Bell Jar #1

The that begins the book starts with 'it was queer, sultry summer...' Queer is defined as being strange and odd. This suggests that she felt awkward being in New York away from her natural habitat. Sultry means hot and humid, which shows that Esther feels pressured and suffocated. 'They electrocuted the Rosenbergs.' The key word here is 'they', meaning that she didn't agree with their electrocution. But as it turns out, late concrete evidence was found that proved they were giving away secrets to the communists. The sentence ends with ' I didn't know what I was doing in New York', which means just that. She doesn't know her reasons for being there. She may have a place in mind where she would rather be.