The relevance of The Bell Jar decades after its publication is haunting. Esther's frustrations with mental healthcare, the hypocrisy in expectations for men and women, and the pressures of a college student who struggles with depression are all powerful observations that reflect today's society as well as yesterday's.

What I appreciate the most about this novel, aside from Plath's lovely writing, is the realistic depiction of someone suffering from depression and mental illness. Esther's depression is meant to be taken seriously as an illness, not as a simple state of mind. When Esther's mother encourages her to stop thinking this way, her words sound ridiculous, for good reason.

It's impossible to discredit Esther's mental illness when one reads The Bell Jar. Her illness is just as real and as much of a hidden killer as the TB that put Buddy in a sanatorium for months.

While the novel ends with a taste of hope, it is impossible not to remember the tragic suicide of Sylvia Plath.