Esther's Diagnosis
At the end of the novel we are left with a scene of Esther going into the office to be evaluated. Is she going to be able to leave the asylum or not. Throughout the end of the novel she seems to be getting better and isn't trying to kill herself.
She first seems to be getting better after Mrs. Guinea, "had flown back to Boston and taken me out of the cramped city hospital ward, and now she was driving me to a private hospital" (209). When Esther gets taken out of the ward, she is able to get more one-on-one treatment and free time. After she gets taken to Caplan she meets Dr. Nolan who becomes one of the most helpful people in the book. While she is in Caplan she is on insulin and unlike Mrs. Norris, she doesn't end up going to Wymark which is a "building for far worst people" (216). At first she is only able to stay in the building, but then she is given walking rights through the grounds.
Then when Esther has a reaction, she starts to feel better. After the fact she is moved to Belsize which is a place for people who are about to be let back into society. It is obviously clear that she is getting better and she is becoming less depressed because all of the ideas about the flaws and bad things about what happens to women are actually being affirmed by Dr. Nolan and acknowledged instead of ignored. She doesn't feel as alone. Not only that, but when she is given the shock therapy again it is done the right way and actually helps. By this time, she is given town rights and isn't watched as much.
At the end of the book, whether or not the she is able to move back into society is hinted at, but not decided. In my own view, she is ready to function and be a part of the world again. Like after she had her shock therapy, "The bell jar hung, suspended, a few feet above my head. I was open to the circulating air" (242). While she understands that the bell jar isn't gone completely meaning that her depression could hit her again at any time, it has gone up for the time being. She isn't as trapped and alone as before.
So, on the question of whether or not she is going to be able to leave the asylum, if it was my choice, she would be able to leave. She has clearly grown and is a much more mature person after this experience. Her ideas aren't as crazy as she used to think they were and she understands much more about mental illness now. While she isn't the same person as she was before the experience, she really has grown and is a better person because of it.
She first seems to be getting better after Mrs. Guinea, "had flown back to Boston and taken me out of the cramped city hospital ward, and now she was driving me to a private hospital" (209). When Esther gets taken out of the ward, she is able to get more one-on-one treatment and free time. After she gets taken to Caplan she meets Dr. Nolan who becomes one of the most helpful people in the book. While she is in Caplan she is on insulin and unlike Mrs. Norris, she doesn't end up going to Wymark which is a "building for far worst people" (216). At first she is only able to stay in the building, but then she is given walking rights through the grounds.
Then when Esther has a reaction, she starts to feel better. After the fact she is moved to Belsize which is a place for people who are about to be let back into society. It is obviously clear that she is getting better and she is becoming less depressed because all of the ideas about the flaws and bad things about what happens to women are actually being affirmed by Dr. Nolan and acknowledged instead of ignored. She doesn't feel as alone. Not only that, but when she is given the shock therapy again it is done the right way and actually helps. By this time, she is given town rights and isn't watched as much.
At the end of the book, whether or not the she is able to move back into society is hinted at, but not decided. In my own view, she is ready to function and be a part of the world again. Like after she had her shock therapy, "The bell jar hung, suspended, a few feet above my head. I was open to the circulating air" (242). While she understands that the bell jar isn't gone completely meaning that her depression could hit her again at any time, it has gone up for the time being. She isn't as trapped and alone as before.
So, on the question of whether or not she is going to be able to leave the asylum, if it was my choice, she would be able to leave. She has clearly grown and is a much more mature person after this experience. Her ideas aren't as crazy as she used to think they were and she understands much more about mental illness now. While she isn't the same person as she was before the experience, she really has grown and is a better person because of it.
I totally agree that because of this experience Esther has grown as a person. One of the ways Esther has come of age in this novel is through her growing understanding and acceptance of her own mental illness. As she gradually comes to terms with her illness and accepts it as something she has overcome once and will overcome again, we can see her growth.
ReplyDeleteI certainly think esther has matured and changed through the course of the bell jar. However, that does not always correlate with "better" mental health in the future. So much of the bell jar is chemistry in her brain, and oppressive gender roles. Tragically much of that(not all) is out of her control
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious to see Esther's growth, as to us viewing her struggle from our modern vantage point, she has reached a much healthier conclusion in which she accepts her mental illness, recognizing its who she is and that to forget what happened means history repeating itself. However, to others like her mother that is apparently not the "right move", so I'm not sure if she'll be let out.
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