Bell Cases and Bell Jars
Both Holden Caulfield and Esther discuss being enclosed in a glass container; Holden in a glass case, and Esther under a bell jar. Although the characters have many similarities their feelings about being in glass enclosures are very different. Holden and Esther both greatly fear their fast-approaching adult years and resent the social expectations that go along with their coming of age. Despite Esther being a model, scholarship-winning student and Holden having been kicked out of a number of schools, both characters seem to want the continuation of their school lives to prevent facing the challenges and pressures of life after graduation.
Holden wants to prevent corruption and loss of youthful qualities by being able to stop time and enclose people in glasses cases, like the displays at the natural history museum. Due to his hatred of the unpredictability of the adult world and the loss of childhood innocence, Holden wants to stop the coming of age of children. He also expresses this want through his dream to be a catcher in the rye, where he prevents children from falling off the cliff without the children being aware of the danger of the cliff. So, for Holden, the glass case is a representation of the preservation of youth, the protection from the loss of childhood innocence, and the freedom from corruption.
In contrast, Esther feels although she is already in a glass enclosure. The bell jar she’s trapped in is representative of her feelings of alienation from others due to her mental illness. Esther expresses this feeling by saying, “Wherever I sat - on the deck of a ship or at a street cafe in Paris or Bangkok - I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air.” The bell jar makes her feel stifled and trapped while also preventing her from connecting with those around her. It seems as though time outside Esther’s bell jar progresses without her. Although while she is in the bell jar Esther experiences changes, we see the larger “coming of age” moments after she feels the bell jar being lifted (after the shock therapy). After she feels the jar lifted she begins to start learning to cope with the pressures of coming of age by getting birth control and losing her virginity.
It seems like Esther shows how Holden’s glass case would really affect the person inside. This leads me to wonder if Holden would really want to be in a glass case. Although the bell jar seemed successful in momentarily hindering Esther’s coming of age, it created a much greater sense of alienation from those around her. Considering that throughout Catcher in the Rye Holden already feels alienated and longs to have human interaction I think the reality of being in a glass case would be very harmful to Holden.
I think its possible that Holden and Esther are more similar than they appear based on the fact that they are both clinging to youth. While Holden is more motivated to protect youth, I think that both of them already feel like they passed the point of childhood and are now trapped by the pressures (or glass cases) of adulthood. I feel as though because Holden has already undergone serious trauma and is now drinking and smoking that he has recognzied and accepted the fact that he is beyond saving based on the metaphor that he is completely trapped in a case. On the other hand Esther, has also accepted her transition to adulthood (though she resents it), yet she still believes there is hope for an adult life if she is only able to lift the bell jar.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I definitely see how both of those characters have their distinct versions of what it means to be encapsulated by glass. While Esther feels like she's already trapped and wants to be freed, Holden wants to keep things encased and preserved. Plath's use of a bell jar to symbolize Esther's character development is very interesting. I love that you made the connection between the two characters.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting comparison, and the connection between Holden's glass cases and Esther's glass jar never occurred to me before it came up in class this year. It's true that Holden views this state of suspension, of time "frozen," as a kind of ideal (one he knows is impossible but laments nonetheless), while Esther experiences the isolation and solitude and suspension of the bell jar as a form of torture and alienation--ironically, making her feel *further* from society and more "Holden-like" in her distance and alienation.
ReplyDeleteIn light of the question you close with, could we view *Holden* as "under a glass jar of his own" in some ways, as Esther observes about the other girls in the dorm? If we view his narrative as delivered to a sympathetic doctor or therapist at the institution he's at in the west, I'd say he seems pretty comfortable in that space of observation--he's pretty eager to talk and tell his story, and he mostly seems confident that the listener will "get it." One major effect of the bell jar on Esther is that she doubts her ability to communicate or connect with anyone outside that stifling air.
This is an interesting comparison that I hadn't thought about before. I think it is true that while Esther wants to escape the glass jar, Holden wants to stay in. He wants to stay and live in the past while she wants to branch out and be her own person.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting connection! In a way, though, both Esther and Holden have similar feelings of wanting to hold on to their childhood/youth, which is symbolized by Esther not knowing what she wants to do in adulthood as she feels confined to a singular path. So, although Esther feels trapped by her bell jar, she might want to join Holden in his glass case. I really like your parallels here, great post!
ReplyDeleteI really like the way you made this comparison! I think it is very interesting to see how they grapple with very different issues, and as a result want different things to happen. Holden wants things to be preserved, while Esther feels she wants to break free. I think you are right that Esther's experience is very insightful as to what that experience would actually be like, and it is interesting to think about whether Holden would actually like to be in that situation. Certainly Holden does not seem like the type to succumb to societal expectations easily either.
ReplyDeleteI really like the comparison you made here, definitely not one I would have thought about before reading this. The fact that both of them are seemingly "trapped" in their own situation but both want different outcomes really shows their similarities and differences, as Esther wants to break free of the bell jar and move on and Holden wants to stay put and maintain the youthful energy around him. Good post!
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