In the novel The Bell Jar, the protagonist, Esther goes through a deep depression which leads to suicide attempts and eventually lands her in several private hospitals. In Esther's life there are many factors, internal and external, that lead to her life collapsing. Most of these factors come from her surroundings. An important part of Esther's life is writing and her future as an English major in college. Once she begins to lose her ability to read and write, it takes a big toll on her character, creating one of the main reasons why she becomes depressed. The thought of being sent home to live with her mother all summer with nothing to do is also a major factor in her descent into depression. In addition to her writing, Esther's family situation adds to her difficulties. With her father deceased in the 1940s, Esther is stuck with her mother who she doesn't like. The latest is Buddy Willard, now Esther's ex, who sends Esther into a conflict between Buddy and herself, and another between herself and her search for someone considered pure. It all piles up and it all becomes too much for Esther. All external factors lead Esther to fall into a period of deep depression. Esther's failure in her writing career is the first of many factors that send her into depression. Once the scholarship ended, Esther was sent home to live with her mother. Now everything in his life is a critical step towards his career and his success in college. Esther applied for a major writing course that would help her do that, would also be an important part of her future college career, and a reason not to spend the summer at home with nothing to do. After it wasn't accepted in writing... halfway through the document... she lied. Without taking the writing class, she would have stayed home with her mother all summer. Her mother was another factor that pushed her over the edge. Esther was raised primarily by her mother as her father died when she was just a child. Growing up without a father must have been hard enough for Esther. On top of that, he despised his mother. With her mother starting to think Esther was crazy, their relationship began to deteriorate as Esther got worse. Her other relationship with Buddy also went into decline. For many years before they dated, she dreamed of Buddy. Once finally together, Esther soon discovered that he was a huge hypocrite. With every major part of her life falling apart around her, it's no wonder why Esther became depressed. Every external force had a devastating impact on Esther and eventually led to depression.