Historically, humanity has been obsessed with discovering the nature of reality. Each person ultimately develops their own worldview based on their own beliefs, morals, and experiences. At some point in their lives, many people experience a radical change in perception that forces them to change this view, ultimately adopting a new perception of reality. This transformation occurs when we begin to question the fundamental nature of our own existence and that of the world around us. This realization begins with disillusionment with one's environment, continues with questioning the value of one's life, and ends with the acceptance of a new worldview. The novel The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is an example of one of the many famous works that chronicle paradigm-shifting psychological journeys. Plath's main character, Esther Greenwood, begins the book by addressing her disenchantment with the cosmopolitan life she once admired. After this bewilderment, Esther falls into a deep depression, finally attempting suicide. She deals with her physical and mental symptoms while committed to a mental institution. Esther finally comes to terms with her life, recovers from depression, and battles her demons to face the world again, ready to move forward with her uncertain future. Jean-Paul Sartre's Nausea also tells an emotional, psychological, philosophical and sometimes physical journey towards a new perspective on life and existence. Antoine Roquentin is a historian and world traveler who keeps a diary, Nausea, to chronicle his burgeoning outlook on life. Antoine begins to see things differently, detaching himself from his work, his peers and the world around him. As he begins to question the nature of... half the paper... intertext. Ed. Elizabeth Rechniewski and Ed. Alistair Rolls. New York: OldIsland Stamp Company, 2006. 105-121. Network. December 20, 2011. An essay from a respectable volume of essays analyzing the meaning of Nausea. This source provides context for elements of the novel, which can also be interpreted to apply to The Bell Jar as well. Plath, Sylvia. The bell jar. Norwich: Jarrold & Sons Ltd., 1978. Print. A contemporary, semi-biographical novel, The Bell Jar details a college student's downward spiral into depression and attempted suicide, and her heroic struggle to regain normalcy. Sartre, Jean-Paul. Nausea. New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1964. Print. An essential part of the existentialist pioneer's canon, Nausea expresses the fundamental ideals of existentialism in a fictional format, describing the existential crisis of a solitary historian in 1990s France. '30..