Growing Up-A Comparison

1000 Words2 Pages

Throughout many experiences we have all had the most astounding would have to most probably be the transition from adolescents to adults. There is no way that anyone can avoid it, if they want to progress on with their lives. “Time Stops for No one, Be you rich or poor...”.By reading the Catcher in the Rye and watching the movie Stand by me, the audience has been given this wisdom being able to experience it through the plots of both stories. However, the more profound realizations come from the recognition of the symbols in each story and how they relate to the main characters lives as a whole. In Catcher in the Rye and Stand by Me the main characters, Geordie LaChance (from Stand By Me), and Holden Caulfield (from Catcher in the Rye) are going through the change from adolescence to adulthood and many literary devices help them describe to the audience this change in a very personal perspective. These main points throughout the stories made by the use of theme, symbolism, and motif which are an important part of why J.D. Salinger, author of Catcher in the Rye, and Stephen King, who originally wrote the story for which Stand By Me is based on were so successful in capturing attention of people going through the change and giving them wisdom with the knowledge they provide within the stories.

One of the main parts of each story that showed similarity were the parts that related to symbolism. Even though each novel had its own significant symbols, many correlated from each story. One of these examples would be the symbol of Allie’s baseball glove, from catcher in the rye, and the hat of Geordie’s brother. They both symbolized how both main characters had matured into finer adults after they had gone through the pain of their loved...

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...ealized that experiences happen and that time doesn’t wait so you have to just keep moving on. The mood was heavily affected by each of these characters narration of each story and seems to take a reflective outlook throughout the duration of each story.

The symbols, themes, and overall mood from each of these stories were great influences on the overall similarities between each story. The meanings of all of the items they held, their transition into adult hood, and the analyzing of their pasts in hindsight makes each story very similar to one another and thus gives reason for comparison. This journey that each of these children went on was a last taste of innocence before hitting the harsh true world of adulthood and the journeys that they went on will also be attributed with the great memories they provided for each of these characters, much like in real life.

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