What Was the Purpose of Joan Gilling? - Blog Post #2

What was the purpose of Joan Gilling? Upon my initial reading, I found her character to be needlessly confusing and admittedly couldn’t think of her in any way other than “She’s Esther if her recovery failed.” This still rings somewhat true, but after rereading I realize it’s a whole hell of a lot more complicated and meaningful than that. She’s definitely the hardest character for the reader to understand and come to terms with due to Esther’s distorted depictions of Joan and the (somewhat unlikely) possibility of Esther purely imagining Joan's existence. But, after some rereading, I think I finally understand how this confusion adds to her character, her bond with Esther, and her role in the novel’s tragic themes.

Above all else, The Bell Jar is a novel about suicide and depression and would feel incomplete if it didn’t explore the aftermath of taking one's life. However, I don’t think having Esther’s narration continue in whatever afterlife Plath could’ve put her in would’ve fit Esther very well. Therefore, killing off another character of similar background to Esther is the next best option and has the added benefit of allowing for Esther to explore the results of suicide alongside the reader, giving us a better understanding of our troubled narrator. When she sees Joan lying dead in her coffin, Esther is able to better weigh the outcomes of ending it all or carrying on with life and finally comes to terms with death. At the end of Joan’s funeral, Esther repeats her “I am, I am, I am” line yet again, but this time in a more positive light. (Plath 243) Before, she sees it as her heart taunting her, telling her it’ll force her to suffer through her living hell of an existence no matter how painful or pointless it may feel. But here, she describes this rhythm as “the old brag” of her heart. (Plath 243) It’s a little cruel how Esther still views Joan's life as a point of bragging rights and competition even after her passing, especially given the contrast in the harsh way Esther treated her and the kind way Joan took care of Esther, but Esther undeniably still learns a great deal from the situation thanks to Joan.

However, it would be a disservice to the character of Joan to label her as just a stepping stone clone for Esther to take advantage of as she’s quite an interesting lassie herself. She may be quite similar to Esther, but in the areas where they do contrast it’s very noticeable, particularly in their feelings towards each other. Esther very quickly grows to view her connection with Joan as a very competitive and literal race to the death. I’m still not sure if Esther truly means it when she says “That’s tough, Joan, Because I don’t like you. You make me puke, if you want to know.” in response to Joan’s possible confession, but she at the very least views Joan as more of a rival than a friend. (Plath 220) On the flipside of the relationship, Joan is very fond of Esther and quite possibly in love with her. It’s never confirmed if Joan’s simple “I like you” that provoked such a harsh response from Esther is an actual confession or a purely friendly gesture, but it’s clear Joan views their “friendship” much differently than Esther. (Plath 220) In fact, given Esther’s odd reaction to finding Joan and DeeDee in bed together and the following awkward conversation between Esther and Dr. Nolan, I wouldn’t doubt Joan’s sexuality is the main reason Esther suddenly flips to treating Joan so poorly. It’s quite saddening to think about Joan going out of her way to steer clear of Buddy’s parents while Esther dated their son to avoid making things awkward for the couple only for Esther to turn around and act like a horrible prick.

Thanks for reading. After rereading the last few chapters twice more, my conclusions seem fairly obvious, so I apologize if I only relayed already accepted information. Have a nice day. Or don’t. I can't tell you what to do. I’m (probably) not your father.