Struggles of Non-Conformity: Analysis of Chbosky and Salinger's Characters

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The inability to conform in society can lead to unhappiness and the feeling of inequality within one’s environment. In T he Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and T he
C a t c h e r i n t h e R y e b y J . D . S a l i n g e r , b o t h C h a r l i e a n d H o l d e n h a v e d i f f i c u l t y f i t t i n g i n t o s o c i e t y because of their inability to do what is deemed “acceptable”. Charlie and Holden often feel like outsiders since they lack participation in popular activities. This causes the two to have trouble making friends and not have company. Not abiding by society’s standards restricts their ability to discuss thoughts and communicate with the people around them. The struggle of not conforming to society makes …show more content…

Charlie and Holden both struggle immensely with fitting into people’s standards. This is hard for the two protagonists to deal with because they are non conformists and do not change to fit into society. The two feel trapped in a world where they will not be accepted for who they are and what they want to do. One cannot truly change who they are, so Charlie and Holden continue to be individuals. They struggle to form relationships in which they can be themselves. Although they go through many hardships throughout their teenage years, eventually they realize what is important to them, allowing them to form better relationships in the future. Charlie realizes that he needs to be more commanding in relationships and that he has to be himself. Furthermore, Holden realizes that he needs to appreciate people in his life because they have more value to him than he initially thinks. Holden and Charlie both need companionship and finally realize what it takes in order to achieve their goal. Throughout their journey of self realization, both Charlie and Holden go through many hardships with abiding to society’s social “norms”. However, being different from society allows Charlie and Holden to be able figure out what they

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