The Bell Jar

In the novel The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, the main character, Esther, is a generally unhappy girl. She attended a prestigious fashion program in New York City, where she made friends and seemed to be having fun. But in reality, she is depressed and angry with herself for being depressed. She tries a number of things to try and make herself feel better, but nothing works. Eventually she leaves the program and goes back to her hometown. She lives in a small town with her mother, who is a teacher. When Esther gets home, she never does anything, she stays in bed all the time and isolates herself from everyone around her. Everything that used to make her happy no longer does. She is afraid of everyone, and she sees everyone as a threat to her well being. She starts leaving her house without telling anyone where she is going, when she meets new people along the way, she makes up new stories about herself to make her life sound more interesting. Her mother gets very concerned for her so she decides to take her to see a therapist named Doctor Gordon. While she is there she feels like he doesn't listen to her. As their sessions progress Doctor Gordon decides she needs a more aggressive course of treatment.


The author builds suspense by letting us in on Esther's thoughts. In the beginning of the novel, we don't really know that she is so depressed, we only think that she is upset with where she is at the time, but then she talks more and more about what she is thinking about and how she sees the world, and we know that she is extremely depressed. An example of this can be found on page 75 when she is talking about her dreams. She talks about how even in her dreams her happiness only lasts for a little while and then she is depressed again. She even goes as far as to say, "I had never been really happy again" (page 75). This is where we really start to see how depressed Esther is and the reader really starts to feel bad for her.


Another way that the author builds suspense is the way that she describes settings. For example, when Esther is at Doctor Gordon's private hospital the way that she describes it makes the reader nervous for what is to come, "As the woman was dragged by, waving her arms and struggling in the grip of the nurse she was saying, 'I'm going to jump out of the window, I'm going to jump out of the window, I'm going to jump out of the window"' (page 142). In this scene we see that this hospital is not the most welcoming place. We also see the Esther is just as nervous as we are for the upcoming events. The hospital is described to sound like a dangerous place rather than a helpful place which is what makes the whole scene so unnerving.

the pregancy project

 I'm currently reading the book, The Pregnancy Project by Gaby Rodriguez. She is telling the story of her big senior project that caused lots of controversy throughout her family, school, community, and most of the United States. She claims that the comments people make about her won't bother her and that she'll make sure she passes with flying colors, however when her experience starts, she discovers that it's way harder than what she really thought.
Rodriguez creates lots of suspense throughout the novel. One way she created a suspenseful mood was by waiting until the very end of the chapter to tell us what the big project was going to be. " That's what I wanted: to find an opportunity for growth, both for me and for the people around me..... That's when the idea came to me.. I would fake a pregnancy" (76 -77). Rodriguez stretched the chapter out, and led us to believe she would do something ordinary and simple, but in reality wanted us to think that, to only tell us she was doing something much more.
Another part of the book where the mood was suspenseful was when she was trying to get her project approved. She knew what she wanted to say and what she wanted to get across to the vice superintendent. She had already did it once for Mr. Greene and another for Ms. Le Ann Straehle. What was one more time going to hurt? " He and Mr.Cerna sat across from me, and they grilled me about my idea and my intentions. I tried to be prepared for anything they threw my way" (93). She was unsure of how the meeting was going to go. She didn't know if Mr.Cerna was going to take her project to the main super intendant or not. She didn't know anything. Rodriguez  was as surprised as me, the reader when Mr.Cerna and Mr.Greene signed off on her project. " It was really happening now " (95).
Now, that she's gotten her project and approved and she's okay to start on it, it's all suspense once again. How will the project turn out?

                                                
suspension paper: Blair Donaldson
                          
                      Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand is a true story based upon the life of Louie Zamperini, and since this book is true I think it makes it even more suspenseful right from the beginning. Louie Zamperini growing up was a troublesome kid, always stealing, or getting involved in activities he probably shouldn't have been, but Louie's brother Pete gets him involved in running and comes out of being a trouble maker into a fantastic record setting runner who goes to the Olympics. During 1941 Louie joined the Army Air Corps because this was during the time of world war 2 against the Japanese. Right then is when I knew there was going to be a lot of suspense. Having this being a true story, it feels so suspenseful all the time and the author really makes you feel like your with Louie and enduring all he endures.




                  Louie goes through drastic times that you would think would be impossible to live through  and the whole time your reading this book your wondering, oh my gosh what is going to happen next? You can feel the suspension throughout the whole book because you feel like as if your Louie, it makes your mind race. The thing is this book is so amazing that its hard to stop reading because the chapters always leave you in wonder so of course you have to go on. I read this book non stop for a week, although I had seen the movie before I read the book, the book still has details that make you feel even more deep into it. Like when Louie is on the raft after the plane crash or when he is at a  POW camp, you always are wanting to know what happens to him.


                 
               Laura also titles her chapters to make you curious as well, like "A Beckoning Whistle" it makes you curious about hmmmm... I wonder what that's talking about, but yet you might have an idea of what it could be, in that chapter of the book he becomes a Christian and devotes his life to Christ. The whole story of unbroken is amazing and inspiring and definitely suspenseful because this is a real person and real life events he had to go through. I would for surely list this book as one of the best books that keeps you on your toes the whole time, and what I love about it most is that is has a happy ending. Unbroken is suspenseful, amazing, and life changing.

Independent Reading

         I am reading "Above" by Isla Morley. This book is in first person narration. The main character Blythe is telling the story from her point of view. She introduces her story with a little confusion. Blythe is talking about fighting against Dobbs, while the reader has no idea or understanding of what is going on.The first eigth of the book is mostly exposition. It intoduces the characters and some minor conflicts between other characters and society. There is a lot of peron vs. self conflicts with Blythe. The central plot has not yet been revealed. This book uses a lot of foreshadowing and suspense. It gives a sort of dark and brooding tone to the book. It is not at all predictable, there is always a new conflict or twist that occurs.