Sylvia Plath’s novel, The Bell Jar, details the experience of mental illness from the patient perspective. As a roman à clef, this novel allows readers to draw deeper and broader conclusions about the real-world implications of certain facets of psychiatric care. Specifically, through the strategic depicted juxtaposition of mirrored experiences with two different physicians, readers are able to assess how gender implicates the bioethical efficacy of psychiatry. In The Bell Jar, Dr. Gordon— the male physician— represents how psychiatric care can perpetuate the patriarchal subjugation of women that can emphasize mental illness and prevent healing. Dr. Nolan, on the other hand— the female physician— represents how patient-centered empathetic care can manifest in the reversal of trauma from unethical care as well as positive effective experiences with psychiatric care. Through Esther’s experiences with these two providers, readers are able to see how the same experience— receiving ECT for mental illness— can change based on the gender of the provider. Ultimately, The Bell Jar can help readers understand how the medical system is fraught with the biases and prejudices of the systemic sexism that can limit access to effective care.
