The Bell Jar Blog 8

• Blog – Describe the new asylum Esther goes to? What might life have been like had she been forced to stay where she was?

Chapter 15 starts off with Esther being transferred to a new private hospital. This new private hospital is adjacent to the big state hospital. When she first gets in her new room she looks out her window and says, “If I jumped I wouldn’t even bruise my knees.” (Pg. 186) This shows us that Esther is still having thoughts of suicide. The new asylum Esther is at seems a lot like a retirement home. The nurses are friendly and are always with her. Esther even points out that at supper they used real glasses, instead of paper cups like they used at the state hospital. Esther’s doctor Nolan talked with Esther about Dr. Gordon and after Esther told her she said that shock-treatment was not supposed to be like that, instead she said some people actually enjoy it. However, Esther seems to be more relaxed at this hospital. In chapter 16 Esther meets a girl by the name of Joan. Joan has been collecting newspaper articles about Esther’s attempts at suicide. They talk for a while and then Joan gets around to showing Esther her clippings of the stories about her. If Esther would have stayed at the state hospital I don’t think that she would have done very well, she didn’t get the attention she wanted and she thought all the doctors were mean.