Catcher and Huck Finn

            I have finally finished The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and have now moved onto The Catcher In The Rye. I have not ventured very far into the latter, but I already like it better The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This is mainly due to the ease of reading, which can be traced back to where the books take place: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is in the south and The Catcher In The Rye takes place in the north. The different dialect in these two regions of the country accounts for the ease of reading, and is why I prefer Salinger’s novel to Twain’s.

            The diction is not the only reason why I prefer The Catcher In The Rye to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: I can relate to Holden much more than Huck. Although both characters deal with the pressures and problems of society, Holden is easier to sympathize with because I have never had to journey down the Mississippi River with a runaway slave (yet), but I have had to deal with annoying people and situations—much like Holden does. I also really like how blunt Holden is about everything that goes on around him. “I hate this” and “He is annoying” and “He is a phony” just cracks me up. If Holden does not like you, he will let you know!

            With that being said, however, I believe Holden is extremely lost. He is always criticizing the situation and other people because he cannot figure out who he is yet. He is grasping to find his identity. He continually puts others down to make himself higher. Instead of waiting to judge someone or trying to look at things in a different light, he automatically goes to the negative. This is a bad habit, and could be due to all the traumatic things that he has gone through. Holden is a dynamic character in comparison to Huck, and is more relatable. I suppose I should read more about Holden!