Holden Caulfield And Asher Lev Character Analysis

Throughout the lives of both Holden Caulfield and Asher Lev, the past affects them in a dramatic ways. Both of their lives are shaped by individual experiences they encounter, throughout their early years. Despite the fact that Holden Caulfield and Asher Lev both are affected negatively by their distanced relationships with their parents, there is major variation in the affect of death and internal conflicts on Holden’s life today as compared to Asher.

Similarly, both Holden and Asher encountered issues with their relationship with their parents. In his past, Holden struggles to connect with his parents, and as a result he began to distance himself from them. He talks about the way his father “wouldn’t wake up” if you made noises, but his

mother on the other hand “had ears like a bloodhound” (Salinger 158). The lack of communication in his childhood now causes Holden to bottle up his feelings and is leading him into a stage of loneliness and depression. In the same manner, Asher is distanced from his parents especially his Papa. Throughout his childhood, his Papa always referred to his talent as a foolish act and a waste of time. The lack of support and relationship with his father causes Asher to become a so called painter that "paints good pictures and hurts people he loves" (Potok 348). Both Holden and Asher have issues with their parents, which has caused them to distance themselves from the world around them and to bottle up their emotions.
The internal conflict each boy faces has a large influence on their lives today, but these effects greatly differ in the life of Holden as compared to Asher.

Holden is going through a stage of depression and denial, as a result of the internal and external conflicts he faces. In the past, Holden struggles to accept his problems and therefore battles against himself and his thoughts. For example, the incident with Sunny shows us how the voices in his head constantly fight between the adult life and the teenage life. As a result of these conflicts, Holden struggles to grasp his purpose with his life. On the contrary, Asher Lev experiences similar internal conflicts against him and his beliefs that cause help him to understand his true identity. Throughout the novel, Asher struggles to be true himself and stay true to who is supposed to be. This conflict against himself helps him to realize his identity is as the son of his parents and the son of “the Master of the Universe and the Other Side”(Potok 348). Asher is put to the test against his own mind and in the end learns how to overcome his internal conflict. Both Holden and Asher experience internal conflicts, but each conflict left a different effect on each of their

lives.
The death of their loved ones affected both Holden and Asher in a dramatic way.
After the death of his younger brother, Allie, Holden is very distant from the world and society.

The “green ink” that Allie read when “nobody was at bat” symbolizes the effect his death has on Holden today (Salinger 38). At first Holden is engulfed with depression and loneliness and decides to isolate himself from the world. Later, towards the end of the novel, we can see a sense of hope and a change in mindset in the life of Holden. Holden now realizes that he can not feel depressed, but instead he has to step up and be an anchor in his sister, Phoebe's, life. Just like the carousel, Holden remains constant for Phoebe even when the world around him is moving and changing. The death of his brother causes Holden to go through a time of depression, but it also enables him to understand that his life has tremendous worth in terms of his sister. Despite the death of Asher’s uncle, he does not go into a stage of depression, but instead he begins to find the darkness in the world. The darkness behind the death and the painting of the crucifixion causes him to lose things that are of great value to him. Each boy is affected by death differently, but death itself causes great darkness in their lives

today.
The past has a great impact on the lives of both Holden and Asher. From the similarity of family life to the impact of self image and death, Holden and Asher are both affected in various aspects. Each individual encountered similar scenarios, but each scenario had different effects on their emotions and future.