Chapter abstracts are short descriptions of
events that occur in each chapter. They
highlight major plot events and detail the
important relationships and characteristics of
characters and objects.
Chapter 1 Abstract
* Esther Greenwood and eleven other college
aged girls are working in New York City at a
fashion magazine after winning a contest
sponsored by the magazine.
* Esther feels detached from the experience
but cannot pinpoint what is wrong with her.
* Esther and the other girls live in a femaleonly hotel called the Amazon.
* Doreen and Esther take one cab to a
magazine party while the other girls ride in
another.*
Chapter 2 Abstract
* On the way to the party the cab is stopped in
traffic. Two men approach the cab and ask the
girls if they would like to have a drink. They
agree and leave the cab.
* Doreen and Esther meet the two men. They
are Lenny Shepherd, a famous disc jockey, and
his friend Frankie.
* Doreen and Frankie hit it off and begin
talking.
1
* Esther tells Frankie her name is Elly
Higginbottom and rebuffs his advances.
Frankie leaves angry.
* Lenny invites Doreen to his apartment.
Doreen agrees to go only if Esther will join her.
Esther agrees.
Chapter 3 Abstract
* Esther, Doreen and Lenny arrive at his
apartment, which is decorated like a ranch with
animal skin rugs and wall hangings.
* Doreen and Lenny dance while Esther sits on
the bearskin rug.
* Doreen and Lenny's dancing becomes
aggressive so Esther leaves.
* Esther walks 43 blocks back to the Amazon
alone.
Chapter 4 Abstract
* Esther becomes depressed by the silence in
the empty hotel so she takes a hot bath to
soothe herself.
* Esther is awoken by banging on her door. It
is a drunk Doreen.
* Doreen vomits in the hotel hallway and
passes out. Esther returns to her room
disgusted.
* Esther awakes expecting to find Doreen still
laying in the hallway. However, she finds it
empty instead.
2
Chapter 5 Abstract
* All of the girls except Doreen attend a
luncheon hosted by the Ladies' Day magazine.
* Esther indulges in the rich foods, including
crabmeat stuffed avocados, caviar, chicken
and decadent desserts.
* Betsy tells Esther about the fur show she
missed.
* Esther begins crying when she tells Betsy
about Jay Cee asking her to come into the
office instead of attending the fur show.
Chapter 6 Abstract
* Jay Cee encourages Esther to take
advantage of her internship at the magazine.
She offers her advice for "making it" in the
magazine industry.
* Esther begins thinking about her college
program and how she was able to avoid taking
chemistry after being the only student to earn
an A in physics.
Chapter 7 Abstract
* Jay Cee gives Esther several manuscripts to
read and leaves for a luncheon date with two
authors.
* Esther is reminded of the time she visited
her benefactress for lunch and ate the contents
of a finger bowl because she thought it was
soup.
3
* Esther and the other girls attend a movie
premiere. Esther does not enjoy the movie and
begins feeling sick.
* Esther and Betsy leave the movie and
become sick in the cab.
Chapter 8 Abstract
* When they return to the Amazon, the two
continue to vomit.
* Esther locks herself in the bathroom and
becomes violently ill. She is awoken by the
hotel nurse who tells her that she and the
other girls have severe food poisoning.
* Esther awakes to Doreen bringing her soup.
Doreen tells her the girls were poisoned by the
crabmeat salad and that Ladies' Day sent
books as apology gifts.
Chapter 9 Abstract
* Buddy Willard and Esther's mothers had
been friends for years, but it was only once he
was in college that he started to notice her.
* Buddy Willard appears at Esther's college.
When he visits her dorm she is initially a bit
cold towards him because he is there visiting
another girl, Joan.
* Buddy asks Esther to Yale's Junior Prom. She
enthusiastically accepts.
Chapter 10 Abstract
4
* After prom Buddy takes Esther to a hill
behind the chemistry lab and kisses her.
* Buddy vows to come visit Esther at college
every third weekend.
Chapter 11 Abstract
* Esther visits Buddy at college and he takes
her to watch him dissect cadavers and observe
a baby being born.
* In Buddy's dorm room, he undresses for her,
but she refuses to reciprocate.
* Esther finds out Buddy had an affair with a
waitress. This changes her view of him. She
now believes he is a hypocrite and will not
marry him.
Chapter 12 Abstract
* Buddy calls Esther to tell her he has
contracted tuberculosis.
* Esther is relieved to not have to see him for
a long time and can tell everyone they are
practically engaged.
Chapter 13 Abstract
* Esther has a pleasant date with Constantin,
the UN translator that Mrs. Willard connects
her with.
* During their visit to the UN, Esther begins
having obsessive thoughts about her
inadequacies.
5
* After a lovely dinner with Constantin, Esther
resolves to lose her virginity to him.
Chapter 14 Abstract
* Esther and Constantin return to his
apartment to listen to records.
