The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath And The Catcher Of The Rye

People often inquire who they are; when asked a question such as this one, they hesitate. They consider every possible answer, despite their response being so obvious. A person is made up of three major parts- their personality, the cultures that mold their personality, and their dreams. These three components are analyzed within the novels, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. These themes contribute to the evolution and demolition of characters, leading to events that create thrill within the two. In the novel, The Bell Jar, the prime character, Esther Greenwood, struggles to handle life in her own skin. She feels trapped in a glass bell jar with no escape because of her incapability to comprehend herself. For example, in chapter one Plath states, â€Å"‘My name s Elly Higginbottom,’ I said. ‘I come from Chicago.’ After that I felt safer. I didn t want anything I said or did that night to be associated with me and my real name and coming from Boston† (Plath 11). In this quote, Esther alters her life story demonstrating her lost sight of her true identity. In addition, Greenwood talks about losing control over her life as a wicked cloud rolls in, shadowing her every move. To further explain, Greenwood voices, â€Å"Only I wasn t steering anything, not even myself. I just bumped from my hotel to work and to parties and from parties to my hotel and back to work like a numb trolleybus. I guess I should have been excited the way most of the otherSh ow MoreRelatedComparison Of Depression In The Catcher In The Rye And The Bell Jar712 Words   |  3 Pagescases were Sylvia Plath and J.D Salinger. Sylvia Plaths The Bell Jar and J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye express two teenagers attempts to escape from repressive situations as well as the discoveries they make about humanity while ultimately discovering the insights they gain into themselves. Much too often, individuals, especially teenagers, are placed in situations where they are restrained from doing certain things or acting a certain way. Both Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in theRead MoreThe Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath1274 Words   |  6 Pagesnovel The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath the prime character, Esther Greenwood, struggles to handle life in her own skin. She feels as though she is trapped in a glass bell jar with no escape because of her incapability to comprehend herself. For example, in chapter one Plath states, â€Å"‘My name s Elly Higginbottom,’ I said. ‘I come from Chicago.’ After that I felt safer. I didn t want anything I said or did that night to be associated with me and my real name and coming from Boston† (Plath 11). In thisRead MoreUnreliable Narrator Of John Allen Poe s The Catcher Rye 1326 Words   |  6 Pagesreader. They might be unable to distinguish between reality and imagination. Or, they are stricken with insanity. Edgar Allen Poe’s character Montresor is a prime example of an unreliable narrator. As is J. D. Salinger’s Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in Rye. However, it can be difficult to distinguish between what is a reliable narrator, and what is not. An unreliable narrator is one who cannot be trusted to tell the story in a factual manner. Their narration should be taken with a grain of saltRead More Present the way in which imprisonment is presented in The Bell Jar1960 Words   |  8 Pagesis presented in The Bell Jar The bell jar is an inverted glass jar, generally used to display an object of scientific curiosity. Present the way in which imprisonment is presented in ‘The Bell Jar’ The bell jar is an inverted glass jar, generally used to display an object of scientific curiosity, contain a certain kind of gas, or maintain a vacuum. For Esther, the bell jar symbolizes madness. When gripped by insanity, she feels as if she is inside an airless jar that distorts her perspectiveRead MoreThe Hippie Counterculture Movement1751 Words   |  8 Pagescalamity everywhere; these children had their innocence taken at such a young age that they were hesitant to cross the door of adulthood. Holden Caufield struggles with his transition from adolescence to adulthood evident in the 1950s novel Catcher in the Rye. His inner tension stems from his unsuccessful approach in connecting with people condensing him into a lonesome character who fosters psychological issues. His problem, however, arises from the childhood trauma of losing his brother Andy. ThisRead MoreBelonging Essay4112 Words   |  17 Pagesorg/wiki/Cry,_the_beloved_country Picoult, Jodi My sister’s keeper AF Pilkington, Doris Home to mother JF Plath, Sylvia The bell jar AF Prichard, Katherine Coonardoo AF Rhys, Jean The wide Sargasso sea AF Rosoff, Meg Just in case YA Rosoff, Meg What I was YA Rushdie, Salman The satanic verses AF Sachar, Louis Holes JF http://www.louissacha r.com/HolesBook.htm Salinger, J. D. The catcher in the rye AF YA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye Sartre, Jean Paul Nausea AF Sebold, Alice TheRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 Pages(1929)[29] Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell (1936) Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1936) Native Son by Richard Wright (1940) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (1943) The Green Years by A. J. Cronin (1944) The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger (1951)[30] The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (for plot character Eustace Scrubb) by C. S. 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