Comparing And Contrasting The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn And The Catcher In The Rye

Life for children without a secure home to live in is a rough and unstable way of living, especially when growing into maturity. The two novels, The Catcher in the Rye and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn show this lack of protection, as well as the maturity levels that affect both boys. Holden Caulfield is cynical when he gazes into the mist of a world that appears distorted. For Huck Finn, it is not the same because it is his conscience he struggles with. Both of these characters lack the sufficient guidance that they need to survive in society - it is their role models that help them through these issues as time progresses. Both novels show two boys growing up in a society that has refused to grant them a sense of security and a loving family. The authors show the complexity of the boys' struggles through their odd choice of role models that help them to grow out of their childlike behaviours.
J.D. Salinger and Mark Twain show the reader how people can see the world as a place where one has distrust for the integrity or motives of another person. This is shown widely through Holden Caulfield in the way he describes the people he comes into contact with. These are people who the reader would consider normal. "Ernie's a big fat collared guy that plays the piano. He's a terrific snob and he won't even talk to you unless you're a big shot or a celebrity or something, but he can really play the piano" (Salinger 80). What Holden says here makes sense on some levels, but no one can say something like that without even knowing the person they are speaking of. Holden's cynical ways of thinking are shown in several ways throughout the novel, mainly through the phoniness he sees in others. He is an honest narrator who admits his own faults and weaknesses which created a black cloud that has shadowed him from finding his true place in society. "I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and...