Catcher in The Rye & One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Whereas Catcher in The Rye by J.D. Salinger and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey have a very similar theme of Coming of Age. The two novels differ by having the characters Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in The Rye and Chief Bromden in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest fight within themselves over Alienation vs. Isolation and Illusion vs. Reality.
In J.D. Salinger's Catcher in The Rye, Holden Caulfield is overwhelmed with a want for a feeling alienation. Feeling alone but also wanting to be alone in the world with no one he wanted or needed deal with. “I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes. That way I wouldn't have to have
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any goddam stupid useless conversations with anybody. If anybody wanted to tell me something, they'd have to write it on a piece of paper and shove it over to me. They'd get bored as hell doing that after a while, and then I'd be through with having conversations for the rest of my life.” (Salinger, 184) Holden wanted to become alienated from the world as a whole, never having the want to interact with another human being. He wanted to become completely deaf and mute to the rest of the world. Chief Bromden did not have the same choice. Chief never wanted the path he was on, he was just a normal person before he was introduced to a horrendous drug while serving his time in the army as an electrician's assistant. “I was an electrician's assistant in training camp before the Army shipped me to Germany and I had some electronics in my year in college and that's how I learned these things can be rigged.” (Kesey, pg. 29) Chief Bromden was just a normal man serving his country until he was constantly told how dumb he was, making him believe that he was stupid. As a reaction to this constant negativity, Bromden just stopped talking, so people just assumed he was deaf. Chief Bromden was isolated and Holden Caulfield wanted his alienation. Another contrast found in the two novels Catcher in the Rye & One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is Illusion vs.
Reality. Many times throughout the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Chief Bromden has many very realistic hallucinations. These hallucinations were caused by his experimental testing that he had done during his time in the United States Army. One of these hallucinations is a thick fog that covers the ward. “When it’s lit he sneaks a look up through the yellow cloud of smoke at the Big Nurse; he must take her silence as agreement because he goes on more enthusiastic and certain than before.” (Kesey, 34) This fog symbolizes Bromden's silence and how if he could just make it through the fog then he would be free from the ward and the Big Nurse. Holden Caulfield is struct with the opposite, reality. Caulfield sees people a little too real. Everyone he meets is a “phony”. Although Holden is still a child at the mere age of 16 years old when the novel begins, he is very adamant on not surrounding himself with people he believes are phony. Holden holds a very high standard in the sense that he does not want to be surrounded by phony people or even interact with phony people. “One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. That's all.” (Kesey, 12) This is Holden's self alienation that he is constantly bothered
by. Although these two novels differ vastly, the two come together with the common theme of being a Coming of Age novel. A Coming of Age novel is a novel that shows the growth from youth to adulthood. In Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the reader finds that McMurphy helps the patients find out that they can do more so much more than just listen to Nurse Ratched, he does this using his optimistic attitude and personality. With the help that McMurphy gives to Chief Bromden he begins to see that he isn’t just some deaf mute, he has the potential to be so much more. In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye Holden Caulfield realizes that everyone grows up whether they want to or not, yet it is not something that can be controlled. Holden realizes that although everyone grows up many people become “phony” in the process. These realizations are what make Holden come of age. Ken Kesey and J.D. Salinger have very similar writing styles yet contrast their characters pasts with different external and internal conflicts, being Alienation vs. Isolation and Illusion vs. Reality. These conflicts are fought by Chief Bromden with Illusion and Isolation and Holden Caulfield with Reality and Alienation. Both novels a Coming of Age, yet
Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye, the movie Pleasantville, and even in real life, a theme constant is the theme of protection of innocence. The Catcher in the Rye portrays the idea of protection of innocence through the main character of Holden Caulfield. Holden is a highly troubled boy, and is constantly getting kicked out of schools. However, there is one idea he is fiercely serious about. He explains this idea to his sister when she presses him about his life choices. “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids...and nobody’s around-nobody big, I mean, except me....What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff...I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all”(Salinger 173). This quote spoken by Holden is him
Throughout the history of literature, a great deal of authors has tried to reveal a clear understanding of the American Dream. Whether it is possible to achieve lies all in the character the author portrays. The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye stand as prime examples of this. F. Scott Fitzgerald and J.D. Salinger, the authors of these titles, respectively, fashion flawed characters, Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield, with one vital desire: the longing to gain what they can’t have; acceptance and the feeling of belonging. Each retaining characteristics that shows their differences and similarities in opinion of the world around them.
In the novel, Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is an example of a prosaic rich adolescent boy,with a pedestrian set of problems, but a psychoanalysis reveals that Holden has a plethora of atypical internal conflicts. Internal conflicts that other students at Pencey, such as Stradlater and Ackley, would not normally experience.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Vs. Dead Poets Society "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." (Robert Frost) In today's world there is no tolerance for the individual thinker. It is not acceptable to modify or bend the rules of society.
They say not to judge a book by its cover, as what is on the inside is more important than what is on the exterior. As a human race, one of the first things done is jumping to conclusions about people without knowing them thoroughly. The novels, The Catcher in the Rye and Prep by J.D. Salinger and Curtis Sittenfeld respectively, both portray this theme. Although the books do this in a different manner and convey different messages through this basic lesson, they both provide validity to the statement with realistic events occurring to teenagers. Sharing similarities in plot, the Washington Post makes a comment connecting the two protagonists saying, "Holden Caulfield would love this heroine." Holden and Lee, the male and female protagonists of the novels, both display the judgments people make through their narrations of the stories. Despite the similarities in the plot, characters and personality traits of the two, after getting to know Lee Holden would not want to pursue a friendship with Lee, by feeling negatively about her, contradicting the comment by the Washington Post due to her judgmental personality which mends easily to its surroundings.
