Perhaps it means being in sort of a > vacuum. Beethoven lost his hearing. Or perhaps a state of depression, > confinement, mental institutions, the apparatus they use in electroshock > therapy. I'm just guessing here, throwing out some thoughts. I use to think > she was referring to Church Bells. > > ~rose
In Joni's case I do think she's referring to the silence of a vacuum. If I remember right, bell jars are large & heavy enough that they can withstand having all of the air pumped out from inside of them, thus inducing a vacuum. In space, no-one can hear you scream.... I read 'The Bell Jar' but it's been a long time ago. Plath described a state of mind in which everything was slightly distorted in that book. She likened her way of perceiving things to being under a bell jar. After having electro shock therapy, she said it felt like the bell jar had finally lifted off of her. This is going on very sketchy memories of a book I only read once quite a few years ago. Mark E.
