Similarities Between Catcher In The Rye And Black Boy

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Having a strong character is essential in a harsh world. In a terrible society that marginalises certain groups, a tough stature and resilience is necessary to survive. This can be seen in both Black Boy and The Catcher in the Rye, in Richard Wright and Holden Caulfield, respectively. Although they face different struggles, they both feel that society is inherently against them, and they have to toughen their characters to survive in the world. In Black Boy, Richard Wright writes about his life through the hardships he faced as a child to a young adult. With his words, the reader is given insight to the very different time period. The reader is with Richard through poverty and hunger, as well as racism and systematic injustice. Richard…show more content…
Even though Holden does not face any discrimination or hatred from society, he feels alone and isolated, and he thinks that no one will understand him. Holden thinks he is better than everyone else when he calls them all phonies. He tries to combat becoming an adult and facing the real world by isolating himself and trying to make it on his own without any help from his parents or friends. He wants to be able to make it on his own or not make it at all. Preferably, Holden would stay a kid forever, but he knows that at some point he must accept reality and become responsible, however during the novel, he acts carelessly and with no concern for his future. He was only concerned with what other people’s perceptions of him were, and he had to fight against everyone who told him he couldn’t do what he wanted. Holden also has the tendency to overthink and dramatise everything. This, combined with the reality of facing a harsh world, is shown in the quote: “I am always saying "Glad to've met you" to somebody I'm not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though.” Holden always stuck to formalities even when he disliked someone, because he knew it was important for him to be taken
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