Catcher and the Rye and Siddhartha Essay - 980 Words

The novels Siddhartha by Herman Hesse and The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger show many similarities. One of the major themes in both novels consists of the main characters finding their self and journey through life. Their similar experiences consist of the relationships they go through, as well as the different people they meet in life and their personal views on society, which let the audience distinguish the affect on similar situations. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Siddhartha’s dream throughout the entire novel consisted of finding his own self, and to be united within the great Gods. quot;One must find the source within one’s Self, one must possess it.† (Hesse, pg.5) In his village many people admired him for his†¦show more content†¦All of the voices combined the sound of â€Å"Om†, which represented the unity of all things, universally linked to one soul. It let the audience know that Siddhartha had stopped desiring, and that he had no where else to go which signified that he finally found what he was looking for. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden experiences similar things. Holden, just like Siddhartha, leaves his friends and family behind as well. After being kicked out of many different schools, and experiencing his brother’s death, let Holden hold a very cynical and repressed way of thinking about everyone around him. The audience sees that Holden has difficulty getting along. He is extremely judgmental and overly analytical, which gets him into trouble a few times. Just like Siddhartha he experiences love and lust; however it enables him from happiness because of his outlook on life. Siddhartha’s outlook on life consisted of desiring and finding something new, which enabled him from staying with Kamala. Looking down upon and criticizing people represents a way of Holden making himself feel better and better than everyone else. By meeting new people, Holden tries to find ways to influence them, especially kids, from doing bad things such as drugs, sex , and violence. â€Å"I’m standing onShow MoreRelatedSiddhartha and The Catcher in the Rye Essay1024 Words   |  5 Pages†[1] Everyone faces adversity in their lifetime, and how one deals with the issues is what sets one apart from the other. In Siddhartha and The Catcher in the Rye, both Holden and Siddhartha face a barrage of issues. These difficulties, if not dealt with, can be debilitating; however, if the victim tries to resolve them, the issues become obsolete. Both Holden and Siddhartha face great adversity, these difficulties include: relationships, emotions, destiny, and suicide. While both characters dealtRead MoreArrogance in The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger Essay examples1767 Words   |  8 Pagesmean? According to merriam-webster.com (2014), the definition of arrogance is, â€Å"an insulting way of thinking or behaving that comes from believing you are better, smarter,or more important than other people† (Def. 1). In the novels The Catcher in the Rye an d Siddhartha, the main characters both possess the trait of arrogance, but both express the trait in different forms. The root causes for both characters arrogance are very unrelated, but both roots lead to the same ending. Two completely different