The Impact of Discrimination and Alienation on Society
Discrimination and alienation are two major contributing factors to whether or not a society is able to work together and be one. In the novels Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, discrimination and alienation play a key role in the failure of their societies. Of Mice and Men tells the story of George and Lennie, two men who work on a ranch together. Numerous characters throughout the novel experience discrimination and suffer because of it. Holden is the protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye whom self-alienates himself from society. Discrimination, self-alienation, and alienation in general all lead to the downfall of society in these works. Even …show more content…
Holden constantly pushes everyone around him away while in reality he pushes himself away. By calling anyone who has been exposed to the adult world a phony, Holden justifies his actions of protecting himself from the outside world. “One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies.” (Salinger 17). This quote shows how Holden justifies his action of leaving Elkton Hills. Pencey Prep and its headmaster, Sally Hayes, Lillian Simmons, Mr. Antolini, Stradlater, his brother D.B., Sunny, and the girls at the bar are just some of the many people Holden call phony. Holden believes everything is phony, even himself. One of the main reasons Holden intentionally withholds himself from society is as a result of the death of his brother Allie. Throughout the whole novel, we hear stories about Allie and how unfair his death was. “That 's what nearly drove me crazy. All the visitors could get in their cars and turn on their radios and all and then go someplace nice for dinner-everybody except for Allie. I couldn’t stand it” (Salinger 172). This quote shows how Holden feels it is unjust that Allie died at a young age and did not get to experience the things living people get to today. Allie’s death is why Holden calls everyone, including himself, a phony. It upsets him that all the phonies of the world get to …show more content…
The discrimination, self-alienation, and overall alienation in Of Mice and Men and The Catcher in the Rye prevent unity. In Of Mice and Men it is evident that discrimination like Lennie’s prevents the characters to fit into society, while in The Catcher in the Rye instead of discrimination preventing an integrated society, Holden’s self-alienation distances him. If the characters in these works were free from discrimination and alienation, they would live in a united
Discrimination and alienation are two major contributing factors to whether or not a society is able to work together and be one. In the novels Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, discrimination and alienation play a key role in the failure of their societies. Of Mice and Men tells the story of George and Lennie, two men who work on a ranch together. Numerous characters throughout the novel experience discrimination and suffer because of it. Holden is the protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye whom self-alienates himself from society. Discrimination, self-alienation, and alienation in general all lead to the downfall of society in these works. Even …show more content…
Holden constantly pushes everyone around him away while in reality he pushes himself away. By calling anyone who has been exposed to the adult world a phony, Holden justifies his actions of protecting himself from the outside world. “One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies.” (Salinger 17). This quote shows how Holden justifies his action of leaving Elkton Hills. Pencey Prep and its headmaster, Sally Hayes, Lillian Simmons, Mr. Antolini, Stradlater, his brother D.B., Sunny, and the girls at the bar are just some of the many people Holden call phony. Holden believes everything is phony, even himself. One of the main reasons Holden intentionally withholds himself from society is as a result of the death of his brother Allie. Throughout the whole novel, we hear stories about Allie and how unfair his death was. “That 's what nearly drove me crazy. All the visitors could get in their cars and turn on their radios and all and then go someplace nice for dinner-everybody except for Allie. I couldn’t stand it” (Salinger 172). This quote shows how Holden feels it is unjust that Allie died at a young age and did not get to experience the things living people get to today. Allie’s death is why Holden calls everyone, including himself, a phony. It upsets him that all the phonies of the world get to …show more content…
The discrimination, self-alienation, and overall alienation in Of Mice and Men and The Catcher in the Rye prevent unity. In Of Mice and Men it is evident that discrimination like Lennie’s prevents the characters to fit into society, while in The Catcher in the Rye instead of discrimination preventing an integrated society, Holden’s self-alienation distances him. If the characters in these works were free from discrimination and alienation, they would live in a united