* Esther plans to lose her virginity to
Constantin, but ends up falling asleep instead.
Chapter 15 Abstract
* Esther and Mr. Willard travel to the
Adirondacks to visit Buddy at the sanatorium
where he is being treated for TB.
* Mr. Willard leaves abruptly and Esther and
Buddy are left alone.
* Buddy proposes marriage to Esther. She
replies that she does not want to marry
anyone. He tries to convince her otherwise.
Chapter 16 Abstract
* Buddy teaches Esther to ski. While skiing she
breaks her leg.
Chapter 17 Abstract
* Esther breaks down in tears during the
magazine's photo shoot of the interns.
* Esther has great difficulty packing to leave
the Amazon.
* Doreen takes Esther to a party where she
meets Marco.
Chapter 18 Abstract
6
* After giving Esther his diamond pin, Marco
attempts to "collect payment" by attempting to
rape her. She fights him off and tries to find
Doreen.
* Unable to find Doreen, Esther rides back to
the Amazon with another person.
* Esther throws all of her clothes off of the roof
of the Amazon.
Chapter 19 Abstract
* Esther trades her bathrobe for clothes to
wear home to Massachusetts.
* Upon arriving home, Esther's mother informs
her she was not accepted to the summer
writing class she applied for.
* Esther remains in bed most days except for
watching Dodo Conway walk along the streets
with her six children.
Chapter 20 Abstract
* Esther informs Jody she will not be coming to
college that summer.
* Esther contemplates learning shorthand,
reading Finnegan's Wake, and changing her
major.
* Because she is unable to sleep, she visits the
doctor for sleeping pills. The doctor instead
refers her to a psychiatrist, Dr. Gordon.
* Esther visits Dr. Gordon. Instead of treating
her, he simply talks about her college.
7
* Esther meets a sailor in the park. After
walking together he asks to kiss her. She
refuses, thinking she sees Mrs. Willard
approaching.
* Esther has a second appointment with Dr.
Gordon where she shows him a letter she was
trying to write. He asks to see her mother and
then prescribes shock treatments.
* Esther has her first shock treatment. It is
incredibly painful. She tells her mother she will
not return to Dr. Gordon.
* Esther plans to commit suicide using razor
blades.
* Esther takes the bus to Deer Island where
she sits on the beach waiting for the tide to
rise before returning home.
* Esther attempts unsuccessfully to commit
suicide by hanging herself.
* After reading several abnormal psychology
books, Esther decides she is mentally ill.
* Jody takes Esther on a blind date with a boy
named Cal. Esther contemplates drowning
herself while on the date at the beach.
* Esther visits her father's grave for the first
time since his death and weeps uncontrollably.
* Esther removes sleeping pills from her
mother's lock box, takes all of them, and
climbs into a hole in the basement.
8
* Esther is removed from the hole in the
basement and is taken to a hospital.
* In the hospital she asks for a mirror. Upon
seeing herself she breaks the mirror. The staff
transfer her to another hospital.
* Esther is very unhappy and paranoid at the
new hospital. After several outbursts, she is
transferred to more confining room.
* Philomena Guinea pays for Esther to be
transferred to a private hospital.
* At the hospital Esther is given her own room.
* Dr. Nolan introduces herself as Esther's new
psychiatrist. She assures Esther that her
previous shock treatments were not normal
and that she would not have to have any other
treatments without her consent.
* Esther's room is moved and she discovers
that her old friend Joan has the room next to
her.
* Joan tells Esther that articles about her
helped lead to her own institutionalization.
* Esther learns the details of her rescue from
articles Joan has cut out of the paper.
* Esther is treated with insulin, but has a
reaction.
* Dr. Nolan notifies Esther that she will not be
having visitors at the hospital. Esther is
delighted.
9
* Esther moves up to the Belsize ward, but is
paranoid that the other women are judging
her.
* One morning she discovers that she will be
receiving shock treatments.
* Dr. Nolan escorts Esther to the treatment. It
is as the doctor promised, like going to sleep.
* Esther awakes from her treatment happy and
is informed that she will have treatments three
times a week.
* Joan and Esther both receive letters from
Buddy. They talk about how they both never
planned to marry him.
* Esther discovers Joan is having an affair with
Dee Dee. Joan makes romantic advances
towards Esther which she rebuffs.
* Dr. Nolan arranges for Esther to visit a
gynecologist to be fitted for a diaphragm.
* Joan announces that she is being released
from the asylum and will be living with Nurse
Kennedy.
* Esther meets Irwin, a math professor, at the
library. The two have a nice date and Esther
loses her virginity to him.
* Esther begins hemorrhaging. Irwin takes her
Joan's apartment.
* Joan takes Esther to the hospital where they
treat her.
10
* Dr. Quinn awakens Esther to ask if she has
seen Joan.
* Joan is found dead on the grounds of the
asylum. She had hung herself.
