in their lives, leaving permanent scars and the absence of a caring father figure. Esther considers her father's death "unreal", refusing even to shed a tear at his funeral (Plath, 165). Plath places a symbol of herself in Esther; this symbol represents its own difficulties, allowing the reader to read the true emotions and events, the verisimilitude. Similar to Esther's obsession with false personalities, Plath does not publish The Bell Jar as an autobiography but rather as a work of fiction. She published her novel under a ...... middle of paper ...... of renewal and rebirth, symbolism of the mentally ill trapped by limitations, and autobiographical details summarize Esther's breakdown and her back to normal. Bell Jar employs many different tactics to explore a troubled girl's journey through hell and back in an attempt to find inner peace. New York: Infobase, 2009. Print.Hall, Caroline King Barnard. Sylvia Plath, revised. Ed. Joseph M. Flore. New York: Twayne, 1998. Print. Twayne American Authors 702. McCann, Janet. “On the bell.” Critical Overviews: The Bell Jar: 3-21. Literary reference center. Internet. January 15, 2014. Plath, Sylvia. The bell. Ed. 25th anniversary. New York: HarperCollins, 1998. Print. Smith, Stan and Lynda K. Bundtzen. Sylvia Plath. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea, 1989. Print.