The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath are staples in literature. Both novels make a commentary on a situation that many teenagers find themselves in; finding your identity and who you want to be. It is a situation that we have all had to deal with once in our lives. As difficult as it is by itself, it is made even more difficult by American culture. The Catcher in the Rye and The Bell Jar are both about the difficulties of finding your identity in a world that encourages conformity. Finding your identity is naturally a hard thing to do, especially during your teenage years in highschool when your decisions can change your whole future. We are pushed into this decision with very little opportunity, if at …show more content…
While the American dream is a uniform way of living that everyone is expected to follow, the melting pot is quite the opposite, as it encourages new cultures, ideas, and ways of living. America likes to pride itself as being a melting pot, however this just isn’t true, at least to the degree they claim. While America is full of different cultures, everyone is expected to live the same lifestyle. America isn’t a hodgepodge of cultures around the world, instead it expects everyone around the world to adapt to its own culture and lifestyle. We can see the lack of a melting pot in both novels. In The Bell Jar, the lack of a melting pot is portrayed as a suburban neighborhood. Esther returns to her home neighborhood, and claims she feels trapped by the identical houses and green trimmed hedges. Suburbia is a staple in the American dream, yet is the opposite of the melting pot. It isn’t diverse, its uniform. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s teacher Mr. Spencer says “Life is a game that one plays according to the rules” (Salinger, 12). This also opposes the idea of a melting pot. Instead of being a unique individual, you are expected to be blindly obedient and play the game of life already set out for you. This idea of a melting pot acts as a distraction from the fact that uniformity and obedience is celebrated over diversity and
The coming of age novels, The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, and A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles, both interpret the lives of adolescent boys journeying through their conflicts and inner confusion to reach the level of maturity. Salinger and Knowles both discern the literal ways a typical teenager grows up with the help of literary elements such as plot, setting, character development, conflicts, irony, symobolism, theme, and point of view.
Holden Caulfield, portrayed in the J.D. Salinger novel Catcher in the Rye as an adolescent struggling to find his own identity, possesses many characteristics that easily link him to the typical teenager living today. The fact that the book was written many years ago clearly exemplifies the timeless nature of this work. Holden's actions are those that any teenager can clearly relate with. The desire for independence, the sexually related encounters, and the questioning of ones religion are issues that almost all teens have had or will have to deal with in their adolescent years. The novel and its main character's experiences can easily be related to and will forever link Holden with every member of society, because everyone in the world was or will be a teen sometime in their life.
Ambiguity in literature after World War II reflects and explores issues of self and society. These two ideas often work against each other instead of coexisting to form a struggle-free existence. J. D. Salinger, Sylvia Plath, and Richard Heller illustrate this struggle with their works. These authors explore ambiguity through different characters that experience the world in different ways. Identity, while it is an easy concept, can be difficult to attain. These authors seek out ambiguity with the human experience, coming to different conclusions. Ambiguity becomes a vehicle through which we can attempt to define humanity. J. D. Salinger’s novel, Catcher in the Rye, Sylvia Plath’s novel, The Ball Jar, and Richard Heller’s novel, Catch 22 explore ambiguity experienced through an attempt to find self. Each experience is unique, incapable of fitting a generic mold created by society.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is an enthralling and captivating novel about a boy and his struggle with life. The teenage boy ,Holden, is in turmoil with school, loneliness, and finding his place in the world. The author J.D. Salinger examines the many sides of behavior and moral dilemma of many characters throughout the novel. The author develops three distinct character types for Holden the confused and struggling teenage boy, Ackley, a peculiar boy without many friends, and Phoebe, a funny and kindhearted young girl.