* Esther prepares to leave the asylum and
return to college.
* Buddy visits Esther and asks if he drives
women crazy. She assures him he had no part
in her depression.
* Esther contacts Irwin to pay her medical bills
and to end the relationship.
* Esther attends Joan's funeral and feels alive
and free.
* The story ends with Esther about to enter
her exit hearing at the asylum.
Character Descriptions
This section provides a short description of all
the major characters in the book. This can be
printed out as a study guide for students, used
as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you
can jump to the quiz/homework section to find
worksheets that incorporate these descriptions
into a variety of question formats.
Characters
Betsy - One of the guest interns at Ladies'
Day, she represents the ultimate
"nice girl": an All-American girl from Kansas
11
who will wait patiently for a husband, a big
farm, and plenty of children--without losing her
virginity before marriage.
Cal - Esther's date at the beach. Like many of
the men in the novel, this character attempts
to teach Esther something; in his case, the
methods of suicide.
Constantin - A translator at the United
Nations. Originally, Esther attempts to get this
character to seduce her. Unfortunately, when
they actually go to bed, this character simply
falls asleep beside her.
Dodo Conway - This character is a pregnant
mother who already has six children. She lives
in Esther's neighborhood and often walks along
the street outside of the Greenwood family
home.
Dee Dee - A patient at the mental asylum
where Esther is staying. She and Joan end up
having an affair.
Doreen - One of the guest editors at Ladies'
Day, this character represents "the bad girl"
among the group: sexy, vulgar, bored.
Although sophisticated with Esther, this
character dissolves into a passive sex object
with the cowboy disk jockey, Lenny.
12
Elaine - One of Esther's alter egos. When she
does not want someone to learn her real name
she gives him/her this name.
Eric - Esther's friend at college. Esther
considers this character a probable candidate
for abandoning her virginity until he says she
reminds him of an older sister.
Joan Gilling - A former rival for another
character's affections, this character is
eventually admitted to the same posh mental
hospital where Esther is making her recovery.
The character commits suicide by hanging.
Dr. Gordon - This character is the first
psychiatrist to examine Esther after her
breakdown. Showing little understanding or
concern for her, this character administers her
electro-convulsive shock treatments without
getting a second opinion.
Esther Greenwood - The protagonist of The
Bell Jar, this character is a young, highly
intelligent college student who has a
breakdown.
Mrs. Greenwood - Although she seldom
articulates it, Esther harbors great hostility
toward this character. A teacher of secretarial
students, this character wants her daughter to
13
learn shorthand so she will have a job after
college.
Philomena Guinea - A famous and successful
writer, she is also the character who sponsors
Esther's scholarship and pays for her stay at
the private asylum.
Elly Higginbottom - One of Esther's alter
egos. Because she does not want Lenny's
friend Frankie to know her real name, she
makes up this name.
Hilda - Like Esther, this character is a guest
editor at Ladies' Day. A designer of hats and
other accessories, this character demonstrates
no curiosity or any positive emotion in the brief
period that Esther spends with her.
Irwin - The character to whom Esther loses
her virginity.
Jay Cee - Esther's boss at Ladies' Day, this
character is an unglamorous, savvy editor.
Marco - Accurately described by Esther as a
"woman-hater", this character sees women in
one of two categories: Madonnas or whores.
On his date with Esther, this character admits
to being in love with his first cousin, who
intends to become a nun. Treating Esther like a
whore, this character gives her a diamond
14
stickpin, throws her in a muddy ditch, and
threatens to rape her.
Dr. Nolan - This character is a direct yet
humane psychiatrist. Through this character's
influence, Esther comes to understand her own
motivations and reconciles with her anger. This
character is also the first person Esther sees
after her electroconvulsive shock treatments
and the person who coaches her back into
reality.
Mrs. Savage - One of the patients at the
mental asylum where Esther is staying. This
character is a rich, idle woman who has
apparently committed herself to shame her
family.
Lenny Shepherd - This character is an
unscrupulous disk jockey who becomes
sexually involved with Doreen and
unconsciously intimidates Esther.
Valerie - A lobotomized patient whom Esther
meets at the private mental asylum.
Mr. Willard - The father of Buddy. Not as
pretentious as his son, this character is
nonetheless in the novel to represent the
patriarchy of the 1950s.
15
Mrs. Willard - The mother of Esther's
boyfriend, Buddy. This character has decided
to live her life through her husband.
Buddy Willard - This character is Esther's
boyfriend and a medical student. Originally,
Esther enjoyed what she perceived as this
character's lack of sexual experience ("... he
made me feel I was much more sexy ...");
when she learns this character was having an
affair with a waitress while he was seeing her,
she feels disillusioned.
Object Descriptions
This section provides a short description of all
the major objects in the book. This can be
printed out as a study guide for students, used
as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you
can jump to the quiz/homework section to find
worksheets that incorporate these descriptions
into a variety of question formats.
