The Bell Jar & Catcher in the Rye: Methods of coping with society

“Among other things, you’ll find that you’re not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You’re by no means alone on that score, you’ll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now (Salinger 189). In The Catcher in the Rye, we follow Holden from where he was kicked out of school on his journey all the way home to his little sister. He stops at various locations and meets some old friends as well as some complete strangers, who he tries to make a connection with. The quote above is a representation of his status as well as an example of someone reaching out to him. Though the phrase specifically mentions men, women can be just as troubled. In Plath’s The Bell Jar Esther mirrors much of Holden’s experiences but the fact that she is female changes everything. Both novels have the protagonists face a world of phonies and each have a unique way of coping with those around them.

Intelligence is dwelled on in each book to not only build the character we are reading about but to also show that it doesn’t matter how smart you are. When Holden is speaking to his professor about the courses he failed, we see that he has no interest in school and the only class he passed was composition. His disinterest is so profound that he openly admits it with no regard to what society expects of him. “I can’t seem to get very interested in them although your lectures are very interesting. It is all right with me if you flunk me though as I am flunking everything else except English anyway (Salinger 12). Since the whole book was written by Holden from his asylum, we eventually see that writing has a therapeutic effect on him. In The Bell Jar, Esther is very goal oriented and has done very well in school. She studied botany because the idea of studying abroad on account of a grant and studying something that “seemed real to me (Esther)” (Plath 34) was what she loved. The only complaint she had was the way some of the course work presented itself. Though she passed with an A, she described Physics as being “these hideous, cramped, scorpion-lettered formulas…” (Plath 35). Intelligence is one of the first things to be addressed to show just how insignificant it is to the respective characters downfall. Both Holden and Esther end up employing their urge for knowledge in very different ways, but still end up on the same road down.

A common dream for most people is to be married and living happily ever after. For Esther and Holden though, it is quite difficult because they believe that cannot be secured in a world of phonies. Holden is quite young to be thinking of such things, but that romantic quality is still present when we see him in the hotel with a prostitute. When the prostitute begins to undress and get on with the business, Holden is not feeling it. He describes it as “Sexy was about the last thing I was feeling. I felt much more depressed than sexy” (Salinger 95). The fact that the prostitute doesn’t involve any romantic emotional quality only feeds on Holden’s idea of all those around him being phony. Similarly, Esther is confronted with a naked Buddy and explains that “The only thing I could think of was turkey neck and turkey gizzards and I felt very depressed.” (Plath 69). Esther believes Buddy is a phony because of his hypocritical letters he sends her from his TB clinic. Notice within the statements that Esther’s is more observant while Holden is strictly internal. Both however, are searching for that fullness and end up being very disappointed when it is put in front of them.

When one adopts an identity, it is meant to be a defining attribute of who you are and what you stand for. It is often agreed that identity shifts during the teenage years. There is experimenting with new visages, quirks, clothing styles, and so on. This is a natural part of figuring out who you are. Holden and Esther simply put on a mask. When Holden is on the night train to Penn Station, he sits next to the mother of one of the people he went to school with. When a conversation ensues, Holden gives the lady a false name, his reason being “I didn’t feel like giving her my whole life history. Rudolf Schmidt was the name of the janitor of our dorm.” (Salinger 54-55). Like that wasn’t enough, he goes on giving the woman false information about their son, who in Holden’s eyes was “Penceys biggest bastard”. I can understand not wanting to spill the beans about who you are but continuing with false information only distances yourself while promoting an identity you only created for that occasion. If Holden was himself with the lady he might’ve discovered something interesting, like where the ducks go during winter. Esther’s case is slightly different. When she goes out for drinks she says that her name is Elly Higginbottom and that she’s from Chicago. Before she spoke, she was very observant of how the people were behaving around her, and she didn’t feel very safe. Just after putting on her mask though, she said she felt safer. Where Holden lied for conversation, Esther does it so that she feels more secure with the people around her.

Both of the novels are Bildungsroman which echo each other very well. The Bell Jar is clearly a female version of The Catcher in the Rye. Esther is smarter, more observant, and in touch with reality. She lies from time to time, but her lying is there as a sort of shield that helps her cope with those around her. Overall, she has accepted to follow what society expects of her only to still fall in the end. Holden, on the other hand, isn’t very intelligent. He questions some aspects of his environment and lets only the real mundane parts bother him, like the whereabouts of the ducks. He lies to everyone around him and seems to enjoy putting himself out there. The two are nearly identical because of their downfall, and the fact they are a different gender changes the flow of each story dramatically.