Esther Greenwood's Playlist

These are seven songs that I believe reflect Esther Greenwood's experiences in Sylvia Plath's The
Bell Jar. I don't know for sure if Esther herself would enjoy these songs, but she'd probably see a bit
of herself or her world in them, especially in the lyrics. (Note: the names in italics are the albums which
these songs are featured on, if any)

“Here” by Alessia Cara, from Know-It-All (2015)

In this instant radio hit for then 19-year-old Canadian singer Alessia Cara, the song speaks of
someone being at a party trying to fit in and follow friends, but knowing that they’d much rather not be
there. The line “truly, I ain’t got no business here / but since my friends are here / I just came to kick it
/ but really I would rather be at home all by myself / not in the room with people who don’t even / care
about my well-being” really displays Esther’s situation in the beginning of the novel, following Doreen
to parties to try to fit a stereotypical “party girl” for the case of further social acceptance, yet Esther
knowing she would much rather just stay in the hotel by herself. Cara also addresses her desire not to
envelope herself in relationships, stating, “I don’t dance, don’t ask / I don’t need a boyfriend”, and later,
“I’m standoffish / nothin’ wrong with your offering / but I’m done talking”, which would probably translate
to something similar to Esther’s distaste for marriage in 1950’s America. Cara will inevitably write love
songs for someone she falls for, and Esther (who is actually a depiction of Sylvia Plath) will eventually
marry and have a child, but for now, they don’t want anything to do with the cultured relationships
around them.

“Restless Heart Syndrome” by Green Day, from 21st Century Breakdown (2009)

This song from Green Day’s 2009 rock opera album 21st Century Breakdown comes as the subjects
of the album are at their absolute lowest. With the eerie piano and orchestral music placed in the
background of grunge rock riffs, you can tell this is rock bottom. This song, telling of an early-2000s
prescription pill “junkie” who can’t win with or without chemical intervention, transcends the message
of being stuck in a life of pain and loss, wishing it all away, much as Esther is towards the middle of
the book. The line that really conveys Esther’s situation, in my opinion, is, “you’re a victim of the
system / you are your own worst enemy”. Esther certainly is the victim of a system - not only is it
oppressive towards women, but women with mental illness are especially stigmatized and put through
often horrific and repressive treatments, thus, she really can’t win. The oppressive system of 1950’s
America, much like the prescription pill crisis of 2000’s America, leaves women like Esther Greenwood
as victims, with themselves as their worst enemy. Esther won’t figure this out until the triumphant
scene at the end, when Dr. Nolan hands her a name and address for a doctor who administers birth
control, claiming that the nation’s patriarchal messages are “propaganda” of the system.

“Lovely” by Billie Eilish feat. Khalid (2018)

This song features eerie piano ballads and orchestral background similar to that of “Restless Heart
Syndrome”, but it lacks the grunge rock guitars, as that isn’t necessarily Billie Eilish’s style. Eilish
(full name Billie Eilish O’Connell), who turned 17 last December, wrote this gloomy song about
struggles coming with chronic depression, and featured young R&B singer Khalid (full name Khalid
Robinson) to bring a deeper “haunting” addition to her chilling soprano vocals. This song chronicles
someone trying to see a future or just reality while their vision is constantly clouded thanks to
depression, something that Esther Greenwood struggles with. The title The Bell Jar references to a
type of jar that is meant to isolate certain substances from the outside, and often fogs up, tying into
Esther’s isolation and distorted visions of the world. The line “well I hope someday I’ll make it out of
here” repeats throughout Eilish’s song, as the two young singers strive to escape this painful
headspace. Esther must wonder, too, if one day she’ll make it out of the bell jar - it seems she’s been
in it for a long time; the text mentions she began feeling these symptoms when she was nine,
following her father's death.

“Asleep” by the Smiths, from The World Won’t Listen (1987)

In this revered soliloquous ballad, Smiths lead singer Morrissey sings from the perspective of
someone who is going to commit suicide, who is saying goodbye to those they care about.
This person will miss the people in their life, but ultimately can’t bear to live in the world for any longer.
The song goes "Don't feel bad for me / I want you to know / Deep in the cell of my heart / I really want
to go", and later, "There is another world / there is a better world / oh, there must be". Esther
Greenwood ends up attempting suicide many times throughout the middle of the novel, all half-
heartedly, until one serious attempt at overdosing sees her hospitalized and recovering. This song
would likely play during Esther’s final attempt, the one that she actually planned somewhat, and is far,
far gone, but able to think just a bit about what she’s doing. In her mind, there’s no hope - the world is
too painful, and the bell jar is fogged too heavily to see anything better.