Objects
Rosenbergs - The American couple executed
in 1951. They were executed for allegedly
acting as spies for American enemies, passing
on nuclear secrets. The execution is primarily a
touchstone in Esther's memory.
New York City - This location is home to most
publishing houses and this is where Esther
16
must go when she wins a contest with a
magazine.
Amazon - The hotel for women where the
young assistant editors stay. Men are not
allowed to enter the building. All the girls have
their rooms clustered together as if it were a
college dormitory.
TB - This is a serious disease that was all but
eliminated by medicine and vaccines by the
end of the twentieth century. Buddy Willard
contracted it working as a medical student.
crabmeat - The eleven assistant editors were
served this at the Ladies' Day magazine food
testing banquet. They all ate it and became
seriously ill.
Ladies Day Magazine - This is a woman's
magazine like Good Housekeeping. It is at their
banquet that the girls get food poisoning. As
an apology, they send the girls gifts. Esther
receives a book of short stories, in which she
reads the story of the Jewish man, the nun,
and the fig tree.
Diamond Pin - Marco, Lenny Shepherd's
friend, gives this to Esther when he is
introduced to her. It is supposed to impress
her. It seems that Marco expects it to
guarantee sex or at least some sort of sexual
17
encounter, because when Esther punches him
in the nose, he asks for it back.
Shock Therapy - This was practiced by
psychiatrists in the fifties, sixties and early
seventies. A certain amount of electric current
is run through the temporal lobes. Esther's first
experience with this is disastrous and it may
have contributed to her deepening mental
instability.
Occupational therapy - Another type of
therapy. This is any sort of activity that
involves peacefully using your body. In this
book, it primarily means some sort of arts and
crafts. It can mean anything that involves
rudimentary or complex motor skills.
Wymark - The lowest level of housing at
Esther's private hospital. This is where the
worst cases go.
Caplan - The middle, or entry, level at the
private hospital. From this level, a patient can
either improve and move up to Belsize, or
founder and move down to Wymark.
Belsize - The highest level at the private
hospital. Patients at this level have more
privileges than others. This is the last step
before they enter normal society.
18
Walton - This location is a hospital in Esther's
home town where Dr. Gordon administers her
shock treatment.
Short Answer Questions
Directions: Answer each question with the
appropriate short response.
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 1
1. What national event is Esther
concerned with as the book opens?
2. Why is Esther living in New York City in
the summer of 1953?
3. Which of the girls at the Amazon does
Esther spend the most time with?
4. What trait makes Esther admire Jay
Cee?
5. What nickname does Doreen give
Betsy?
6. Why does Esther like Doreen?
19
7. What keeps Esther and Doreen from
attending the magazine party?
8. Why does Esther hope she will be
paired up with Lenny instead of Frankie?
9. Why does Esther order vodka at the
bar?
10. What does Esther tell Frankie her
name is?
11. What is Lenny Shepherd famous for?
12. Doreen tells Lenny she will go to his
apartment only if--Short Answer Questions - Chapter 2
1. What does Lenny's apartment look like
to Esther?
20
2. What does Esther do as Lenny and
Doreen dance?
3. Which of the following best describes
Lenny and Doreen's dancing?
4. How does Esther get from Lenny's
apartment to the Amazon?
5. Why is Esther's room full of smoke
when she returns home from Lenny's
apartment?
6. Why does Esther feel depressed when
she returns to the Amazon?
7. Who has Mrs. Willard promised to
introduce Esther to in New York City?
8. What does Esther do to help herself feel
better after the botched night with Doreen
and Lenny?
21
9. What wakes Esther up later in the
night?
10. Why won't Esther let Doreen come
into her room when she returns from
Lenny's?
11. Why does Doreen vomit on the carpet
of the hotel hallway?
12. What does Esther find outside of her
door the morning after Doreen came
home drunk?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 3
1. What sorts of foods does Esther say she
likes the best?
2. Who is missing from the Ladies' Day
luncheon?
3. Who helped foster Esther's appreciation
for fine food?
22
4. What "trick" do Betsy, Hilda and the
other girls learn at the fur show?
5. Why doesn't Esther attend the fur
show?
6. What does Jay Cee suggest that Esther
do to distinguish herself from other
women applying to be magazine editors?
7. What course does Esther convince her
college dean to exempt her from taking?
8. What grade does Esther earn in her
physics class?
9. Why is Esther afraid of taking
chemistry?
10. What does Esther do while Mr. Manzi
is lecturing in chemistry class?
23
11. Why does Mr. Manzi like Esther so
much?
12. What disheartens Esther the most
about Jay Cee's suggestions for bolstering
her career?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 4
1. What does Jay Cee give Esther as she
leaves for her lunch date with the two
authors?
2. What did Esther do the first time she
saw a finger bowl?
3. Why does Esther leave the movie
premiere?
4. What does Esther think caused her
sickness?
