We, as individuals are able to relate to both Holden from The Catcher in the Rye and Esther from The Bell Jar in a way that most people have trouble explaining. Esther and Holden exhibit similar experiences of alienation from their society because of a sense of disassociation from those around them, the need for understanding, and an assurance of morals in their life.
Holden finds it hard to relate to the people that surround him. Most people he finds to be “phony” and has very little respect for them. “This next part I don't remember so hot. All I know is I got up from the bed, like I was going down to the can or something, and then I tried to sock him, with all my might, right smack in the toothbrush, so it would split his goddam throat open,” …show more content…
Holden himself wants to protect the innocence of children. His goal is to keep them from experiencing the real brutality of the world they live in. He is less focused in what he wants to accomplish as a person, and instead wants to save the purity in children. “I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be. I know it's crazy,” (Salinger 51). Esther however, wants to protect both herself and the morals of society. “But when it came right down to it, the skin of my wrist looked so white and defenseless that I couldn't do it. It was as if what I wanted to kill wasn't in that skin or the thin blue pulse that jumped under my thumb, but somewhere else, deeper, more secret, and a whole lot harder to get,” (Plath 63). Through Esther’s depression, the audience learns about the disturbing treatment of the mentally ill. For example, we learn that Esther is prescribed with electroshock therapy from Dr. Gordon. This resembles the electrocution of the Rosenbergs in the beginning of the book showing that mental illness was treated as nothing more than a crime, rather than a condition. Throughout the rest of the book, people around Esther speak of depression as something one can get over with a simple change in their point of
Holden finds it hard to relate to the people that surround him. Most people he finds to be “phony” and has very little respect for them. “This next part I don't remember so hot. All I know is I got up from the bed, like I was going down to the can or something, and then I tried to sock him, with all my might, right smack in the toothbrush, so it would split his goddam throat open,” …show more content…
Holden himself wants to protect the innocence of children. His goal is to keep them from experiencing the real brutality of the world they live in. He is less focused in what he wants to accomplish as a person, and instead wants to save the purity in children. “I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be. I know it's crazy,” (Salinger 51). Esther however, wants to protect both herself and the morals of society. “But when it came right down to it, the skin of my wrist looked so white and defenseless that I couldn't do it. It was as if what I wanted to kill wasn't in that skin or the thin blue pulse that jumped under my thumb, but somewhere else, deeper, more secret, and a whole lot harder to get,” (Plath 63). Through Esther’s depression, the audience learns about the disturbing treatment of the mentally ill. For example, we learn that Esther is prescribed with electroshock therapy from Dr. Gordon. This resembles the electrocution of the Rosenbergs in the beginning of the book showing that mental illness was treated as nothing more than a crime, rather than a condition. Throughout the rest of the book, people around Esther speak of depression as something one can get over with a simple change in their point of