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Julia And Catcher In The Rye Comparison Essay

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In The Age of Miracles, the protagonist, Julia, attempts to hold onto the present, pushing away the threat of the future, while in The Catcher in the Rye, Holden remains affixed to his past, struggling to extricate himself from its grip. Both protagonist’s lives have been altered by occurrences beyond their control, which causes them to struggle to find harmony in their lives. Julia’s world is shaken when as event known as the slowing begins, offsetting all future plans. Contradictorily, Holden is more concerned with the matters of his past, and focuses often on the events that have passed rather than those that have yet to come. But one entity unites both Julia and Holden: the search for a sense of self and home. With so many events out of …show more content…

Her mother, Helen, is a former actress turned teacher, whose beauty and theatrics are still resonant in her being. Her father, Joel, is a hardworking doctor who specializes in high-risk births and still dedicates time to his family. Julia is an only child, a fact that indicates almost all of her parents’ attentions and affections are devoted to her. As the slowing proceeds to seep into the cracks in her world, Julia’s mother begins to grow sickly. Not much is known about the gravity sickness, yet its symptoms include dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and fainting. All of these symptoms begin affect Julia’s mother, only getting worse as time passes and days lengthen. Joel attributes this illness to fear or anxiety, and does not sympathize with Helen. This lack of trust and understanding causes a rift in their relationship. Then one day, something horrible happens as her mother is driving; she faints while behind the wheel. Julia recalls, “…the sudden slackening of her body, the rolling of her head, the way her hands fell from the steering wheel” (Walker, 143). During the short lapse of time, her mother strikes a man lunging into the street. Julia recounts how “Eyewitnesses reported seeing a bearded man, dressed in robes, howling Scripture on the side of the road” (Walker,

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