The protagonist of the novel The Catcher in the Rye is Holden Caulfield. The entire novel is based on a short period of Holden’s life which he is describing to a psychotherapist. Throughout the novel we get the idea that Holden, is not living up to his potential, is angry at society, and is looking for love. The protagonist of the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie, shares many traits with Holden. Janie is an african american women, who is abandoned by her family, and left to be raised by her grandmother. Her grandmother installs a attitude of excellence in Janie, which leads to Jaine being outcast for much of her life. There are many similarities in the lives of Holden and Janie the major similarity being how both characters grow from
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At the beginning of The Catcher in the Rye Holden is a adolescent trying to act like an adult. He does things that an adult would do like smoking, and drinking, but at his core he doesn 't want to grow up. This is why Holden refuses to apply himself in school, and constantly drops out. Holden is also always looking for someone else to connect with, he is desperate for some sort of affection. This seen many times in the book, an example being when Holden invites a random Taxi Driver out for drinks, just so he can have someone to spend time with. As the books starts to near it 's end, we seen Holden began to evolve. His evolution can be credited to his little sister Phoebe. This is because at the end of the story he realizes that children must be allowed to live their own lives and mature, and adults must let them do this. This step forward is just what Holden needed to better his life. He then says he is going to return to school, and try to apply himself. This is a major shift from what he was doing in the beginning of the book. Janie also undergoes a transformation. In Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie is young girl who shows exceptional maturity for her age. She is defiant, curious, and courageous, and her grandmother sees this and encourages her attitude of exceptionality. She finds herself constantly being defined by the outside world, but never knowing who she truly is. She is also naive about the concept of love. In her first marriage she marries a farmer named Logan and she thinks she will fall in love with him because marriage leads to love, she finds out that this is not the case. This is her first step towards growth. She then meets Joe. Joe looks at Janie as a possession rather than a wife. He thinks of her as a beautiful trophy he can flaunt. In this marriage Janie, realizes that Joe doesn 't care what she wants in life and takes another step
At the beginning of The Catcher in the Rye Holden is a adolescent trying to act like an adult. He does things that an adult would do like smoking, and drinking, but at his core he doesn 't want to grow up. This is why Holden refuses to apply himself in school, and constantly drops out. Holden is also always looking for someone else to connect with, he is desperate for some sort of affection. This seen many times in the book, an example being when Holden invites a random Taxi Driver out for drinks, just so he can have someone to spend time with. As the books starts to near it 's end, we seen Holden began to evolve. His evolution can be credited to his little sister Phoebe. This is because at the end of the story he realizes that children must be allowed to live their own lives and mature, and adults must let them do this. This step forward is just what Holden needed to better his life. He then says he is going to return to school, and try to apply himself. This is a major shift from what he was doing in the beginning of the book. Janie also undergoes a transformation. In Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie is young girl who shows exceptional maturity for her age. She is defiant, curious, and courageous, and her grandmother sees this and encourages her attitude of exceptionality. She finds herself constantly being defined by the outside world, but never knowing who she truly is. She is also naive about the concept of love. In her first marriage she marries a farmer named Logan and she thinks she will fall in love with him because marriage leads to love, she finds out that this is not the case. This is her first step towards growth. She then meets Joe. Joe looks at Janie as a possession rather than a wife. He thinks of her as a beautiful trophy he can flaunt. In this marriage Janie, realizes that Joe doesn 't care what she wants in life and takes another step