During this stage, Erikson believes that the individual’s successful identity formation relies on social, cognitive and physical maturation (Pittman, Keiley, Kerpelman, & Vaughn, 2011). The individual tries out different roles for who they see in themselves and who they portray to others, eventually committing to their own personal role and occupational choice. Pittman et al. (2011) describe the identity formation as “consisting of decisions, investments, and commitments tied to current and future roles, goals, and relationships.” Additional considerations for identity formation include the context of the culture which is available to the adolescent during this time. After successful resolution of this stage during adolescence, individuals will typically progress into Erikson’s Intimacy versus Isolation stage during young
It is widely agreed that Salinger’s Catcher in The Rye is unarguably the quintessential coming of age and initiation story . This story has been compared against Ellis’ Less Than Zero and T.S. Elliot’s Wasteland as being among the literature that best elucidates the alienation of our youth . The story of Holden’s transition into manhood has been compared against the American transition into consumerism after the world wars . The story has been elevated above bildungsroman to an epic of Odyssean proportion . Certainly the chronicle tackles Holden’s identity crisis to include the desire to be authentic . Adolescent development is explored through Holden’s exploits . Small details of the story, such as the name Caulfield, have been critically dissected as allusions . Most unusually, a critic even explored the relationship between the siblings, Holden and Phoebe, through the lens of feminism . Even though there are many different ways to look at Catcher, everyone agrees that this story employs the loss of innocence model of the fall from disillusionment and pain which leads to wisdom.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger supersedes the norm by staying painfully in the deepest part of the average, for it contains topics that people can relate to (such as, cynicism, nostalgia, and bitterness of life). One of the grand topics the novel discusses is an individuals identity, and how Holden Caulfields identity is shaped through the adversity he faces. Quentin Crisp once said “The young always have the same problem -- how to rebel and conform at the same time. They have now solved this by defying their parents and copying one another.” Holdens desire to be an individual (a rebel without a cause), hatred of phoniness, and guilt over Allies death creates a substantial conflict.
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...
J.D Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye is perhaps the most intriguing book in American Literature. The Catcher in the Rye’s theme of teenage rebellion has made it a focus in classrooms around the world. The author leaves much of the book for the readers own interpretation. Many people, especially teenage boys have related to the main character's thoughts and feelings, allowing this book to touch and influence those who have read it. Not only does this book reflect its time period, but it greatly influence an entire generation. This book exposes the social changes that occurred in the 1950’s. A culture that was once known for prudence quickly transformed into a new rebellious society.
chooses to listen to hear but when she tells them “ I feel better, I
Everyone in the world has their own identity, what is your identity and how you choose it? In the article “What Makes Up Your Identity?” which posted on a website, How to Adult by Tyra Marieze, she claims that generic, natural trait, environment, and nurturing influence are the factors of how people think who they are by themselves. Some people have a hard time adopting their identity because they don’t like the way people call them. Justin Maffeett, the author of “At 22, I Forgave Myself for 13 Years of Self-Hate” in Huffington Post, December 14, 2015. He informs that he hated himself because he is black and gay, and he hid his identity until he went to college, at last he adopted who he was and
There is one event that unites all human beings. This event is the process of growing up and becoming an adult. The transition into adulthood from childhood can be very long and confusing. As a kid most of them can not wait to become an adult but once you experience adulthood you miss your childhood. The novel Catcher in the Rye shows how a teenager on the break of entering adulthood can get scared. Through the main protagonist Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger captures the confusion of a teenager when faced with the challenge of adapting to an adult society. Holden is faced with many problems as some teens
The Critique of Social Issues in The Bell Jar and The Catcher in the Rye
This year summer assignment required students to read and analyze The Bell Jar written by Sylvia Plath, and The Catcher in the Rye written by J. D. Salinger. From there we are introduced to two characters, Esther and Holden. Both share multiple traits but are respectively still differ from each other. Because of their similarities, Holden and Esther go through similar struggles in life, therefore giving the books common themes. The three major themes that are covered throughout the novels are the search for identity, the American Dream, and the melting pot.
In Erikson’s Identity vs. Role Confusion stage, I thought, “Who am I?” countless times like many other adolescents. I occupied much of my time trying to construct a firm identity of myself, which I now realized did more harm than good. Letting myself explore different interests would have helped me find my identity than me trying to fake some firm identity.