Book Thief And Catcher In The Rye Comparison Essay

Growing up is often a difficult part of life. During adolescence many people struggle with the idea of growing up and moving on. Additionally, many teenagers and struggle with losing their innocence and understanding the consequences and realities of living life on their own. While offering different perspectives on the topic, The Catcher in the Rye and The Book Thief both are both similar because they address the importance of innocence and how it is significant to one’s childhood. The Catcher in the Rye is a story written by J. D. Salinger that narrates the thoughts of an adolescent boy during a difficult period of his life. In this story Holden Caulfield is a teenager who struggles with the idea of growing up and moving on. This is evident in his obsession with people and events from his past such as his old girlfriend, Jane Gallagher.

While the majority of The Catcher in the Rye is written in first person, the majority of The Book Thief is written in third person. These different perspectives offer different attitudes toward innocence while stile portraying the idea that innocence is an important part of one’s childhood. Holden’s view of innocence is given from someone who has personally experienced growing up. The reader is more likely to relate to The Catcher in the Rye because all people experience a loss of innocence at some point in their life. Contrarily, The Book Thief is narrated in an unique, uncommon way. The concept of using death as the narrator is interesting because it offers a view into the human mind that many people have not heard of. It supports the idea that there are multiple ways to look at an idea while still conveying the same message. Altogether, while the point of view in The Catcher in the Rye was more relatable, the point of view in The Book Thief was more interesting and thought