Esther's Baby Obsession

I have done a little more thinking about what we were talking about in class recently concerning Esther and her obsession with babies throughout The Bell Jar. I think we were definitely on correct with our thinking that Esther felt a connection to the dead babies in the jars, simply because they were trapped and unable to live life, which is essentially how Esther feels throughout most of the book. However, I think there is more to it than just that. There is one point in the novel where Esther wonders why it is that she seems to lack the kind of desire that most women have concerning motherhood and babies. I think that perhaps Esther is frightened of motherhood, because motherhood is, in a sense, another way of trapping someone.

Now, I do not want to make motherhood sound like a bad thing, because I am sure it is wonderful. But becoming a parent is a full time commitment and certain luxuries are lost when one decides to have a child. Esther already feels trapped in so many ways. I think that the idea of becoming a mother makes her feel even more trapped. A mother cannot ever just do as she pleases on a whim. A mother must always consider someone else. The idea of being tied to that kind of commitment probably frightens her. I think that the novel has so many images of babies throughout it because Esther knows that motherhood is a step in her life that many girls her age are starting to think about. However, because Esther feels so trapped already, it is hard for her imagine making that kind of commitment. The babies in the book are a constant reminder to Esther of what she is simply not ready for and they haunt her because a part of her feels as though she should be ready for it.