5. What does the Ladies' Day magazine
staff send to the girls as gifts?
24
6. Who is the only girl working at the
magazine who does not get sick?
7. How does Ladies' Day determine what
causes the girls' sickness?
8. How does Doreen avoid getting food
poisoning?
9. With whom does Esther ride back to the
Amazon after leaving the movie premiere?
10. Who is Philomena Guinea?
11. What is Esther's opinion of the movie
she and the other girls are invited to see?
12. Who comes to rescue Esther when she
passes out in the bathroom of the
Amazon?
25
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 5
1. Who calls Esther early the morning
after she became sick with food
poisoning?
2. Why does Esther say she would never
marry Buddy Willard?
3. What is keeping Esther from telling
Buddy that she has no intention of
marrying him?
4. What faux pas does Esther make with
the bellman when she first arrives at the
Amazon?
5. How does Buddy characterize poetry?
6. Why is Esther disturbed by Buddy's
view of poetry?
7. Where do Buddy and Esther go after the
Yale Junior Prom?
26
8. How often does Buddy commit to
seeing Esther once they begin dating?
9. When does Esther say she found out
Buddy was a hypocrite?
10. How does Esther know Buddy?
11. Why does Esther take her history book
with her when she receives the phone call
that Buddy is at her dorm?
12. What does Esther do to offend the
driver of the first cab she rides in?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 6
1. How does Esther feel about the
cadavers that Buddy shows her?
2. Why has a medical student been
assigned to deliver the woman's baby on
27
the day Esther and Buddy visit the
hospital?
3. What disturbs Esther about the drug
that the birthing mother is given?
4. What trait does Buddy have that Esther
thinks would make him a good teacher?
5. What does Buddy tell Esther she should
get used to seeing?
6. Why is Esther shocked when Buddy
tells her he is not a virgin?
7. How many times did Buddy have sex
with the waitress from Cape Cod?
8. Why does Esther resolve to "ditch
Buddy Willard for once and for all"?
9. Why is Esther surprised when Buddy
calls her at college?
28
10. Why does Buddy call Esther at
college?
11. How does Esther feel when she hangs
up the phone after talking with Buddy?
12. What does Esther think may have
caused Buddy's TB?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 7
1. At what age does Esther say she
stopped being "purely happy"?
2. What does Constantin say is the most
difficult aspect of simultaneous
translation?
3. What does Esther liken the potential
choices she has in life to?
29
4. What does Esther decide about her
relationship with Constantin during their
dinner date?
5. Who is the only man that Esther ever
considered losing her virginity to?
6. What marks the end of Esther's
relationship with Eric?
7. What does Constantin ask Esther to do
when they go to his apartment?
8. What bothers Esther about the article
"In Defense of Chastity"?
9. For Esther the world is divided along
the lines of--10. What does Esther do to let Constantin
know she is interested in having sex with
him?
30
11. What keeps Esther from losing her
virginity to Constantin?
12. What does Buddy tell Esther she will
want to abandon once she has children?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 8
1. Why does Esther think that Mr. Willard
is telling her that he and his wife had
always wanted a daughter?
2. Which of the following does NOT adorn
the waiting room at the sanatorium?
3. What surprises Esther about Buddy's
appearance when she first sees him at the
sanatorium?
4. What unusual gift does Buddy give
Esther when she arrives in his room?
5. Why is Buddy eager for Esther to read
the poem "Florida Dawn"?
31
6. What is Esther's first reaction when
Buddy proposes to her?
7. What is Esther's response to Buddy's
marriage proposal?
8. What does Buddy take Esther to do
while she is visiting him at the
sanatorium?
9. How does Esther feel as she careens
down the ski slope?
10. What causes Esther's skiing accident?
11. Why won't Buddy allow Esther to ski
down the hill again?
12. Why does Buddy ask Esther whether
she'd like to live in the city or the
country?
32
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 9
1. Who is Esther "cursed" to have had to
eat breakfast with in the hotel cafeteria?
2. Why doesn't Esther want her picture
taken for the magazine?
3. Where is Marco from?
4. Where does Doreen put Esther's clothes
to help her forget about them?
5. What is the first thing that Esther
notices about Marco?
6. What does Marco remind Esther of?
7. What does Marco give Esther?
8. Why can't Marco marry the woman he
is in love with?
33
9. What does Esther do to prevent Marco
from raping her?
10. What does Esther do when she returns
to the Amazon the night that Marco
attacks her?
11. What does Esther label Marco?
12. What surprises Esther the most about
Marco?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 10
1. Why does Esther trade her robe to
Betsy for a skirt and shirt?
2. Why does Esther's mother ask her
about what happened to her face?
3. What does Esther hear as she lays in
bed on the first morning she is home?
34
4. How many children does Dodo Conway
have?
5. What does Esther resolve to do during
her summer at home?
6. What does Mrs. Greenwood convince
Esther she should do since she will not be
taking the writing course?
