The Bell Jar 2

In college, Esther is required to take the typical sciences classes like at most schools. She excelled in botany because she liked cutting leaves up and observing them. She then found out that she had to take Physics. Esther did not like Physics because it dealt more with equations and variables instead of working with tangible objects like plants. Esther’s professor created his own textbook for the class, hoping it would someday be published. 99% of the girls in her Physics class failed it, and Esther was the only student who got a solid A. Esther did not enjoy taking the class and knew that Chemistry would be much worse, so she went to talk to her Class Dean about it. Esther suggested that she still take Chemistry but not receive a grade. She would take the class simply because she “enjoys” it, and it would free up time in her schedule to take a class over Shakespeare. Professors allowed Esther to do this because they thought it signified “intellectual maturity.” Esther may not enjoy Chemistry very much because she is not really into numbers and equations. Because Esther is an English major, she is more interested in poems and stories and other tangible objects. Equations and the periodic table are concepts that are too intricate for Esther.