Isolation In Lord Of The Flies And Catcher In The Rye

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Isolation causes even the most joyful person on earth to decline to deep, dark places of horrid thoughts and actions. This feeling can lead to loss of self-worth and even suicidal tendencies. Isolation is portrayed three different ways in The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Although forced isolation and societal isolation can fiercely drag someone to appalling depths, self-inflicted isolation is the most gruesome to overcome. Ralph finds himself in forced isolation because he has no power over what occurs. When the boys’ plane crash-landed on the island, Ralph was automatically forced to take on a leadership role. He was not able to regulate the necessary resources that are crucial to the survival of the stranded boys. Ralph slowly becomes isolated from the savages as they transfer their loyalty to Jack. Golding writes, “The fair boy began to pick his way casually towards the water…the fat boy hurried after him,” (Golding 8) Even from the very beginning, the taking on of this role in society causes Ralph to overthink the situation, therefore resulting in the loss of trust from the other boys. He is then forced to befriend Simon and Piggy to …show more content…

He constantly attempts to “shoot the bull” also to “shoot the old crap around” and does not trust anyone with any of his ideas (Saligner 55-57). Holden is a closed book that is nearly impossible to open. He gives Stradlater the opportunity to see a part of him that is sacred and unshared; it results in the tearing of a genuinely written essay. Holden thinks, “She probably knows what a phony slob he was,” (Salinger 3). Calling people phonies is Holden’s way of expressing his unwillingness to have faith in society with his secrets. This doubt of everyone that Holden encounters and his seclusion lead to gargantuan effects in his

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