Holden and Esther, towards the beginning of the book, are actually quite similar. They both are scared of their respective futures and both have a cynical view on the world. Both are lectured by adults that think they need to change their attitude, both do not like fake people (phonies in Holden's case and people who live double lives in Esther's), yet both create alternate personalities for themselves. Both are virgins at the beginning of the novel and each is obsessed with the idea of sex. Similarly, they both have awkward reactions when faced with sexual encounters. To a reader that has read both stories, they caould easily see the parallels between the two characters (especially in the first half of the novel) and one would think they would bond and become good friends over these similarities.
However, I think that if they met, because Holden is not able to hear or understand Esther's true feelings and thoughts or learn about her past experiences in life, he would probably judge her as a phony in the first few moments of meeting her. This is probably because, while Holden and Esther feel the same way, Esther knows how to "play the game" as Holden puts it. She has all As in her classes, scholarships from colleges, internships, and adults seem to adore her. This is exactly the type of person that Holden would probably dislike. a "goody-two shoes. " At first impression, Holden wouldn't know that she is actually the type of person to break the rules and go against the crowd, someone that Holden would identify with.
Only after he would have gotten to know her would he see her depression and outlook on the world. People are different then they appear and this is something that I think that both Holden and Esther need to learn this about life. Both seem to judge from first glance, I think that, in the beginning of both books, they are so wrapped up with their own worlds and problems that they would fail to see someone suffering from something close to what they are feeling. But maybe I'm wrong, maybe their similarities would create a strong enough connection to see through the masks both wear.
Holden and Esther could be great friends if they didn't judge each other based on first glance. The "Goody Two Shoes" description is a good way to sum up Esther's initial appearance. I made a lot of these same points in my last blog post. sp I think we are in agreement here ;) Its interesting, though that you find the most similarity between Holden and Esther in the first half of the Bell Jar.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that Holden and Esther don't like fake people and it got me thinking about how Esther doesn't like lies. She doesn't like Buddy's supposed hypocrisy (how he's not really how people see him). She doesn't like that the doctors lie to women about the pain of childbirth. She doesn't like the lies in the magazines (even insisting that the picture of the girl in the magazine isn't her-- which could be interpreted as her being anti-social or self-conscious or as some statement about how the girl in the photo really isn't her in some sense.) She even feels guilty about lying to her chem teacher.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the points you make in this blog post. Esther and Holden share so many similarities, yet would probably be the worst of friends. Esther plays the game extremely well and, like you mentioned, Holden would think her phony for this. I actually think that Holden might even skew Esther's decent into depression a a result of her phoniness. Or maybe he isn't that cruel...
ReplyDeleteThe biggest difference I saw between Esther and Holden in relation to their respective novels was their development. I personally found Holden to be almost unbearable as The Cather in the Rye went on. His relatability and fresh, no bullshit outlook on life slowly fades into an annoying disregard of the world around him. In contrast, I sympathized and became closer to Esther as The Bell Jar continued.
Reading both your post and other comments I found myself wondering (not for the first time) would either of these characters like /me/? I definitely agree that they're both quick to judge, going not much deeper than surface level before forming an opinion of another person. But I'm not sure what impression I give to other people on the surface level. In any case, I do see what you mean about the similarities in the first half of the novel. There are multiple scenes where I've found the setting and characters and maybe something about the language remind me heavily of Catcher.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Holden and Esther would be good friends, but like what Lyle said, if they didn't judge each other at first glance. I think the best way to describe it would be like meeting someone for the first time, and thinking that the other person is weird, and eventually finding out that they have common interests and from there become really close.
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