Similarities Between Catcher In The Rye And Ordinary People

In the novels, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and Ordinary People by Judith Guest, both Holden Caulfield and Conrad Jarrett experience internal anxiety. Both Holden and Conrad are about the same age and have problems within and outside the school walls. Their behavior problems originate because both Holden and Conrad have been traumatized by the loss of their brothers. The two experienced an abundant amount of stress within school grounds and outside of them, but had no one to express their feelings to. Although being from intact families who were well above average financially, the two struggled with communicating to their parents. Throughout the story we realize that getting over the loss of a loved one can be extremely difficult

as well as traumatizing. As the story progresses we see that feeling rejected by your family, or having suicidal thoughts can be destructive to the development of a teenager. This is shown through Conrad Jarrett and Holden Caulfield through the need for communication, the search for self identity, and the need of control thus healing them.
Holden and Conrad are both going through a very difficult time by experiencing the loss of a brother. After the death of their brothers, the two kept their emotions to themselves, never expressing their emotions. This was due to feeling inferior to their siblings, and feeling as if they weren’t cared for. Holden struggles with family and the expectations they have for him. He struggles in school, and is constantly transferred to other schools because his parents want him to go to a prestigious school. Holden is tired of being transferred from school to school because that's what's expected of him. Holden seeks escape, but unfortunately for him many of his plans do not work. His lack of communication with not only family, but with normal people is seen with his high temper. Holden’s temper is shown when he fights Stradlater for talking to the girl he likes. Holden only sees ugly in the world, attempting to protect the innocents of the children around him. It is easy to see that Holden struggles with his emotions and instead of expressing his feelings, he expresses anger. Just like Holden, Conrad, doesn’t have a good relationship with his parents. Conrad is traumatized by the death of his brother, who seems to blame himself for all the negative things happening in his family. Instead of expressing his emotions to his parents, he decides to keep the emotions within himself. This causes a buildup of stress and depression, which leads to Conrad to slitting his wrists. Both Holden and Conrad struggle with communication, and communication is essentially the most important thing when dealing with a loved one's death.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield runs away from his parents to avoid the expectations they have set upon him.

Holden searches for his self identity on this journey and the author, Salinger, does a great job in portraying Holden's search for individualism.Throughout the course of the story Holden strolls the streets on his own in searches for his identity. Unfortunately, Holden's mental state isn’t up to par; he begins asking and doing things that he wouldn’t necessarily do if he was mentally stable. He turns into a pathological liar,also developing a habit of drinking alcohol. Holden struggles with the transition into adulthood, wanting to protect the innocence of all the children in the world. At one point in the story, Holden is standing at the edge of a cliff; this is truly showing his search for himself. He struggles with getting past events, not knowing what to do with himself. Conrad, a character much like Holden, also struggles with the concept of self-identity. Conrad is a teen who struggles with the loss of his brother, as well as his self-identity. Conrad is a suicidal teen who just like Holden struggles with the transition between childhood and adulthood. Conrad feels like he is to blame for the loss of his brother, feeling as if he has no control. Fortunately, for Conrad his mental state gradually improves when his father recommends he see a doctor. After continuous visits Conrad begins to feel better, realizing that he can not blame himself for the death of his brother. His self-concept of himself improves thus he begins to feel

better.
Both Holden and Conrad struggle with the healing process of their brother's death, but Conrad seems to make more progress. Conrad's self-image improves when he begins to see a doctor and his healing begins. When Conrad takes the steps to seeing a doctor this is the biggest step in his healing process. Conrad knows that he is in a bad mental state before seeing a doctor, and realizes that he needs help. The first thing that makes Conrad more respectable than Holden is, that he allows others to change his life for the better, also listening to advice. Holden, however, struggles to heal because he is always pushing away help. He is engulfed in his own thoughts, which takes a dramatic toll on him. He struggles to heal, and never truly is able to make the transition from childhood to adulthood.

All in all, both Holden and Conrad struggle with more than the loss of their brothers. Holden is unable to make any drastic improvements and continues to struggle with himself-concept. He is unable to get past the death of his brother, which takes a negative effect on the rest of his life. Unlike Conrad, who is able to make positive improvements when he begins seeking help from a doctor. Conrad's self-concept improves and he begins making new friends, realizing that his brothers death isn’t entirely his fault. Although both Holden and Conrad go through very similar obstacles in their lives, Conrad, is able to make better improvements.