Similarities Between Catcher In The Rye And The Bell Jar

Catcher and The Bell Jar " Two Coming of Age Novels While J.D. Salinger 's The Catcher in the Rye and Sylvia Plath 's The Bell Jar are two entirely different novels with different themes at first glance, both tell tales of teenagers who are coming of age and learning responsibility. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been kicked out of school and is trying to decide what he wants to do with his life. In The Bell Jar, Esther Greenwood tries to kill herself and is trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. In both novels, the protagonists are learning to grow up and take responsibility. Both are experiencing difficult situations and are dealing with them. Throughout both novels it can be seen that Holden and Esther are becoming better able to deal with their situations. While both novels deal with coming of age in different manners, the main idea of growing up is shown through the characters struggles to figure out what they want, looking at death, and examining the characters relationships with their parents.

Holden and Esther are both trying to deal with life changing problems in these two novels. Holden has been kicked out of school and is debating running away. Esther is depressed and has been put in an institution after trying to kill herself. While their problems are
In The Catcher in the Rye, the deaths of Holden 's brother, Ally, and a classmate, James Castle are discussed. Both of these deaths have a profound impact on Holden. Ally was not only his brother but also his best friend. While Holden feels that he is in a world that is surrounded by fakes, he views Ally as one of the few truly real people he has ever known. On the same note, James Castle stands up to some students who are bullying him instead of backing down, which earns Castle Holden 's respect for not being a phony (Salinger 170). Holden respects both Ally and