Comparing Catcher In The Rye And The Bell Jar

‘The Catcher in the Rye’ and ‘The Bell Jar’ are two comparable bildungsroman novels that handle the topics ‘loneliness and madness’ in ways typical to modern American Literature, techniques including irreverent humour and terse prose. Yet it must be considered that Plath and Salinger depict altered views on loneliness and madness. Whilst both authors are attentive to the superficial values of 1950’s America, Plath’s novel is individualised as it seems to focus on the darker side of society, inclusive of gender inequalities and social conformity. Salinger’s male protagonist centres on a tale of an individual’s alienation in a prosperous, post-war industrial economy, dealing with the social rules for the younger generation. Both Salinger and
Plath adopt a particular distinctive voice to focus their novels on an isolated and disoriented protagonist, in addition to introducing the key themes of loneliness, ill health and being at a distance from accepted conformity. Both authors use narrative voice to distinctly show the separation between characters and the world in which the novels are set, whilst simultaneously creating a world of loneliness and desperation for the reader to engage with.
Salinger’s choice of distinctive voice in ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ helps define characters within the novel, just as Holden Caulfield’s vocabulary characterizes his own self. Throughout the novel, Salinger’s narrative voice adopts a youthful, colloquial tone with slang; repeating ‘it killed me’. Such language as ‘royal pain’ and ‘bastard’ would essentially be opposing the conformity of 1950’s America, a society where taboo language was rare in literature, particularly from an adolescent narrator. This itself was unusual and could be received as Salinger giving a voice to the younger generation, the ‘voice of rebellion’. Besides conveying the distance between Holden and his peers, Salinger is potentially opposing the Christian context of his novel through Holden’s ___ narrative voice and language in order to centre the novel on the adolescent complications of loneliness and the transgression of society’s rules. Similarly, Plath has centred ‘The Bell Jar’ on a character whose age isolates her from surrounding characters, yet in this case the narrative voice has shown youth is problematic for Esther, as she is the ‘only freshman on a floor of seniors’. Plath is potentially drawing attention towards freshman,’ reinforcing the problems of being a singular woman in a male-dominated world. Plath’s continual use of isolating vocabulary, ‘only’ further demonstrates the distance from others that Esther’s character experiences.
To further define Esther’s character in ‘The Bell Jar’, Plath exhibits a frequent use of self-deprecation. The narrative voice tends to suggest desperation and harsh self-critique, considering she ‘felt like a prize idiot’ and constant longing for another appearance, ‘if only I had a keen, shapely bone structure’. Plath could be using this self-deprecation to psychologically reveal that the protagonist’s happiness and well-being depended on physical appearances, indicating a character that is primarily confused and troubled by her loneliness. This is a technique also exhibited by Salinger, as the reader is presented with a narrative voice that considers himself ‘so damn absent minded’ and has ‘very loud, stupid laughs’. Yet another argument must be considered, as Salinger’s narrative voice reveals an arrogant, pompous personality, as Holden regards himself as ‘the only normal bastard in the place’. Alongside the bitter opinions expressed on himself, Holden Caulfield demonstrates a similar critique towards all other characters in the novel. Narrative voice could be used by Salinger to isolate Holden from his peers, as Salinger is depicting a hostile character that considers the majority of other people to be ‘phonies’, particularly adults, including his own brother being a ‘prostitute’. Holden’s attitude accentuates the superficiality of 1950’s America, and even indicates an underlying problem in the character himself; a suffering that distances Holden from adult figures in the novel. Dealing with grief and mourning is a theme Salinger underlies in ‘Catcher’ through his narrative voice. Salinger himself was aware that he had established a protagonist that had a ‘personal, extremely discriminatory attitude’. Despite the comical way of presenting his opinions, Salinger is furthering the solitary life of Holden with limited interaction with others, including Holden’s own relatives.
