Similarities Between Catcher In The Rye And Unbroken

Setting goals is a valuable way to guide one’s self through life. Whether or not humans are trying to meet a goal, often translates into everyday life. This theme is portrayed through Holden Caulfield of Catcher in the Rye and Louie Zamperini of Unbroken. Both experience the highest of highs and lowest of lows at times that coexist with when they are working to achieve more in life. In the novels Unbroken and Catcher in the Rye, everyday life is bettered by having a goal as seen through the contrasting behavior of the characters during times in which they are working to attain more and times in which they have given up.
Though their goals are significantly different, Holden and Louie both lead healthier, more positive lives when they are focused …show more content…
Holden experiences instances such as this throughout most of the novel. Holden does not really know what it feels like to succeed for he does poorly in school and has no other real interests. His parents do not seem to be the encouraging type, leaving Holden to wander through the days. When Holden has no goal in mind, he occupies his daily life doing activities he does not enjoy with people he does not want to be with. Not working towards becoming a better person leaves him pessimistic and on edge. Like Louie, he often turns to alcohol. His feelings of uselessness due to his underachieving are so severe that he begs Sally, who he does not really like, to run away with him; having no goals means he has nothing to lose. Unoccupied, his mind wanders to horrible thoughts, greatly affecting his attitude. At one point, he admits he would kill himself but does not want people to see his gory, dead body. For Louie, the air force offered goals that could be achieved almost immediately through successful air raids. Without these missions to make him feel a sense of pride, he had nothing. Without the Olympics to train for, he had nothing. Louie did not know how to function in normal civilian life. Along with that, he was dehumanized to an extreme degree for years. Louie was led down a destructive path. When Louie went through periods such as these, “his mind began to derail” (Hillenbrand 360). He isolated himself from the ones who loved him most and befriended alcohol and cigarettes. Flashbacks of the camps plagued his mind. Jobless, he relied on unsecure investments to keep a roof over his head. With no goals, he was barely staying afloat. Having no goals to work for was detrimental to both Holden and Louie’s overall