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Illustrated portrait of Doreen

A character in The Bell Jar

Doreen

Esther’s glamorous, rebellious fellow intern and one possible model of female freedom.

What they want

To enjoy New York on her own terms without submitting to the magazine’s wholesome script.

The book

Cover of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Bell JarSylvia Plath, 1963

Sylvia Plath’s darkly funny 1963 novel about a gifted young woman looking skeptically at the adult future she is expected to want.

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At a glance

Connection
Esther’s fellow magazine intern
Setting
New York
Contrast
Rebellious rather than conventionally wholesome

Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Doreen is stylish, confident, and willing to ignore the respectable behavior expected from the magazine’s young women. Esther is initially fascinated by her independence.

She represents a possible adult identity, but not a complete answer. Esther can be drawn to Doreen’s rebellion while also feeling estranged from it.

How the book draws them

Appearance, manner, and tone — as the book sketches them, in our words.

  • Fashionable confidenceHer clothes and ease fit the glamorous city more naturally than Esther’s unease does.
  • Amused rebellionShe treats rules as material for jokes or avoidance.
  • Social boldnessShe enters adult nightlife with little visible hesitation.
  • Possible futureEsther sees her as one option rather than as a complete person to imitate.
What happens to DoreenHow the book leaves them, what happened after, and what the record says. Open when you're ready.

Doreen remains associated with Esther’s New York month. She does not follow Esther into the central hospital narrative.

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