Detachment from reality is a theme maintained throughout both novels, particularly by use of narrative voice. Using passive voice, Plath takes a retrospective view to supplement the metaphor ‘the bell jar is hung’, not only furthering the imagery of Esther being enclosed, but also suggesting that the discriminatory world represses her, showing ‘the oppressive atmosphere of the 1950s, and the effect this could have on an ambitious, high-minded young woman like Plath’ [Paula Bennet]. Potentially striving for the same effect, Salinger’s narrative voice is retrospective, and could be considered an indication towards Holden’s reluctance to surrender his youth- ‘I was 16 then, and I’m 17 now’. Combined with the frequent use of hyperboles in ‘The Catcher in the Rye’, Salinger could be insinuating the distance Holden takes from normal life, as Holden is depicted as a narrator that observes alone, from ‘way up on Thomson hill’. Whether to isolate mental illnesses from society or for readers to empathise with Holden’s passivity, Salinger’s objective of confining Holden in his own world is uncertain. A sense of social oppression is established in both novels, as similar to Holden, Esther feels herself ‘melting into the shadows’, considering herself much less worthy than her ‘terrific’ companions.
Correspondingly, a numbness is conveyed as Holden relates to ‘you felt like you were disappearing every time you crossed a road.’ Feelings of insignificance reiterates the isolated, reclusive theme of both novels. In ‘Bell Jar’, An intentional contrast between Doreen, who is ‘so white she looked silver’, and the dark, dismal appearance of herself ‘black shantung sheath... that was cut so queerly’ is established, furthering the sense of intense observation and leaving little time for understanding oneself. A narrator in this sense could be considered untrustworthy, particularly a narrator with such paranoia and self-disapproval, ‘he didn’t give me a second look’. In comparison, Salinger depicts a narrator that too could be received as unreliable. Frequent hyperbolising quote suggests a character that’s untrustworthy and incapable of conveying the true weight of loneliness and isolation. Whilst Esther does express a harsh critique or compliment on other characters within the novel, her inability to comprehend others could be Plath’s suggestion of her inability to find her true self, as she ‘never really understood Hilda’. Much of Plath’s narrative voice centres on either glorifying or disapproving of the actions and appearances of others, similar to the cynical outlook expressed
from the narrator in ‘the Catcher in the Rye’.
Furthermore, Plath develops the narrative voice in ‘the Bell Jar’ in order to depict the mental difficulties and instability Esther tries to overcome.
Intentional irony could be uncovered as the mature and scholar-like essence of writing together with an impressive range of vocabulary, juxtaposes the mental crisis the narrator is experiencing. Plath’s narrative voice employs an educated register, ‘I felt dreadfully inadequate’. Yet despite the conversationalist narrative voice with hints of dark humour, ‘there is nothing like puking with somebody to make you into old friends’, it’s significant that Plath chooses to retell the novel in a fragmented, non-chronological order. Plath place’s 'It hurts,' I said, 'is it supposed to hurt?'" In a completely unrelated piece of text, perhaps in order to assist in presenting Esther’s lonely and detached view from her ‘Bell Jar’, reminding the reader that this is a narrator with an unstable mind set. On the other hand, J.D.Salinger presents his narrative voice with no observable display of intellect, yet it’s significant that Holden makes constant referrals to educational novels he has read ‘Thomas Hardy’. Salinger hints at Holden’s intellect as a teacher himself notes he’s ‘in love with knowledge’. Nonetheless, Salinger insinuates that Holden is a character who is troubled by trivialities, despite his intelligence. In a child-like fashion, Holden wonders ‘if [the pond] would be frozen over when [he] got home, and if it was, where did
the ducks go’. Holden’s anxiety to know where the ducks have gone and the juvenile way Salinger chose to narrate Holden’s thoughts hints at the mind-set of the narrator in a dissimilar technique to Plath, yet with a similar outcome. If the pond is received as a metaphor, one would get a glance through Holden’s perspective of the world and how cruel and unwelcoming it is to its inhabitants.