The Butterfly Effect In The Catcher In The Rye

The game “The Butterfly Effect” is a game of chance that evolves into a game of skill. Players play short round where their actions are determined by a spinner and a set of cards that can negatively or positively affect the player. The player only has 7 moves, mimicking a limited lifespan. Each move moves them on a positive or negative route, each previous route affecting the next. When one player plays a perfect game, taking every positive route and becoming the 1%, that player is allowed to rig the deck of cards for the next round. Though this system may seem far from the cynical themes and conflicts Holden faces in The Catcher in the Rye, it is relatable to the book in many ways.
In the book, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is told early …show more content…
He considers the teachers, students, and subjects in general “phony”. This is largely a sign of immaturity, his inability to adapt to society and gain success. In The Butterfly Effect, the game is heavily dependent on education as a way to advance to the highest levels of the game. The game considers schools a valuable method to playing the game of life well and moving to the top of the board by the time the game ends. Education is one of the struggle Holden has with society, this game depicts the strong importance of it when playing the game of …show more content…
Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, considering it “phony”, a term for the artificiality of adult life. One of the major reasons Holden is not envious of his older brother, D.B.’s success, is because he finds that the actors often compromise their talents to please the audience and gain wealth and fame. In the board game, however, the goal is to gain the largest amount of societal success by following the path society deems brings you the farthest in life. Holden refuses to play by the rules in the game of life and ends up in a mental asylum for his hardship. The game of life mapped out in The Butterfly Effect largely mirrors the ideals Holden struggles against in The Catcher in the Rye. The Catcher in the Rye and The Butterfly Effect illustrate the issues between the individual and society, the importance of responding to the environment appropriately, and the role of education in playing the game of life. The two works, no matter how different, depict how the game of life is played by an individual, the board game acting as a guideline and the novel as the story of an individual who could not learn the