The Bell Jar: Towards a Fading in Mind and Color.

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to show, by means of colors, a gradual evolution in the protagonists mental illness in Sylvia Plath’s novel The Bell Jar. The novel also portrays Plath’s personal vision of the world when she was already suffering a strong depression and it offers her authentic familiarity with the radical medical treatments she underwent. Strong colors first, and then soft and neutral ones in the second half of the novel paint a crucial period in a teenager’s life, full of first experiences in sex and gender discrimination.