The Bell Jar Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter 9 Summary

Chapter 9 Summary

Esther is haunted by the imminent execution of the Rosenbergs. There is a picture-taking session for each girl and when they come to her, she bursts into a torrent of tears. We finally learn her full name in this chapter: Esther Greenwood.

The month in New York has come to an end and it's time to go home; but Esther is paralyzed, unable to pack her things. Doreen solves the problem by stuffing all her clothes under her bed and taking her to a party where her blind date is a Peruvian named Marco, a flashy man who wears a diamond stickpin on his lapel. She admires it and he gives it to her, implying that she will earn it before the evening is over. He seizes her arm so fiercely that he leaves bruises from his fingers. She's on her fourth daiquiri when Marco insists that she dance the...
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