The Catcher In The Rye, The Bell Jar, And

Critics often speculate whether the loss of a loved one of the loss of one’s self has a more decimating effect on a person. Commonly, The Catcher in the Rye, The Bell Jar, and The Yellow Wallpaper, by J. D. Salinger, Sylvia Plath, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman are used as examples to support either side of the debate. While each text is able to support both sides, the one that truly shines through in each source is the idea that loss of one’s self is more detrimental to someone than the loss of their loved ones. In each piece of writing, the reader is able to watch each character mentally deteriorate and attempt to reclaim themselves, or, lose themselves entirely in the process. Some of the mental decline can be attributed to the loss of a loved one, but because it led to the character losing themself, it should be considered a more harmful situation to be placed in. Although the loss of a loved one has a great impact on a person 's life, loss of identity has a significantly more detrimental and lasting effect because it leaves people without a purpose and inability to go on. While the loss of a loved one can leave negative impacts on a person 's life, the loss of themselves is worse because it leads to lack of identity which makes them unable to participate in

Although losing a loved one can cause one to lose themselves, the actual act of losing themselves is more detrimental because once the person inside them is gone, they cannot return to normal life afterward, like they would be able to had someone they loved died. This is evident because while losing Allie left a lasting impact on Holden, the way he lost himself the day Allie died was what truly led him to being depressed and suicidal as a teenager. Even though Esther lost her father, it did not have much of an impact on her, similar to the way Jane being separated from her baby had seemingly no meaning to her. Most prominently, those who lost someone can be found, but those who lost themselves cannot be