The Bell Jar summary

While she’s recovering from food poisoning, Esther receives a phone call from Constantin, a UN interpreter she’s been set up with on a blind date. Esther is immediately annoyed by Constantin’s mannerisms – they remind her of her former romantic interest, Buddy Willard. Nonetheless, she agrees to go on a date with him. 

They visit the UN, have dinner, and then end up at Constantin’s apartment. Esther decides to let him seduce her to “get back” at Buddy, but Constantin fails to make a move. Esther once again ends up lonely and depressed in her hotel room, where she reflects on her conflicted relationship with Buddy. 

After one month in New York, Esther’s internship comes to a close. As a last goodbye, the magazine arranges a photoshoot for the girls. Each of them is supposed to hold an object representing their ambitions. But Esther is so unsure about her future, she can’t decide what to pose with. Her boss, Jay Cee, finally hands her a paper rose – it’s meant to represent her future as a poet. But when the photographer takes her picture, Esther begins to cry.

On this final night in New York, Esther goes on another blind date. Doreen has arranged for her to meet a Peruvian man named Marco. At first, Esther is pleasantly surprised by Marco, who hands her a diamond stickpin to hold on to for the night. But the date quickly turns into a nightmare. 

Esther visits psychiatrist Dr. Gordon, hoping for a diagnosis that will explain her condition. At this point, she exhibits symptoms of extreme depression, including sleeplessness, bad personal hygiene, and a morbid fixation on death.

Esther immediately dislikes the suave Dr. Gordon, but she’s too weak to oppose him. After her second visit, Dr. Gordon suggests electroshock treatments as an outpatient, and Esther reluctantly agrees. The treatments prove to be brutal. During her first session, Esther finds herself grappling with her fate: “I wondered what terrible thing it was that I had done.” 

Esther awakens in darkness, confused and unable to see. She believes she’s gone blind, but the doctor assures her that she’ll recover. Her mental state hasn’t seemed to improve. Upon seeing her disfigured face, she breaks a hospital mirror. 

As a result, she’s transferred to a state medical hospital with a special ward for violent patients. Esther finds some humor in the bizarre interactions between the patients and the staff there. But she continues to resist the doctors' treatments.

Esther's relationship with Joan deteriorates further when Joan is allowed to move into an apartment with one of the nurses. Esther, on the other hand, has to stay at the hospital as she waits for the winter term of her college to begin. 

To distract herself, she visits Irwin, a mathematics professor she recently met. She decides to finally lose her virginity and sleep with him, using her new diaphragm. The experience turns out to be incredibly painful. Esther starts bleeding heavily, and Irwin has to drive her to Joan's apartment. The nurse living with Joan eventually takes Esther to the emergency room.