In contrast to many women attending Smith College in the 1950s, Esther Greenwood from The Bell Jar does not come from a privileged background. Her family depends on her mother's salary as a typing instructor and Esther's full scholarship, which deprives her of luxuries such as pricey clothing, travel, and vacation homes. Consequently, Esther is left out of the college's primary social scene and can only truly integrate by marrying into it. Aware of this, Esther attempts various methods to connect socially—she dates Buddy Willard mainly because he is a Yale student; she babysits in Cape Cod to be around wealthy individuals; and she shops for discounted items at upscale clothing stores.

Compounding her difficulties, Esther begins to resent her financial reliance on her mentor, the affluent writer Philomena Guinea. Since she requires Guinea's backing for both her continued education and mental health care, Esther's frustration over her financial dependence grows, though she seldom voices this anger openly.

In other ways, Esther is quite similar to her fellow Smith students: she is white, educated, attractive, and hardworking. The irony in The Bell Jar is that despite sharing much with her peers, she remains socially detached from them.