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Identity in the Bell Jar A sense of individuality is essential for surviving the numerous emotional and physical obstacles encountered in daily life. A unique identity is perhaps one of the only true characteristics that defines an individual and is definitely a key principle for understanding and responding to one's atmosphere. In the "Bell Jar", Esther battles not only a deteriorating mental stability, but also a lack of sense of individuality. Esther is a young, …

…emotional and social detachment, yet Esther does not begin to recover until she realizes the differences between her creative world and the outside society. Furthermore, it is Esther's lack of identity that dramatizes the irony and symbolism in the novel. Only when Esther begins to stand outside her own world of the bell jar, does she truly begin to see inside herself. Title: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Published by: Faber and Faber Limited