When they asked some old Roman philosopher or other how he wanted to die, he said he would open his veins in a warm bath. I thought it would be easy, lying in the tup and seeing the redness flower from my wrists, flush after flush through the clear water, till I sank into sleep under a surface gaudy as poppies.
In Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar," an old Roman philosopher's response to how he wishes to die reflects a deep contemplation of mortality. He imagines a serene death in a warm bath, allowing the tranquility of the moment to wash over him as he passes away. This imagery evokes a sense of peaceful resignation, illustrating a longing for a gentle end amidst the chaos of life.
The protagonist envisions this death...
