Catcher In The Rye Comparison

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Comparison Essay
The coming of age experience is an important time in a person’s life. It is described as the time period in which a young person changes from a child to an adult. During this time, the person matures emotionally and physically. They become more understanding of the world around them. In “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden Caulfield’s life is in shambles after he is kicked out of school. In contrast, Esther Greenwood from “The Bell Jar” seems to have it all: a glamorous internship, high grades, and a successful career. Salinger and Plath express their feelings through the coming of age experience of their protagonists in their novels to illustrate the different backgrounds, the feeling of being insecure, and their similar attitudes toward superficiality.
In “The Bell Jar”, Esther Greenwood is a successful and intelligent student, who earned a scholarship into a prestigious school. She won a contest for a much sought after internship and seems to be on her way to a flourishing career. In contrast, “The Catcher in the Rye” features Holden Caulfield; who has been kicked out of Pencey Prep for his substandard grades. Although the two protagonists have different stories, Salinger and Plath display Esther and Holden’s feelings of insecurity and depression throughout their coming of age experience. Esther does not seem to fit in with the rest of the girls. Esther feels ensnared in her depression, constantly “sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in [her] own sour air (Plath 147)”. Her depression is worsened by the double- standard expectations of society and problematic relationships. Esther’s mother does not help either, wanting to forget her mental disorder, when Esther feels that “the world itself is the bad...

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... and Holden grow up in different ways, Salinger and Plath display Esther and Holden’s feelings of insecurity and depression throughout their coming of age experience. Esther’s depression stems from her feelings of inadequacy brought on by her failure to conform to society’ standards. Holden’s depression comes from his brother’s death and feelings of failure. Both protagonists are depressed and have feelings of insecurity. Although they disagree on various things, Esther and Holden dislike society’s standards and superficiality. Esther detests society’s standards that women should be pure until marriage, while men can do as they wish. Holden has a strong dislike of “phonies”; meaning people that are fake and only care about appearances. While Esther and Holden come from different backgrounds, they both have feelings of insecurity and refusal to conform to society.

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