7. What course keeps Esther from
considering a major in English?
8. What surprises Esther about the
English program at her mother's college?
9. Why had Esther visited her family
doctor?
10. What did Esther's doctor prescribe to
help her symptoms?
35
11. Why does Esther begin reading
Finnegan's Wake?
12. Why does Jody call Esther?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 11
1. How long has it been since Esther has
slept when she first visits Dr. Gordon?
2. Why doesn't Esther wash her clothes or
bathe?
3. What infuriates Esther in Dr. Gordon's
office?
4. Where does Esther tell the sailor she is
is from?
5. How does Dr. Gordon respond to
Esther's torn letter to Doreen?
36
6. What treatment does Dr. Gordon
suggest for Esther?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 12
1. What does Esther notice about the
people outside of the hospital?
2. What does the nurse tell Esther to help
her feel more relaxed during her first
shock treatment?
3. How does the shock treatment make
Esther feel?
4. What does Esther tell her mother after
the treatment that makes her feel
relieved?
5. Why does Esther compare her photo
with that of a dead girl published in the
paper?
37
6. How long has it been since Esther has
slept?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 13
1. What keeps Esther from committing
suicide with the cord from her mother's
robe?
2. Other than tabloid magazines, what
type of books is Esther able to read?
3. Who does Jody set Esther up on a blind
date with?
4. What complaint do all of the patients at
the hospital have of Esther's volunteer
work?
5. Why does Esther visit the cemetery?
6. How does Esther ultimately decide she
will do to commit suicide?
38
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 14
1. Where does Esther wake up at the start
of this chapter?
2. Whose visit to her hospital room angers
Esther?
3. What does Esther do that gets her
transferred to another hospital?
4. What does Mrs. Tomollilo do that gets
her placed in the psychiatric ward?
5. What does Mrs. Mole do that makes the
nurses put her in her room for dinner?
6. What treasure does Esther take with
her to solitary confinement?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 15
1. Who "rescues" Esther from the public
hospital?
39
2. Who is Esther's doctor at the private
hospital?
3. Why does Esther dislike Dr. Gordon?
4. What is unusual about Miss Norris?
5. Why does Valerie have scars on her
head?
6. Who is Esther's next door neighbor in
the hospital once her room is moved "up
front"?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 16
1. What led Joan to run away from home?
2. What course of treatment does Joan's
first psychiatrist recommend for her?
40
3. How does Esther learn of the
circumstances that led to her rescue from
the basement?
4. Why does Dr. Nolan restrict Esther's
visitors?
5. Why does Esther's mother bring her
roses?
6. What does Mrs. Bannister discover
about Esther one evening?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 17
1. Why is Esther surprised when the nurse
tells her she is moving to Belsize?
2. Which of the following is NOT a
privilege given to residents of Belsize?
3. How do the women in Belsize know
they will be having shock treatments?
41
4. What does Joan find in a magazine that
shocks Esther?
5. What does Esther always have with her
as she walks around Belsize?
6. Why does Dr. Nolan arrive early at
Esther's room one day?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 18
1. According to Dr. Nolan, how often will
Esther need to have shock treatments?
2. Who do Esther and Joan both get
letters from?
3. Why did Joan say she dated Buddy?
4. Who is Joan having an affair with at the
asylum?
42
5. What trait does Dr. Nolan say women
find attractive in each other?
6. What sort of doctor does Dr. Nolan
refer Esther to?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 19
1. What field does Joan tell Esther she
plans on studying when she returns to
college?
2. Who is Joan planning on living with
when she leaves the asylum?
3. Who does Esther meet at the Widener
Library?
4. What happens to Esther after having
sex with Irwin?
5. Where does Esther have Irwin drive her
to?
43
6. Why does Dr. Quinn visit Esther late
one night?
Short Answer Questions - Chapter 20
1. Why does Buddy Willard visit Esther in
the asylum?
2. What concern about her future does
Buddy express to Esther?
3. Why does Esther contact Irwin?
4. What does Esther do to pay tribute to
Joan?
5. What does Esther wear to her exit
hearing at the asylum?
6. Where will Esther live after leaving the
asylum?
Short Essay Question - Chapter 1
1. Describe the Amazon.
44
2. Who are Frankie and Lenny?
3. Describe Jay Cee (from Esther's
perspective)
4. What is Esther's opinion of Betsy?
Short Essay Question - Chapter 2
5. Describe the situation that leads Esther
to leave Lenny's apartment
6. Why does Esther decide to take a bath
when she returns to her hotel?
45
7. What does Esther decide about her
friendship with Doreen the night of their
visit to Lenny's apartment? What causes
her to make this decision?
8. How does Esther change from the
beginning to the end of this chapter?
Short Essay Question - Chapter 3
9. Why is Esther so enamored with the
rich foods she is served at the Ladies' Day
luncheon?