“Try” by Colbie Caillat, from Gypsy Heart (2014)

This confidence-inducing ballad is dedicated to girls fighting societal expectations for beauty and
pleasing men. The first verse details rules that girls “have to follow” in order to stay in line as
preferable in the eyes of men and society, all of which seem to be spoken or unspoken rules that the
writers at Ladies’ Day strive to follow. While they may not be the exact same rules for the 1950’s
culture, it’s quite harrowing for someone in such a position as Esther, expected to write and live
according to the norms of the time, and expected to benefit the patriarchal society she lives in (and
that still exists today). The first verse goes, “put your makeup on, get your nails done, curl your hair /
run the extra mile, keep it slim, so they like you” and later, “get your sexy on, don’t be shy, girl, take it
off / this is what you want, to belong, so they like you”. Caillat later goes onto to shatter these
expectations as unnecessary, and give women hope that they all have beauty within themselves, with
or without approval from men. I feel like Esther holds some of that truth within herself, and would really
benefit from hearing this song, should it have come in her time or should she (meaning Sylvia Plath)
have survived to 2014. She can see a bit of that image on her own; towards the end, she says that
other girls “likely have bell jars of their own”, and she’s able to realize that she isn’t the only fighting
her illness in an oppressive system.

“Control” by Halsey, from Badlands (2015)

One of the final tracks on Halsey’s debut album Badlands characterizes the experiences of Halsey
(real name Ashley Frangipane) in fighting to regain control of herself while suffering from manic
depression, or bipolar disorder. Halsey, now 24, was hospitalized for a suicide attempt at age 17, and
shortly after, was diagnosed as being bipolar. In Esther’s case, this anthem would be her trying to
escape the bell jar. While we don’t know for sure what Esther’s condition is (likely something involving
serious depression), it, much like Halsey’s condition, distorts reality to a great deal and can make her
believe that everyone is out to get her, including herself. Yet there is a sense of hope for her - if she
can work with her demons like Halsey is learning to, maybe the fog will clear enough for her to see.
Halsey, like Esther, is being stigmatized in her illness as well, as we hear in the line, "And all the kids
cry out 'please stop you're scaring me' / I can't help this awful energy / Goddamn right, you should be
scared of me / Who is in control?" - everyone is calling her (Halsey or Esther) crazy, but she doesn't
know exactly how to make it dissipate, as she doesn't know if she's in control or if something else is.

(Sorry the spacing is weird btw I can't find a way to change it oof)

“Quiet” by MILCK, from This is Not the End (2018) (or the single from 2017)

MILCK, or Connie Lim, captured nationwide and likely worldwide attention when she performed an acapella version of her original song, “Quiet”, during the 2017 Women’s March. She wrote this song two years earlier to cope with the trauma of being sexually assaulted in her teen years, and struggling with societal and familial expectations of being female. In 2018, she released her debut EP, This is Not the End, which featured “Quiet”. (Quick side note: I personally had the opportunity of meeting MILCK last year after watching her perform at a conference, and she’s super honest, humble, and just all-around amazing! And she’s not that much taller than me, which I find sort of funny.) The song opens with the lines “put on your face / know your place / shut up and smile / don’t spread your legs”, referring to societal rules that women are given, as well as pressure that MILCK received growing up in her Chinese immigrant family. These four lines really convey Esther’s struggle in unique ways. “Put on your face” for Esther means putting up a false front to people. She’s supposed to be so happy with her exclusive opportunity of interning for Ladies’ Day, but she can’t help but feel her world collapsing. “Know your place” means figuring out where she fits, as she tries following Betsy and Doreen about to see which model, which labeled box she looks better in. “Shut up and smile” - literally, when she has to be photographed, she is asked to try smiling. She can’t seem to, though. She can’t be like Dodo who walks through town smiling while herding her six children, she can’t smile like her co-writers at Ladies’ Day. “Don’t spread your legs” brings about the idea of purity and double standards - she can’t make it look like she’s asking for attention, or she’s a whore. But as we saw with Buddy Willard, boys can go about having affairs with people with little repercussions. And it’s all fine and dandy as long as their future wives stay pure. The rest of this song is a message of redemption and courage to speak up about struggle, something that girls are shunned from doing in Esther’s world, as they’re often labeled as “crazy”. I could see Dr. Nolan being a carrier of this message, and Esther a (hopefully) enthusiastic recipient.