Critics often speculate whether the loss of a loved one of the loss of one’s self has a more decimating effect on a person. Commonly, The Catcher in the Rye, The Bell Jar, and The Yellow Wallpaper, by J. D. Salinger, Sylvia Plath, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman are used as examples to support either side of the debate. While each text is able to support both sides, the one that truly shines through in each source is the idea that loss of one’s self is more detrimental to someone than the loss of their loved ones. In each piece of writing, the reader is able to watch each character mentally deteriorate and attempt to reclaim themselves, or, lose themselves entirely in the process. Some of the mental decline can be attributed to the loss of a loved one, but because it led to the character losing themself, it should be considered a more harmful situation to be placed in. Although the loss of a loved one has a great impact on a person 's life, loss of identity has a significantly more detrimental and lasting effect because it leaves people without a purpose and inability to go on. While the loss of a loved one can leave negative impacts on a person 's life, the loss of themselves is worse because it leads to lack of identity which makes them unable to participate in …show more content…
Although losing a loved one can cause one to lose themselves, the actual act of losing themselves is more detrimental because once the person inside them is gone, they cannot return to normal life afterward, like they would be able to had someone they loved died. This is evident because while losing Allie left a lasting impact on Holden, the way he lost himself the day Allie died was what truly led him to being depressed and suicidal as a teenager. Even though Esther lost her father, it did not have much of an impact on her, similar to the way Jane being separated from her baby had seemingly no meaning to her. Most prominently, those who lost someone can be found, but those who lost themselves cannot be
Lessons from love and loss In life there is love and loss it happens to everyone. Sometimes life can be painful due to loss. And other times it is the greatest thing due to love. For example in Annabel Lee I think one of the many losses is the mind of the narrator.
In Robert Newton’s 2005 novel, Runner, the concept of loss is a common theme that occurs to many characters within the novel, with Robert Newton showing them to manage loss in many different ways. Some examples of how the characters have managed loss are by moving on and being resilient after experiencing loss, grieving the loss and having a stage of isolation, or having no option but to embrace the loss and live with it. Robert Newton has shown us how the different characters in Runner manage loss in many ways, expressing to us that loss is quite a complex concept and can be dealt with using various strategies. Within the Runner, we mainly observe the actions of Charlie Feehan after the loss of his father, with him being the main example of
Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words in books can kill. The influence of literature is overlooked when it comes to violence. Movies and video games are usually blamed for this type of aggressiveness, but rarely does one point their finger towards a compilation of words on paper. It is forgotten that books hold an incredible power over the mind. Whether it is the power of imagination, the key to new thoughts and ideas, or the development of new emotions, reading can change a person.
Holden Caulfield was very depressed and lonely throughout the entire book; what is something that a lot of depressed and lonely people do? They sing. The song "Basket Case" was sung by Green Day and originally written by Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool and is very similar to the book Catcher in the Rye which was written by, J.D. Salinger. The son explores the inner thoughts and feelings of a paranoid, depressed individual who seems to have many internal conflicts. The book, Catcher in the Rye, features Holden Caulfield who gets kicked out of school and wanders around New York City alone for a couple of days until he goes home for Christmas.
Life is the most simple and the most complicated thing throughout the whole universe. Every single day people are looking for meaning in their lives. However, not many people are able to find out what the meaning of their life really is. Some believe that there are multiple meanings for each person’s life. In the following books, each of the main characters are looking for the meaning in their own lives: The Catcher in the Rye, Into the Wild, In Cold Blood, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Throughout a child 's life, sooner or later they get thrown into the teenage experience which starts their transition from childhood to adulthood. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character Holden Caulfield is stuck in his childhood and does not want to grow up. He is a very complex character and has an odd way of dealing with his emotions; he doesn 't. When Holden is faced with a problem, instead of facing it and slowly working his way through it, he tries to get rid of it entirely. He does not want to be thrown into the real world and will do anything to not be put in those “adult like situations”. I believe that Holden’s issues arose about the time when his younger brother Allie passed away due to leukemia when he was only eleven.
