What if Holden and Esther met each other?
While there is no shortage of differences between The Catcher in the Rye and The Bell Jar , I couldn't help but notice that Holden and Esther shared several similarities. Both characters struggled with their inner thoughts and grew increasingly uncertain about their future while navigating through New York on their own. Given that the two stories were set in somewhat close time periods, I wondered if Esther and Holden would've been friends if they had crossed paths. When talking about Holden's relationships with others, it's critical to mention how judgmental he is. Holden deeply resents superficiality, or "phoniness." He admires children because they have yet to lose their innocence and remain untouched by the adult world. Would Holden consider Esther phony? Surely, he would be somewhat bothered by Esther's obedience within school and her academic success. Because Holden is immediately turned off by the idea of school in general, I doubt he'd see ...