The Bell Jar Chapter 15 Summary

  • Philomena Guinea, the famous novelist who sponsored Esther's college scholarship, takes an interest in Esther's case and funds Esther's treatment at a private hospital.
  • At the hospital, Esther briefly meets Dr. Nolan, her new, female doctor, and then is shepherded to her room, where she meets the rest of the staff. After they leave, she wanders around the facility and meets Valerie, a fellow patient, in one of the common rooms.
  • Later, Dr. Nolan meets with Esther and asks her what she thought of Dr. Gordon. When Esther describes her experience with electroshock therapy, Dr. Nolan tells her that the therapy was done wrong, and that if Esther gets electroshock therapy at the institution, Dr. Nolan would be there to tell her about it.
  • Later, Esther walks into a room and meets Miss Norris. Not really, though, because Miss Norris just ignores Esther.
  • Then, Esther receives an insulin injection as part of her treatment.
  • Later, Valerie reveals to Esther that she's had a lobotomy. Esther is impressed with Valerie's calm demeanor.
  • A nurse helps Esther move to a different room. Esther notices that Miss Norris is also being moved, and she's told that Miss Norris is being transferred from Caplan, their present residence, to Wymark, which is a residence for more severe psychiatric cases.
  • The nurse tells Esther that someone she knows has moved into Caplan. Esther goes over to see who it is. It's Joan, a girl from her high school and a former girlfriend of Buddy Willard.