10. What is Esther's standing joke with
her grandfather about caviar?
46
11. Why does Jay Cee want Esther to
come into the office instead of attending
the fur show?
12. How does Esther convince the college
to exempt her from the chemistry course
requirement?
Short Essay Question - Chapter 4
13. According to Esther, what is her
mother's opinion of her interest in
becoming a writer or editor?
14. What leads Esther to be invited for
lunch by Philomena Guinea?
47
15. Describe the movie that the girls go to
see from Esther's point of view
16. Describe the events that lead to
Esther's food poisoning
Short Essay Question - Chapter 5
17. Describe the story that Esther reads in
the short story book from the Ladies' Day
magazine
18. Describe Buddy's first visit to Esther's
college
48
19. Why is Esther surprised when Buddy
comes to visit her at college?
20. What happens on the hill behind the
chemistry lab at Yale?
Short Essay Question - Chapter 6
21. Describe the birth scene that Esther
and Buddy witness from Esther's point of
view
22. How does Buddy tell Esther about
losing his virginity?
23. Why is Esther upset when Buddy tells
her he is no longer a virgin?
49
24. Contrast Esther's and Buddy's feelings
about his diagnosis
Short Essay Question - Chapter 7
25. Describe what runs through Esther's
head when she and Constantin are visiting
the UN.
26. What is Eric's philosophy on sexual
relationships?
27. Describe the article that Esther's
mother gives her from Reader's Digest
("In Defense of Chastity").
50
28. Compare Constantin and Buddy.
Short Essay Question - Chapter 8
29. Describe the sanatorium where Buddy
is receiving treatment for TB.
30. Why does Mr. Willard leave Esther
alone with Buddy at the sanatorium?
31. What does Esther think makes her a
neurotic?
51
32. How does Buddy react when Esther
falls while skiing?
Short Essay Question - Chapter 9
33. Describe Esther and Hilda's
conversation at breakfast.
34. How does Jay Cee attempt to cheer
Esther up the day of the photo shoot?
35. Why does Marco give Esther his
diamond stick pin?
36. Why does Marco attack Esther?
52
Short Essay Question - Chapter 10
37. Who is Mrs. Ockenden?
38. What news does Mrs. Greenwood
deliver to Esther when she picks her up
from the train station? How does Esther
react?
39. Describe Buddy's letter to Esther (that
is waiting for her when she gets home).
40. What activities does Esther consider
taking up after finding out she was not
accepted into the writing course?
Short Essay Question - Chapter 11
53
41. Describe Esther's encounter with the
sailor
42. What thoughts consume Esther after
finding out she must have shock
treatments?
Short Essay Question - Chapter 12
43. What do the voices in Esther's head
tell her as she sits in the park
contemplating suicide?
44. What does Esther do at Deer Island?
Short Essay Question - Chapter 13
45. Describe the scene at the cemetery.
54
46. What keeps Esther from drowning
herself at the beach?
Short Essay Question - Chapter 14
47. Characterize Esther's behavior in the
psychiatric wards of the hospitals
48. What is the only item that gives
Esther pleasure in the hospital? Why?
Short Essay Question - Chapter 15
49. What does Dr. Nolan tell Esther about
shock treatments in this chapter?
55
50. How does the private hospital staff
compare to those at the public hospital?
Short Essay Question - Chapter 16
51. Describe the circumstances that led to
Joan's hospitalization.
52. What news does Esther expect Dr.
Nolan to give her after her insulin
reaction? What news does she actually
give her?
Short Essay Question - Chapter 17
53. Describe Esther's feelings about the
women living in Belsize
56
54. How is Esther's shock treatment
experience at the private hospital
different than the one she had with Dr.
Gordon?
Short Essay Question - Chapter 18
55. How does Esther find out about Joan's
homosexuality?
56. Describe Esther's feelings as she visits
the gynecologist.
Short Essay Question - Chapter 19
57. Describe Irwin
58. Describe the circumstances that led to
Esther's hospitalization.
57
Short Essay Question - Chapter 20
59. What does Dr. Nolan tell Esther to
help her feel better about Joan's death?
60. How does Esther feel as she is waiting
to enter her exit hearing?
Essay Topics
These 20 essay questions can be used as essay
questions on a test, or as stand-alone essay
topics for a take-home or in-class writing
assignment. Students should have a full
understanding of the text in order to answer
these questions. They ask for a thorough
analysis of the text.
1. The Bell Jar is often considered a "coming of
age" story. In your essay:
1) describe Esther's journey from adolescence
into adulthood
2) describe and comment on the events in her
life that help her transition between
adolescence and adulthood
58
3) discuss how successful her transition was. Is
she an adult at the end of the novel? Why or
why not?
Be sure to cite specific examples from the
novel to support your ideas.
2. In The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath provides a
commentary on American women. Choose
three major scenes or characters from the
novel and:
1) describe them as they relate to women
2) explain what you think Plath was trying to
say about women through this
scene/character.
