mental ideals of how things should be are present in the minds of all, and Plath successfully conveys her character’s emotional thought through experiences that are comparable to the experiences of all. Plath’s The Bell Jar is an extension of human emotion and a portrayal of the relationship between the reader and the character. She uses Esther’s intense thoughts to communicate to her readers how human emotions are all related to life experience. The reason for the exaggeration is that without readers would not be able to comprehend their own actions and thoughts as clearly. Esther Greenwood exhibits a profound paranoia about the intentions of others. This leads her to expect the worst from others, and when the worst is what she receives she feels doubly betrayed, first of all by herself for expecting it and then by the one who wreaked such havoc upon her mind. She, like many members of the human race, searches for answers in impossible ideals, because that which is impossible to reach may never be destroyed. This novel is clearly an example of a Novel of Sensibility because it is based on emotions and their connection to “events, actions and sentiments” (Assignment sheet). ...
