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Similarities Between Catcher In The Rye And Dead Poet's Society

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The Breach in the Cage of Conformity “Better to fight for something than to live for nothing”-General George S. Patton. Society has always put people into categories where some just do not belong, even till this day. Portrayed in both the novel of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and the film Dead Poet’s Society directed by Peter Weir, characters face the harsh reality of the roles society wants them to play. However, both stories convey the idea of stepping out of one’s role and being who they are, even if society does not agree. Both works develop the underlying theme of retaining to one’s true thought through cages society puts individuals in. The Catcher in the Rye focuses on a character named Holden, who by any means, does not fit society’s mold of a young adolescent. While on a date with Sally Hayes, Holden mentions how instead of dealing with all the phonies in the world, he would much rather run away with her and “stay in [some] cabin camps and stuff...until the dough runs out”(Salinger 77). Though quite unrealistic, instead of trying to fit the mold of getting a job and contributing to society, Holden believes the world is very much fake to the point where he would much rather escape the harshness and the cage, and run free in a cabin in the woods. His thought process is unlike any other individual in the society he lives in, and Holden would much rather stay true to what he believes in, and who he wants to be. Moving forward, when visiting Mr. Antolini, his former teacher and mentor, where he warns him of a “terrible, terrible fall” that may occur if he were to continue acting the way he did(Salinger 109). However, instead of listening and heeding Mr. Antolini’s warning, Holden chooses to continue thinking the way he does, concentrating on his own thoughts of how tired he feels. Holden’s view on how society wants him to be contradicts the way he wants to act. Holden would much rather do as he pleases when he pleases than let society decide for him. Instead of conforming to what society would want an adolescent to do, Holden puts his own thought and spin into every situation he faces. Dead Poet’s Society directed by Peter Weir featured a group of young individuals who try to find their

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