Throughout Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, we are confronted with the continuing downfall of Esther Greenwood as her spirit sinks deeper into depression; however, Esther's only almost constant source of pleasure lies in food. Esther's New York experience is highlighted by rich foods like stuffed avocados and bowls of caviar. Not only do these indulgences serve as an escape for Esther, but food also represents the choices Esther has in her life. The difference between her life choices and her food choices is that when she chooses to eat two plates of chicken and caviar, the stuffed avocados don't disappear from the table. However, once she chooses to marry Buddy Willard, she can no longer go to Europe and fall in love. Food offers Esther the opportunity to make a choice without eliminating others – something life does not allow her. This simple fact allows her to escape the decisions she is forced to make. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay At the beginning of chapter three, Esther states very clearly, “I don't really know why, but I love food more than just about anything else” (24). Esther says that food gives her something that nothing else can satisfy, something that satisfies more than just hunger. Although she says she can't say precisely what it is about food that she loves so much, it's easy to see that food offers her countless choices that never cancel out; some of them even fill a sense of nostalgia. Esther mentions that she can eat as much food as she wants without gaining weight, which further illustrates the fact that Esther can indulge in anything without any consequences. The limitless possibilities of food attract Esther and distance her from the complications and finality of decision-making she faces. One of the great metaphors of The Bell Jar is the way Esther compares her life to a fig tree. “I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree of history. From the end of each branch, like a large purple fig, a wonderful future called to me and winked at me... I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, dying of hunger, simply because I could not not to decide which of the figs I would choose” (77). The image that this brings to the reader is at first very beautiful, but then we see Esther wasting away in indecision. The fact that his possible futures are “big purple figs” shows, once again, the importance of food in his life and how it can represent decisions. However, Esther is only allowed to choose one of these beautiful fruits, unlike the abundant selection she has when choosing what to eat. Shortly after her "vision of the fig tree and all the fat figs that withered and fell to the ground" (78), she was able to eat and as a result felt "immensely better" (78), proving once again the comforting qualities that food provides. Esther. Mrs. Greenwood essentially uses food as an escape that comforts her and relieves her otherwise unavoidable problems. Not only does food represent all the choices she's not able to make, but it also gives her a way to experience some of the things she's been missing. In particular, when Constantine takes her to his restaurant which “smelled of herbs and spices and sour cream” (77), she is effectively transported somewhere she has never been. The restaurantwas hidden in a sort of cellar and the walls were covered with travel posters that transport the mind to faraway destinations. Not only does this environment alienate her, but the food that follows consoles her to the point that she decides to let herself be seduced by Constantin (77), which she surely would not have done without the intoxicating environment and comforting food. . Lawyers are another. comfort food for Esther and held a special place in her heart. They evoke memories of her grandfather and her childhood, apparently the only time she remembers being truly happy. “Avocados are my favorite fruit… He [his grandfather] taught me how to eat avocados by melting grape jelly and French dressing in a saucepan and filling the pear cup with the garnet sauce . I was homesick because of this sauce. In comparison, crab meat tasted bland” (28). This section takes the reader back to Esther's humble childhood, especially when she announces that she is "homesick for this sauce" because we really feel her desire. Additionally, her comparison of the crab meat to the simple sauce shows that although she appreciates the high fashion of life in New York, she will always appreciate the simplicity of her childhood. Doreen's parting gift to Esther was two dozen avocados. The fact that Doreen knew of Esther's affection for these fruits demonstrates how Esther is almost defined by her great love of food. These 24 lawyers took up Esther's entire suitcase, leaving room only for the thirty best stories of the year, a white plastic sunglasses case and no clothes. If we consider Esther's suitcase as a metaphor commensurate with what she considers most important in her life, food would be considered first. Esther also seems to have a strange fondness for the avocados in her suitcase as she describes their changing weight as how "they barreled from one end to the other with their own little thunder" (113). She almost seems to admire the power of the fruits she bears and seems proud to have them. Esther's emotional connections to food are particularly evident when she evaluates her relationship with avocados. When Esther returns home from her internship in New York, she almost immediately discovers that she didn't take the class she was hoping to take. One of the first things she does next is "pour a raw egg into a cup of raw hamburger, mix it and eat it" (119), which seems very strange and quite disgusting. The two ingredients, hamburger and eggs, are American staples and a common find in every kitchen of the fifties. This drastic change from fine New York cuisine to domestic cooking signifies the change that Esther is about to undergo. Additionally, the fact that both of these ingredients are raw alludes to Esther's ideology about the current world she is forced to live in. “Raw,” as defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary, is “frank and realistic in the description of unpleasant facts.” or situations,” which is exactly how Esther sees the world around her. She won't accept the watered-down version the company is trying to sell her. The ideas that the perfect life consists of getting married and having children don't sit well with Esther and she sees through it. As Esther continues to sink deeper and deeper into her depressive state, she stops eating almost completely. She also stops sleeping and reading, two other very essential things in her life. The absence of her enthusiasm for food shows how far depression has taken her. As she no longer indulges in food and no longer has] »..