In Sylvia Plath's depiction of depression in her novel The Bell Jar, even the smallest detail plays a significant role in the development of the protagonist Esther's mental breakdown. The most obvious manifestation of Esther's detachment from reality is her progressive inability to fully grasp what society defines as acceptable social behavior. As a result of this difficulty in accepting the true reality of her surroundings, the protagonist draws her own version of the truth from her interpretations of social interaction and descriptions of her increasingly oppressive environment. While Esther's mental struggle with embodying social norms can be glimpsed more prominently through her relationships with characters like Joan and Buddy, the tensions between true reality and what Esther creates are more effectively and indistinctly portrayed through Plath's use of color images. Within the Bell Jar, dull or even white colored images are used to indicate psychological emptiness or anomaly within a particular thought or interaction, while brightly colored images serve to both contrast with its previous depression and to highlight the possible artificiality of the main character. progression towards what society believes to be the mental ideal. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayOne of the first manifestations of this dichotomy between brightly colored images and dull images occurs during Esther's reading of the book sent by the Ladies' Day staff. Following the story of a fig tree and the interaction between a Jewish man and a Catholic scullery maid, Esther says she "... thought it was a lovely story, especially the part about the fig tree in the winter in the snow and then the fig tree in the spring with all the green fruit,” and that she “… wanted to crawl between those black lines of print like one crawls under a fence, and go to sleep under that beautiful big green fig” (55). Although one of the main elements of this tale seems to be the social tension between the two characters of different belief systems, Esther is instead drawn to the images of emptiness or growth represented through the colors white and green. , respectively. The protagonist does not focus on the social elements of the story, but rather selects a certain image and extracts it to describe both her mental state as it is and as she wishes it to be. It appears that snow covering the tree in winter along with fruit production in spring could be linked to a transition from a dormant and seemingly useless state to one of productivity. Because of Esther's focus on clearly demonstrating the difference between the two states in terms of color, the reader can gain insight into the main character's growing mental oppression. His desire to “crawl between those black lines of print like one crawls under a fence” seems to suggest his desire to escape from the emotional void, represented by both the oppressive black lines of print and the void between them, towards a more fruitful world . environment in which he is able to better connect with normality. As the novel continues to develop, additional color imagery is used as Esther attempts to venture into what she believes to be a customary progression to young adulthood through a series of sexual experiences. The first of these purely negative encounters is the interaction with Marco. Upon meeting him, Esther notices his “dazzling white dress,” which, in this use of the white image of the void, seemsprefigure the anomaly of the subsequent interaction (107). Although Esther realizes that Marco is a misogynist and is aware of his domineering nature, she contemplates losing her virginity to him in an attempt to reverse her depression, stating that "It's happening... It's happening... happening. If I stay here and I do nothing, it will happen” (109). At this point in the interaction, it is crucial to state that, in an attempt to achieve normality, Esther remains rather emotionless and ultimately reacts in the way that is only expected of her. because she believes this reaction is normal . Despite the fact that the above quote shows a passive attitude towards attempted rape, Esther reacts rather suddenly as she explains that "... [she] squeezed her fingers together and gave them to him. smashed against his nose", and that "Marco took out a handkerchief and dabbed his nose. The darkness, like ink, spread across the light fabric” (109). The black and white color images are primarily used to convey that, unlike the brightly colored image of the spring fig tree, Esther's thought of losing her virginity to Marco is abnormal and unacceptable because of the way he l 'he treated. After punching Marco in the nose, the color images are described as a dark, colorless spot stretching across a white cloth, representing a void penetrated by negativity. Parallel to the image of the snow-covered fig tree, the use of color in this scene shows Esther's mental decline and her inability to show the correct reaction to negative behavior for any reason other than a desire to follow what she considers to be the progression natural of adolescence. The tension between Esther's personal perspective on her surroundings and how she truly exists is also depicted through color imagery during her suicide attempt. After her rescue, Esther states that "[She] felt the darkness, but nothing