Compare And Contrast Holden Caulfield And Chris Brin

Chris and Holden, two brothers from a different mother

In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a wealthy sixteen year old who is in confusion of where he belongs in life. Holden has gone to many top notch boarding schools, but the result has been the same at each one, the expulsion of Holden. He is going to down a slippery slope to adulthood and does not know how to prevent it. Chris Griffin, eldest son of Peter Griffin, is a fourteen year old who does not have a social life and academic career. Chris is seen as in his school as an outcast in his school for his lack of social skills and intelligence. Holden Caulfield is similar to Chris Griffin as they are both the failures of their families, but Holden

Holden and Chris have little to no friends and no girlfriend. The difference between them though, is that if Chris gets provoked, he will fight back while Holden will either back out of a confrontation or get beat up. Chris’s toughness is shown when he and his sister, Meg are confronted by a mob of high schoolers in the cafeteria, they are told they cannot be eat in the cafeteria, Megs want to leave, but Chris refuses to back down and says they are eating there. Then, when they get provoked, Chris and Meg brutally beat up every kid that are excluding them. (Season 16, Chris and Meg). Chris during this confrontation remains calm and defensive. Despite the numbers being against him, he will fight anyone who gets in his way. This quality to a person is negative in many ways, but it will give one respect. On the other hand, Holden’s fearful disposition is exemplified when he ponders about what he would do if someone stole his gloves, he describes the confrontation as such: “I’d have the damn gloves right in my hand and all, but I’d feel I ought to sock the guy in the jaw or something -- break his goddamn jaw. Only I wouldn’t have the guts to do it. I’d just stand there, trying to look tough. What I might do, I might say something very cutting and snotty, to rile him up -- instead of socking him in the jaw (99).” Holden is much different person than Chris in a state of inflament. When Holden is annoyed, he would rather use words to his advantage instead of his fists. This cunningness and lack of brutality is what separates Holden from Chris. Chris Griffin is impulsiveness and does think before he takes action while Holden will calculate the damage of every word and movement he