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Isolation In The Catcher In The Rye, By J. D.

Satisfactory Essays

There is a saying that is commonplace when talking about law and justice: let the punishment fit the crime. There is a large variety of punishments for crimes today, ranging from minor jail time and fines, to water and sound torture and even death. However, isolation is perhaps the most impactful punishment used by law enforcement today. While most punishments affect either one’s physical health or one’s mental health, isolation has the ability to affect both substantially if one is sufficiently exposed to it. This can be seen in The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, through the ordeals of Holden Caulfield, and Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, through the trials of Victor Frankenstein and his monster. Complete isolation …show more content…

In the same way, Victor Frankenstein feels very grief-stricken after learning of the events that led to the death of Justine. In reflection, he states, “I shunned the face of man; all sound of joy or complacency was torture to me; solitude was my only consolation – deep, dark, deathlike solitude.” The loss of Justine, who was a very close family friend, combined with the isolation from his family that he had been experiencing up to this point, produces a great deal of distress in Victor. Sadness can come upon a person in many ways: swiftly, gradually, or even immediately. Nevertheless, sadness always takes a toll on one’s mental health and without the unity and resolve of friends and family, it is very hard to overcome those negative effects on one’s own strength. In the same way that isolation can introduce sorrowfulness, it can also establish a sense of despair. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden attempts to break free from his isolation by going on a date with his previous girlfriend, Sally Hayes. Yet his hurtful words conclusively chase Sally away. During the date, Holden says, “’Look,’ I said. ‘Here’s my idea. How would you like to get the hell out of here?’”. Holden’s plea to Sally represents a desperate, yet fruitless effort to escape his loneliness and isolation but her reluctance to listen to what he has to say does the opposite for Holden. In Shelley’s book, the discovery of the

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