A Fresh Start, Not Forgetting
Shortly after Joan’s death in Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar,a fresh snowfall covers the ground around the asylum Esther was staying in. I pictured this like a clean,
white slate covering up the horrors of both Joan’s death and the difficulties Esther has faced.
The snow was described to have “blanketed the asylum grounds—not a Christmas sprinkle, but a
mid-high January deluge,” one that buried Buddy’s car into the ground and was accompanied by a
sunny day (Plath 236). This was a turning point for Esther, a breath of fresh air both physically by
stepping outside and mentally by closing ties with Buddy. She was no longer obligated to see him, a
nd when she had her final goodbye she placed herself in a position of showing her competence by
moving the snow away from his car. I do think Esther shoveling snow, a task seen by many as
masculine or chivalrous, weaves strongly into Esther’s development of “evening the playing field”
of her gender disadvantages, though that is for a different blog thread.
Not only did this snowy symbolism “cover up” past events, but it gave Esther an opportunity to have a fresh outlook on life while keeping her past known. When she first saw the blanketed Earth she “felt the same profound thrill it gives [her] to see trees and grass waist-high under flood water- as if the usual order of the world had shifted slightly, and entered a new phase,” (Plath 239). Her bell jar had shifted too, giving her a glimpse of newness and opportunity beyond the smoggy air trapped inside alongside her. This thrill from the world came as a promising sign of recovery, of leaving the past behind and feeling emotion once more.
It is important though, to Esther especially, that she did not allow this supposed clean slate to overwrite her own nor Joan’s experiences. Joan was not simply forgotten after her death due to a covering of the land she had died on, nor the clearing of Esther’s mind. Esther’s thoughts confirmed this, noting how her memories could be removed by forgetting, but they wouldn’t be. “Maybe forgetfulness, like a kind snow, should numb and cover them. But they were part of me. They were my landscape,” (Plath 237). Honestly, this line hit me, and I try not to say that in a cringey way. The importance of her struggle and recovery should not merely be glazed over, but rather written as achievements of survival and measurements for how far she has come throughout her story. The snow is a mental refresh, but it will melt, uncovering what it has hidden deep below and Esther will step forward remembering it all.
Wow Annika, this is a really good post! I loved how you took a leap in the small details of the snow and how it represented the literal physical change for Esther. I also think of it as a wakening for a new chapter of her life, almost like how rocks always form a new layer but that doesn't mean the past disappears. Everything that happened is still carved into her memory and her life, but this snowfall is just a representation of something new. I love the way Plath adds these little details in the book and it's nice to decipher them individually.
ReplyDeleteI also like how you mentioned the snow shoveling scene with Buddy as another gender leveling mention. Even though Esther may never be actually respected in a way she hopes to, because of that era, I think Plath pioneers these feminist thoughts in this book. Great job!
Hi Annika! I really like how you chose this snow scene to analyze the metaphor Esther used for her remembrance of experiences. When Esther's mother prompted her to simply forget everything that had happened as if it were a dream, Esther commented that she couldn't because they were a part of her landscape. A dream is typically a false reality and setting that your mind makes up and slowly drifts from memory. In Esther's case, though, her memories aren't fictional but actually a part of the ground as you mentioned, only covered by snow. So while she can cover them up cleanly, the ground is fundamentally altered and sustained by her experiences. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Annika, I really liked how you found the snow to be a metaphor for a clean slate. I agree that the idea that the experiences are not to be thrown away. Because if you forget the whole experience, then you may forget all you have learned and grown.
ReplyDeleteI've never specifically considered the importance of the clear, blue sky as part of the "blank slate" imagery at the start of the final chapter. If this were a cloudy, windy scene with snow blowing everywhere, the symbolic mood would be quite different--we'd be talking about Esther reentering a chaos of confusion, the blizzard as an ominous warning about her incapacity to function in a bewildering world. But we have instead that lovely, peaceful, silent, and "clean" scene that is created just after a snowfall, when the sky is clear and the sun in bright. She is aware that the bell jar might "descend" again, just as she knows the "old landscape" is still there under the fresh white snow. But the air is now crisp, clear, and pure--circulating and invigorating rather than suffocating. Air never feels as fresh and clean as it does on a sunny day after a snowfall.
ReplyDeleteHey Annika!! I really enjoyed reading your post. The topic that you chose for your blog post is so interesting because I never thought of the snow as a clean slate for her. After reading your post and thinking about it more, I can see how the snow can be a representation of a new start for Esther. I really liked all the points that you made in your blog. Good job!!
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