Bell Jars
During Tuesday's class we got to talking about one of the most important elements of the book, the title. In that discussion many wonderful and interesting points were brought up about the meaning of "The Bell Jar" and when combined they summarize the idea behind the whole book, and dissect a really interesting metaphor. To start, it was useful to know what a bell jar is and what its purpose is. The best way I can describe it is a glass covering with an opening at the bottom, typically used in laboratories to house samples. Personally, I didn't really know what a bell jar was, so until it was mentioned in class I was just imagining a regular mason jar. Several really important elements characteristic of bell jars can be taken and directly applied to the situation we're observing with Esther. I think there are 3 main elements of bell jars which translate well into the narrative. The first is that bell jars are meant to keep...