else, and [her] head rose, feeling it, like the head of a worm... The silence rose, smoothing like the 'black water smooths to its old surface calm on a fallen stone' (170). During this episode of the most desperate manifestation of Esther's depression, the image of an impenetrable darkness suggests that despite her timid attempts to adhere to the expectations of young adulthood, she has become hopeless and has fully entered into an ideal world of her own, one that is free from consciousness. In the following pages, however, the promise of normality soon attempts to penetrate Esther's mentally suspended existence while she expresses that “A chisel fell upon my eye and a slit of light opened, like a mouth or a wound, until the darkness squeezed it shut again.” A few moments after this first appearance of light, another ray “…sprang into [his] head, and through the thick, warm, hairy darkness, a voice cried out” (170). Through these quotes, it is evident that the protagonist feels comfortable in this new world she has created for herself, but reality is still able to spontaneously infiltrate her damaged mental state. The dichotomy of color in this case, expressed simply as darkness and light, suggests the possibility that she emerges from depression and can ultimately connect with reality through the normality of social experiences. Ultimately, however, additional color images paralleling her sexual encounter with Marco suggest the difficulty of this transition. Further utilizing this negotiation between true and perceived reality through images of darkness sporadically penetrated by light, Esther has an experience similar to her attempted suicide during electroshock therapy. therapy. Even though the treatment takes place after hissuicide, Esther also begins the scene in silence and darkness, interrupted by flashes of color meant to represent an attempt to fully connect to normal society. As Esther receives the treatment, she closes her eyes and there is "...a brief silence like an inhaled breath." She then describes that the machine "...shrieked, through an air crackling with blue light, and with each flash a great shock hit her until [she] thought [her] bones would break and the sap would fly out of me like a crack. plant” (143). Just like the light penetrating the darkness of Esther's attempted suicide, flashes of colored light enter the darkness during electroshock therapy, although this time a color is specified color piercing the darkness seems to represent the difficulty and discomfort associated with the combination of these two psychological states, as well as the intensity needed to successfully negotiate between Esther's consciousness and what others are attempting to instill in her ​in the treatment than in the suicide attempt the color images are not consistent, the transition to normality manifests itself in different and ineffective ways, and Esther's depression is still able to dominate her impression of the surrounding environment. Following these instances of the interplay between normality and abnormality through color images, Esther once again describes her exploration of personal sexuality and social normality in these same terms. In losing her virginity to an academic named Irwin, Esther expresses her newly acquired feelings of belonging... stories of blood-stained wedding sheets and red ink capsules given to already deflowered brides came back to me... it occurred to me that blood was my answer. I couldn't be a virgin anymore. I smiled in the dark. I felt part of a great tradition. (229)In addition to the protagonist's clear acknowledgment that she is now part of a sort of sisterhood that includes all normal women, this statement is also emphasized through her mention of the vibrant color of red ink. Following this passage, it appears that, unlike the blood expelled during Esther's encounter with Marco, the blood involved here will be brightly colored, signifying an entry into the normal world. The opposite image of her smiling in the dark, however, which recalls her suicide attempt, foreshadows the negative events that will follow. When Esther looks at the blood and conveys that “when [she] held [her] hand towards the light coming in from the bathroom, [her] fingertips looked black,” and later details her application of “. .. a new section of white towel” (229), the possibility of her normal entry into her image of ideal femininity is immediately refuted Just like the image of blood previously described during her violent encounter with Marco, as is the color white of her dress, the black and white colors play a significant role in relating the abnormality of the interaction Despite the fact that Esther believes that all her mental separation from normal society will be alleviated after losing her virginity, the images. colors used here seem to suggest a failure in this sense due to the towel as a representation of a void penetrated by apparently blood-black bodies which seems to symbolize a colorless and empty interaction. Ultimately, although an opportunity for normality is presented through this encounter, the color images involved suggest that this is a rather unpleasant experience that negatively impacts his mental recovery. Despite the fact that Esther often has difficulty negotiating between her desire for normality and the limitations of the.