Similarities Between Catcher In The Rye And Into The Wild

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Being ostracized from society and attempting to fit in again is not uncommon. Many people have this happen to them in their teen years. However, already being accepted into society, only to ostracize oneself is something completely different. This is the difference between Holden Caulfield, from “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, and Chris McCandless, the american Hiker who traveled western U.S., and was immortalized in the movie “Into the Wild.” Both characters, along the path to their goals, encounter figures who act in a multitude of ways, encouraging, harming, or just talking to the protagonists. The lives and adventures of both characters are greatly affected by their families and those who they meet on their journey towards identity …show more content…

Holden does not have a very stable relationship with his parents, or his older brother. His parents wish for him to go to school and earn a future for himself but instead, Holden flunks out of any school he attends either to rebel against his parents or because he does not have the drive to do anything for himself. He also believes that his brother is a phony, selling out to Hollywood instead of using his talents as a writer for “better purposes.” Holden does like two of his family members, however. Holden loves his brother, Allie, and despite the fact that Allie is dead, Holden still loves Allie dearly and refuses to include the characteristic of “dead” when describing his brother. Holden’s other younger sibling, Phoebe, is the only other family member that Holden likes, calling her a good kid and insisting “You’d like her” (Salinger 39) to the reader. Only when Holden is face to face with her and talking does he get frustrated, but every other description of Phoebe is positive. Similar to Holden, Chris only seems to like his sister. Throughout the scenes of Chris being alone, he recounts times of quarrel between his parents. Many flashbacks also reveal that he has not completely forgiven his father of both having an affair with Chris’ mother, or treating her poorly even after his father divorced his first wife. His sister is the only one in the family who knew about Chris’ plan before he put it into action. Both characters have unstable relationships with their parents, as well as only liking their younger

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