A Mad Woman s Self-exploration A Lacanian Interpretation of The Bell Jar

Abstract

The Bell Jar is a semi-autobiography novel written by Sylvia Plath, whose literary works are famous for pain, death, and selfexploration. Besides, Plath is a confessional writer and this novel seems to be Esther s mad self-talk, but in the depth of the madness is a profound self-exploration and self-construction. Esther s self-searching is actually the process of finding subjectivity. However, she needs to confirm herself by the existence of the other . Moreover, The Bell Jar constructed a woman s road to growth, showing her rebellion against a man-dominated society. This paper will use Lacanian psychoanalytic criticism theory to analyze The Bell Jar to understand the causes of Esther s internal struggle and the true significance of this mad woman s tragedy.