CliffsNotes on

The Bell Jar

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About the Author

Chronology of Plath’s Life

About the Novel

Introduction
Brief Synopsis
List of Characters

Summaries and Commentaries

Chapters 1–4
Chapters 5–8
Chapters 9 & 10
Chapters 11–14
Chapters 15–18
Chapters 19 & 20

Character Analyses

Buddy Willard
Joan Gilling
Mrs. Greenwood
Doreen
Betsy
Jay Cee
Philomena Guinea
Doctor Nolan

Critical Essays

Plath, the Individual, versus Society
What Went Wrong for Sylvia Plath?
Anxiety about Death in The Bell Jar
Suicide—A Conclusion

Study Help

Quiz
Essay Topics and Review Questions

Cite this Literature Note

What should be his first order of business once President-elect Obama takes office?

Cutting taxes/economic recovery.
Promoting peace in Israel/Gaza.
Ending the war in Iraq.
Creating jobs/dealing with unemployment.
Addressing climate change/environmental issues.

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Study Help

Quiz

1:  Esther's boss at Ladies' Day magazine is named

a. Betsy

b. Jay Cee

c. Doreen

d. Doralee
2:  Early in the novel, when Esther and Doreen find themselves in a cab in a traffic jam, the man wearing a blue lumber shirt who picks them up is

a. Marco

b. Eric

c. Buddy

d. Lenny
3:  While in New York City, Esther stays at

a. the Amazon Hotel

b. the Alpha Inn

c. the Amalee Hotel

d. the neighborhood YWCA
4:  Esther becomes deathly ill because of

a. pneumonia

b. food poisoning

c. bronchitis

d. severe fatigue
5:  Esther arrives to the Big Apple from

a. Kansas

b. South Carolina

c. New England

d. North Carolina
6:  The person who invites Esther to tour the United Nations building is

a. Alexi

b. Marco

c. Constantin

d. Mr. Willard
7:  What catastrophic event happened when Esther was nine years old?

a. Her parents divorced.

b. She was unfairly held back in school due to poor citizenship.

c. Her father died.

d. She moved from California to New England.
8:  When Buddy was a busboy on the Cape, he had an affair with Gladys, who was

a. a customer

b. his mother's best friend

c. a local shopkeeper

d. a waitress
9:  Esther broke her leg

a. skiing with Buddy

b. dancing with Marco

c. riding a horse

d. while attempting suicide
10:  Dr. Gordon treats Esther by giving her

a. hypnosis

b. a lobotomy

c. morphine

d. electro-shock treatment
11:  Who funds the move from a state hospital to a private hospital for Esther?

a. Her father, in a trust he left for his children

b. Her grandparents

c. Philomena Guinea, a novelist

d. A loan Esther's mother took out on the house
12:  Which person from Esther's past is also a patient in the private hospital?

a. Dee Dee

b. Joan

c. Doreen

d. Dodo Conway
13:  Who does Esther finally surrender her virginity to?

a. Buddy Willard

b. Constantin

c. Irwin

d. Cal
14:  When Joan disappears from the hospital, she is later found to have

a. been living with a lover in a neighboring town

b. committed suicide

c. returned to her family and reconciled with them

d. changed her name and moved to another state



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