Similarities Between The Joy Luck Club And Catcher In The Rye

Now with over 15 million copies in print translated into forty languages, “To Kill a Mockingbird” is highly regarded as a masterpiece of American literature. It stands strong beside bestsellers such as “The Joy Luck Club,” “The Catcher in the Rye,” and “Huckleberry Finn.” But what, one may ask, are the similarities between these chartbusters?

A reoccurring theme in these novels is the maturation of children. “To Kill a Mockingbird” we watch Jem and Scout mature into individual beings with a deep understanding of the world. In this book we can observe how personal experiences throughout our childhood mould and shape our being. In “The Joy Luck Club” we can experience the unique background each character has and learn how that background

Social issues such as prejudice of African Americans, sexism towards women, the discrimination of Chinese Americans, immigrants, the justice system, religion, poverty, and child abuse, arise. Holden in “The Catcher in the Rye” is an example of how a person often finds it hard to fit in with society. Holden is often afraid of society and social engagements overwhelm him. To avoid his problem he continually isolates himself by insulting others deficiencies and convincing himself he is superior. In “The Joy Luck Club,” the characters are mostly immigrants or children raised by immigrants so fitting in with American society is a common theme. “To Kill a Mockingbird” raises a theme of the importance of fitting in, especially with the character Boo Radley or Mr. Raymond. They both are different from society’s norm in their behaviours and are marginalized through a good portion of the book. “Huckleberry Finn,” follows much the same concept, as Huck is a poor, uneducated boy and society treats him like an

“The Joy Luck Club,” expresses the basic complications of the adult world from the pressure to make the most money, be the best at this, care for your family, and on top of that be the best spouse. In “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden fears the complications and complexities of the adult world and wants to stay a simple kid forever. It is his perception that adults lie, cheat, and steal, and they are all just “big phonies.” In “Huckleberry Finn,” we not only learn adults lie, cheat, and steal, we learn Huck knows more about the world then most of the adults even though he lacks guidance from his father or the community. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” this same scenario can be found because young Scout develops deep perspectives on adult situations better than the adults. As well she responds to most situations with a maturity most adults’ lack. These books all describe how the adult world is often complicated and difficult, as well as full of lies, deceit, and phoney people. The books also describe how sometimes an innocent child’s opinion can be smarter than a full grown