Similarities Between Billy Elliot And The Catcher In The Rye

Individual’s life is a journey of endless traditions that entails confrontation to obtain new perspective and understanding of self and the world. Most often than not, their personal transitions are impacted by others within their social spectrum. Stephen Daldry’s film ‘Billy Elliot and J.D. Salinger’s Bildungsroman novel ‘The catcher in the rye’ explores this notion through Billy and Holden, who are confronted by the stereotypes and norms of the society, triggering them to move out of their comfort zone and face reality leading to transformation. Each text relays the composers’ understanding of transition, allowing the audience to learn the significance of overcoming personal barriers and challenges of the world to experience growth and development.

In the film, alongside Billy’s transition, his father ‘Jackie’ re evaluates his perspective towards Billy as a ballet dancer. Initially, Jackie’s strong mindset of ‘ballet is only for girls’, influenced by the social stereotype and his family tradition of boxing reflecting the masculinity culture impacts Billy from dancing. In the mid shot, Jackie pressures Billy to really ‘take care of it (boxing gloves)’, allowing the audience to view Jackie and the society’s perspective towards gender roles. However, in the long shot of the boxing hall, Billy’s dancing is dynamic and there, Jackie recognises his talent in dancing. This confrontation leaves Jackie in awe, forcing him to reconsider Billy’s passion, acknowledging his talent. Overtime, Jackie ultimately breaks the social stereotype by taking Billy to the royal ballet school audition exhibited in a mid shot. The scene of Billy and Jackie in the bus on the way to the audition reveals his exploration of the country outside the world of Durham Country for the first time, depicting that his transition has occurred. From Billy’s transition, Jackie has not only experienced transformation but also gained a new perspective towards gender stereotypes. Transitions can be provoked by a simple interaction with one’s around you who are going through a

In J.D. Salinger’s Bildungsroman novel, ‘the catcher in the rye’, Holden struggles to transition from childhood to adulthood as he rejects the inevitable growth process. Unlike normal teenagers, instead of being curious about growth and developing relationships with others, Holden disconnects himself from society, believing that adults are dishonest and uninteresting. Thus, he gets challenged by the human nature of growth and social obstacles similar to Billy Elliot, who struggles with familial and social obstacles, influencing his transitioning process. In the novel, Holden’s family and culture expects him to be successful at a prestigious prep school and move on to the Ivy League. However, he does not see himself in that position as he refuses to accept the natural growth process and development. ‘Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.’ alludes to his pain with the loss of his brother, blaming that society has taken him away. Thus, he becomes frustrated against the social structure of time and growth. Ultimately, developing a sense of worrisome and fearfulness towards society. The provocative imagery ‘I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff…I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.’ portrays his idealism of childhood and his roles as the protector of innocence.