Be sure to cite specific examples from the
novel to support your ideas.
3. In The Bell Jar, a few minor characters have
a major impact on the story line. Select two of
the following minor characters to analyze:
Doreen, Joan, Buddy Willard, Mrs. Greenwood
and Jay Cee. Discuss:
1) the personality (character traits) of this
character
2) the relationship between this minor
character and the major characters in the story
59
3) the impact of this character on the story
line--How does s/he influence the overall story
line? How would the story be different if this
character was removed?
4. There are several characters who influence
the person that the narrator becomes. Select
the two characters who you believe have the
greatest impact on her development and:
1) describe each character's actions or beliefs
as they relate to Esther
2) discuss the impact of this character on
Esther's life and personality
3) discuss why you selected each particular
character. What about each character made
him/her more of an influence on Esther than
others?
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
5. In The Bell Jar there the author uses
recurrent symbolism to represent aspects of
Esther's story. Select two of the following
symbols ( mirrors, water, babies, the bell jar)
and:
1) describe how the author uses this symbol at
at least two points in the story
60
2) discuss what the symbol represents about
Esther at that point in the story
3) discuss what the overall message the author
is trying to send about Esther using this
symbol.
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
6. This novel deals with the relationship
between talent and mental stability. In your
essay:
1) discuss how this relationship plays out in
Esther and the other characters
2) state what you think Plath is saying about
this relationship
3) comment on Plath's ideas. Is she right? Why
or why not?
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
7. At the end of The Bell Jar, Esther is about to
be released from the asylum. Write an essay
discussing:
1) whether or not she is ready to leave the
hospital
2) what the future holds for her
61
3) how you think she'll do in the "real world".
Use specific examples from the novel to come
up with and support your ideas.
8. The Bell Jar is a commentary on the mental
health system in the US. In your essay:
1) describe how the mental health system
appears in the novel
2) discuss what Plath is saying about the
system.
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
9. Romantic relationships have a major impact
on Esther's development throughout the novel.
Choose two of the men who Esther has
relationships with (even short relationships)
and:
1) describe the relationship
2) discuss the impact that this relationship had
on Esther
3) analyze what the author is saying about
romantic relationships and their impact on
women in general.
62
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
10. Friendships have a major impact on
Esther's development throughout the novel.
Choose two of the women who Esther is friends
with and:
1) describe the friendship
2) discuss the impact that this friendship had
on Esther
3) analyze what the author is saying about
friendships and their importance for women in
general.
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
11. Esther's family live has a subtle but
important effect on the changes that she
undergoes throughout the novel. Discuss:
1) Esther's family dynamics
2) the impact of Esther's family life on her
personal life
3) how Esther's life would have been different
if both of her parents had been alive.
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
63
12. Discuss the significance of the novel's title.
Be sure to include:
1) a definition of "bell jar"
2) the relationship between the bell jar and
Esther
3) what the bell jar represents about Esther's
character.
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
13. Throughout The Bell Jar, Esther moves
between the present and the past. Select three
of the flashback scenes and:
1) describe what happens in each of these
scenes
2) discuss the significance of each scene in
Esther's life
3) discuss how the flashback scene relates to
the "present" time scene it is embedded in.
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
14. The Bell Jar takes place in several different
settings. Compare and contrast three of the
64
settings focusing on:
1) describing the setting and Esther's role
within it
2) the significance of the setting in Esther's
development.
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
15. The narrator talks about Joan being
Esther's double. Compare and contrast these
two characters focusing on:
1) their personality traits
2) their progression towards mental illness
3) their progression towards recovery from
mental illness.
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
16. The Bell Jar is written from Esther's first
person point of view. Write an essay examining
the novel's point of view focusing on:
1) the narrator's bias
2) the amount of information given based on
this point of view
3) comment on how the novel would be
different if it was told from a different point of
65
view.
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
17. As The Bell Jar develops, so does the main
character's mental illness. In your essay:
1) describe the progression of her illness
2) describe and explain the "red flags" that
showed she was getting increasingly worse
3) comment on the role that the other
characters played in her deterioration.
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
18. Imagine that the novel ended with the
hospital review board telling Esther she must
stay at the asylum for additional treatment.
Write an essay:
1) critiquing their decision (Do you agree or
disagree with it? Why?)
2) arguing for the appropriate type of
treatment she should receive in the hospital
based on her previous experiences.
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
66
19. The Bell Jar is a thinly veiled
autobiography of a period in Sylvia Plath's life.
Based on articles read in class about Plath:
1) compare the author's life with Esther's
2) note areas where the author steps away
from autobiography. Comment on why she did
this.
Cite several specific examples from the novel
to support your ideas.
20. What would you have done if you had
developed depression as Esther had? Would
you have taken the same actions as her? Why?
How would your personal experience be
different or the same as Esther's?
67