Portrayal of the Individual

A detailed Summary of Portrayal of the Individual

The theme is indubitably one of the most important parts of literature. It not only sets a mood for the story, but also states a point. In many works of literature, one can find identical themes. Though the theme may be the same for both works, they are often represented in different ways. In The Grapes of Wrath, By John Steinbeck, and The Catcher in the Rye, By J.D. Salinger, the theme of the individual and society are evident. Steinbeck chooses to represent society as a necessity to make things work. Throughout The Grapes of Wrath, Ma Joad keeps enforcing the idea of unity. In her mind, as long as the family sticks together as a whole, everything will be fine. Salinger on the other hand expresses individualism and society in different perspective. The main character of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, is the perfect representation of the individual. As he journeys on his own into New York City, he must endure life alone with few people to turn to. Salinger doesn't straight out state that conformity and society is the best way of life. He does however, through the eyes of a sixteen-year-old boy show that being rebellious and alone isn't always the better path to take.

Steinbeck once said "I believe that man is a doubl

Though drastically different from Steinbeck's depiction of the theme, The Catcher in the Rye is a great representation of the individual and society. Salinger portrays the idea of being an individual as an adventurous, but hard life. The main character, Holden Caulfield, may very well be "at best a sorry specimen of a rebel" (Pinsker 21). This sixteen-year-old boy goes on his own to New York City in search of his younger sister, after being kicked out of school. You can say he was forced into this individualism when he was expelled from Pencey Prep. But throughout the book we learn that "he swears, lies, smokes, and seems to take pride in being an 'underachiever'" (Pinsker 11). All these things make Holden an outcast and an individual in what we consider the utopian society. Unlike Steinbeck's idea of a perfect society where everyone works together, Holden is forced into a society where all he can find is confusion.

e thing - a group animal and at the same time an individual. And it occurs to me that he cannot successfully be the second until he has fulfilled the first" (Bloom 52). In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck shows us that in order for people to be happy on there own they must work together first. Throughout the work society was split in to two categories: the family and the migrants in the camp. In both representations of society, it is stressed that working together as one will accomplish more than simply working as an individual. Ma Joad emphasizes and represents the idea of family unity. Steinbeck reveals to us that Ma

after meeting the camp manager (Steinbeck 420). This further proves the idea that being in a community filled with people who are willing to work together is much more productive and positive then being on your own.

society that seems to be equally rejecting him. Salinger created a character that has every reason to rebel and become an individual. Thomas Reed Whissen explains that "His family, for one thing, has come apart at the seems. There is no longer a unit he can rejoin. The various educational institutions he has attended promise one thing and do another. This, they become things from which he must disengage himself

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Approximate Word count = 1462
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English