the pressure to find a place in the world
A common feeling that adolescents face is not being able to fit in, which in turn makes it a common theme in coming-of-age novels. In many of the novels we have read this semester, including: Black Swan Green, Catcher in the Rye, and The Bell Jar they all experience feeling different than everyone else in some way or another. The feeling of not fitting in is essential to adolescence and growing up.
Firstly, in Black Swan Green, Jason doesn’t fit in because of his stutter and love for poetry, which both immediately make him different from his peers. He feels like he doesn’t quite fit in with everyone else, and this only intensifies when he is ostracized by his peers. The pressure from his classmates makes him want to change who he is. Similarly, in The Bell Jar, Esther Greenwood feels like she doesn’t fit in, but is because of her mental illness. I think that Esther’s is the most severe case of not fitting in because her feelings of not belonging in society affects her mental health severely. She also feels out of place because of the pressure she is under to conform to the traditional role women have, when she knows that is not right for her. From constantly comparing herself to other women because of the immense amount of pressure she is under from society, she becomes mentally unstable.
Lastly, In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden feels like he doesn’t fit in, but it is in a different way than Esther and Jason. It seems like he doesn’t feel like he fits in in society because he doesn’t want to be a part of it. But as you look into it deeper, you realize that Holden actually does want to fit in. He copes with this by rebelling against society, whereas Esther and Jason cope with this by trying even harder to fit in with society,
A common theme amongst all of these characters feeling like they don’t belong, is how society and the people around them add pressure and make them feel like they don’t belong even more. The pressure from society to fit in makes their adolescence even more difficult and confusing. At a young age, people are just beginning to figure out who they are, so the pressure to find a place in the world is more intense than ever.
I like this theme you've connected within these books. I like how you mention that Holden tries so hard not to fit in on the outside, but actually does on the inside. Phony much? Lol. A similarity I noticed between Holden and Esther is that they both kind of think they're alone on the path they're walking. The same could be said about Jason's situation; however, I think Holden and Esther kind of give off the vibes that they WANT to be alone on their paths.
ReplyDeleteI agree that a lot of teenagers and young adults struggle to fit in. For Catcher in the Rye, I remember one of the notebook prompts being "what advice would you tell Holden?" I think that to each of these characters who are all experiencing the isolation of coming-of-age, someone should let them know that many others feel the same way. I think that each of the characters would react differently, though. Esther knew that Jane was in a similar boat but almost chose to isolate herself from Jane even more. In a way though, I think discovering themselves away from the crowd is important for their growth.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you've connected the books we read this semester and I definitely agree that Jason, Esther, and Holden all have a very different approach to fitting-in. I like that you connected Esther and Jason specifically, but I think they all share some aspects with each other. Esther and Holden separate themselves from the rest of the world consciously and Holden and Jason are both sometimes naïve, but they're kindhearted and really care about the important people in their lives. It's interesting to analysis the overlap of their personalities. Great post!
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