In every aspect of society, there are social norms, a regulation or expectancy that dominates people’s morals, beliefs, actions, attitudes and behaviors. In J.D. Salinger’s 1951 novel, Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield defy societal norms, becoming an outsider who is searching for his place and meaning in the world. His world is full of what he calls, “phonies,” a person who is not genuine, will do whatever it takes to make themselves look good, and change their personality to fit into a certain group. Throughout the novel, the audience is taken on a journey with Holden through post-World War II New York. During that time period, the United States of America was an other-directed society; a society based on one’s ability to conform to societal
Holden Caulfield writes his story from a rest home to which he has been sent for therapy. He refuses to talk about his early life, mentioning only that his brother D. B. is a Hollywood. He then begins to tell the story of his breakdown, beginning with his departure from Pencey Prep. Holden’s career at Pencey Prep has ended due to his refusal to apply himself, and after failing four of his five subjects—he passed only English—he has been forbidden to return to the school after the fall term. The Saturday before Christmas vacation begins, Holden stands on Thomsen Hill overlooking the football field, where Pencey plays its annual grudge match against Saxon Hall.
Trouble in Society America up to the 1950’s endured many challenges such as World War II. During the 1950’s American society needed to reconstruct itself in order to overcome these traumas. Unfortunately because these changes were so difficult, Americans dearly wanted to turn a blind eye to reality. As a response to this disillusionment, writers such as Allen Ginsberg started the Beat movement to bring change in American Society. Catcher in the Rye provides space for Salinger to expose hypocracises while Holden explores to find his place in this pretentious society by representing the little buddha achieving zen.
There’s an innumerable number of things that can drive a person mad. For Holden Caulfield and Esther Greenwood the state of being caught between two worlds proved to be a deciding factor in their spiral of sanity. The Bell Jar and Catcher in the Rye follow the dismal lives of Esther Greenwood and Holden Caulfield. Although the struggle of being caught between two worlds was not the only reason both Esther and Holden become in a sense insane and progress toward a suicidal nature, it was certainly a contributing factor. Both The Bell Jar and Catcher in the Rye thoroughly develop how being torn between two worlds can have a significant toll on a person, which may eventually lead to depression.
Explore the way ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ by JD Salinger and Sylvia Plath’s ‘The Bell Jar’ convey ideas about disaffected youth? Disaffection is the description of someone who is dissatisfied or rebellious, upset with those in authority. Disaffected youth refers to younger people rebelling against society. Unhappy and cynical about the world and they can come across as estranged. When feeling ‘disaffected’ there are also feelings of alienation and a dissatisfaction with society and as an outcast.
In America, we grow up in a society that grooms us to become a successful and happy adult. A society in which people are able to say and do what they want. This freedom that comes with growing up can be too much to handle. As we grow up we start to realize the flaws in our society and the flaws within ourselves. This pressure to remain happy can have various effects.
(AGG) Many people have experienced the effects of loss, the way it can suck one into an endless black hole of grief. (BS-1) In Under the Persimmon Tree, Suzanne Staples describes how losing a loved one can shatter one’s heart, leaving them broken inside. (BS-2) Although loss can take, it can also give back by helping a person grow and mature. (BS-3)
Gwendolyn scuffed her foot against the path as she walked and turned her head to watch the small dust cloud disperse behind her in the wind. Her gaze fell on the rocky, cold-hearted hills that the road had led her over just minutes before and the scattered and unhelpful wisps that were the only clouds in sight. She had a strong urge to groan or sigh. Or run away, despite her exhaustion. The breeze, which had fortunately been present since a few hours ago when the hike had begun, seemed to be the only part of nature with any sympathy for her.
Jerome David Salinger was a world-renowned American author, mostly known for his novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951). His first major success, however, was the short story ‘A Perfect Day for Bananafish’, first published in a 1948 issue of The New Yorker magazine. It was later published as a part of the short story collection Nine Stories (1953) among eight more stories, one of which is called ‘For Esmé—with Love and Squalor’ (1950). Both of the stories include characters who are apparently suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, a mental disorder Salinger himself was a victim of, perhaps. Salinger wrote several books and stories and his writing style is quite unique—using swear and slang words not only in dialogues but also as a part of the narrative, and depicting character actions and their environments in detail in order to make them seem realistic.