As one of the most renowned and well-known literary critics in the world of composition, Harold Bloom presumptuously granted himself the privilege of specifying the reasons why we read. From human connection to self-realization to the acquisition of knowledge, he passionately and unquestionably adheres to the fact that "the strongest and most authentic motive for deep reading... is the pursuit of difficult pleasure." Bloom, as an experienced critic, fully recognizes the task of judging a book on its merits. Harold Bloom understands that we read not only to learn literary composition but also because “we need knowledge, not only of ourselves and others, but of the way things are.” This proves true essentially for all human beings for any great work of writing. Furthermore, this “difficult pleasure” is not entertainment or even frivolous enjoyment as one might initially assume. This difficult pleasure refers to exactly the opposite: to the need to improve ourselves, broaden our minds and somehow understand the world in which we live. Many authors who seek this understanding fail to meet their expectations and find themselves questioning life to an even greater extent. than they had before their efforts. An example of this would be the author and poet Sylvia Plath, whose novel The Bell Jar parallels the tragic events that occurred throughout her life. This coming-of-age story follows the life of Esther, a very bright and introverted student from Boston. She spends a month in New York City as a winning junior magazine editor, where the limitless possibilities for her future become increasingly overwhelming and intimidating. She soon realizes that, although she is intelligent and hardworking, she is completely... middle of paper... connection to Sylvia Plath is so strong that her story has become a means of coming to terms with elements of my own life. Her tireless spirit and persevering state of mind inspired me to define for myself my own inner worth, instead of allowing the approval of others to be responsible for characterizing who I am. The Bell Jar continues to inspire and enlighten its readers because it portrays a fascinating descent into mental illness. This great literary work achieves its goal of providing “hard pleasure” as it demonstrates how any issue, significant or trivial, can affect an individual on the deepest and most personal level. In the words of Harold Bloom, The Bell Jar, like every great novel in history, allows us to "read deeply, not to believe, not to accept, not to contradict, but to learn to share that unique nature that writes and reads..”