Comparison of Book and Movie of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. & nbsp; One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is a book written by Ken Kesey to accomplish a certain mood within its chapters. The feelings and moods given in the book differ greatly from those in the movie because of multiple changes in character development. Each and every time a movie is produced from a book, the producers are forced to change parts of the story. in order to suit the audiences needs for a faster paced plot. It is impossible to capture every mood or setting which the author creates. What is lost can sometimes be the real meaning behind the story. & nbsp; The characterization of Chief Bromden is a good example of the changes made from book to movie. His past is a vital piece of information. contributing to the mood and understanding of the story. In the movie.
J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye is a compelling narrative on the themes of isolation and individualism. Holden Caulfield’s loneliness, a distinct manifestation of his isolation problem, is a driving force throughout the book. A majority of the novel portrays his almost frantic quest for companionship as he darts from one meaningless encounter to another. However, while his behavior is a stark indicator of his loneliness, Holden consistently shies away from self-reflection and therefore doesn’t really know why he keeps behaving as he does.
Throughout the Cuckoo’s Nest Chief Bromden is stuck in the “fog” living in his past memories. Bromden views Nurse Ratched as the time keeper, able to speed up or slow down the clock in turn making time unbearable at times. The only escape he has is the “fog” where time does not exist (Kesey 75). These hallucinations of the fog have Bromden believe that the other patients are lost in the fog as well. These thoughts are delusional of Bromden; however, metaphorically they hold true. Nurse Ratched maintains a status quo that tends to dilute the patients senses and her routine makes the time seem to go by too fast or too slow. These situations are the reason Bromden uses the fog to escape; it provides him a haven and often times a happy place where he reminisces of the times he spent with his father. Although the fog helps Bromden escape it also sometimes brings back memories of the war and the sounds he heard when he was under attack. There’s a similarity between the enemies of war and Nurse Ratched in which he feels he can’t be harmed when he’s hiding in the fog.
In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) The character McMurphy as played by Jack Nicholson, McMurphy’s is a criminal who is troubled and keeps being defiant. Instead of pleading guilty, McMurphy pleads insanity and then lands inside a mental hospital. Murphy reasons that being imprisoned within the hospital will be just as bad as being locked up in prison until he starts enjoying being within by messing around with other staff and patients. In the staff, McMurphy continuously irritates Nurse Ratched. You can see how it builds up to a control problem between the inmates and staff. Nurse Ratched is seen as the “institution” and it is McMurphy’s whole goal to rebel against that institution that she makes herself out to be.The other inmates view McMurphy like he is god. He gives the inmates reason to
Everybody'd think I was just a poor deaf-mute bastard and they'd leave me alone.” These quotes establishes to the readers Holden as a bitter character who thinks he is the only good guy stuck in a bad, fake world.... ... middle of paper ... ... After reading about Holden, I am inspired to be the opposite of him.
The world today is very deceptive and phony. J.D. Salinger’s well known novels, The Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey attack this fake and superficial society which is evident through the lives, ideas, actions, and words expressed by the characters in these literary pieces. The transition from childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood is inevitable. The protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield goes through this stage and finds himself in a crisis. He alienates himself from everyone who is around him and tries his best not to grow up. Holden often dwells upon his childhood and the life he had with his family. Franny in Franny and Zooey has already passed this stage but finds it difficult to live in a world where everyone she is surrounded by is only concerned with outward appearances. In these worlds, both characters, Holden and Franny, reveal their struggle of growing up and trying to live as an adult in a world full of deception and shallow-minded people who only care about appearances.
Many young people often find themselves struggling to find their own identity and place in society. This search for self worth often leaves these young people feeling lonely and isolated because they are unsure of themselves. Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger's main character in the book The Catcher In the Rye, is young man on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. One contributor to this breakdown, is the loneliness that Holden experiences. His loneliness is apparent through many ways including: his lack of friends, his longing for his dead brother, and the way he attempts to gain acceptance from others.
Lies, failure, depression, and loneliness are only some of the aspects that Holden Caulfield goes through in the novel The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger. Salinger reflects Holden’s character through his own childhood experiences. Salinger admitted in a 1953 interview that "My boyhood was very much the same as that of the boy in the book.… [I]t was a great relief telling people about it” (Wikipedia). Thus, the book is somewhat the life story of J.D. Salinger as a reckless seventeen-year-old who lives in New York City and goes through awful hardships after his expulsion and departure from an elite prep school. Holden, the protagonist in this novel, is created as a depressed, cynical, and isolated character and he expresses this attitude through his dialogue, tone, and diction.
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 the novels One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and The Magic Mountain there are many similarities between both novels. The novels are also alike in many ways including setting and plot. Both novels take place in a hospital-like place for the most part, and both narrators grow and learn from their peers while they are there. In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, the narrator Chief Bromden is in a psychiatric hospital and suffers from hallucinations. Ken Kesey tells a story of Chief Bromden, other patients such as Randle McMurphy, Billy Bibbit and more and the jarring Nurse Ratched (Kesey). Thomas Mann writes The Magic Mountain places the narrator Hans Castorp in a sanatorium in Swiss Alps to visit his cousin Joachim Ziessen:, however he can’t seem to leave the sanatorium as he becomes ill.