Bell Jar (concept)

The "Bell Jar" is a metaphor for a fragile, transparent barrier that isolates a person from the outside world, symbolizing feelings of entrapment and emotional suffocation. In Sylvia Plath’s novel, it reflects her protagonist’s struggle with mental illness, capturing the sense of being trapped within her own mind and unable to connect fully with others. The bell jar serves as a visual representation of depression’s suffocating nature—imprisoning yet unseen—highlighting the challenges of mental health and the desire for liberation from internal suffering.