The Catcher in the Rye and 6 Degrees of Separation Essay

The human condition is as far from reason and judgement as anything can be, it is what we have tried to explain for centuries and it is still a confusing maze we attempt and pretend to understand. Holden from The Catcher in the Rye and Paul from Six degrees of Separations help to explore the workings of the human condition, both boys are conflicted with their lives and have difficulty fitting into their society. However these two texts do put the boys in different positions in life, Holden has what Paul desires but it does not give him the love and care he unknowingly needs. Paul takes on roles that disguise his own traits and turns him into what he believes to be a person nobody can say no to. When he takes on these roles, he†¦show more content†¦This is evident with his underlying yearning for JaneGallagher but is too afraid to make any connection with her. Holden revels his isolation calling anyone with self-worth a â€Å"phonie† but in the end he is the biggest phonie of them all. The book the Catcher in the Rye appealed to young people everywhere, who felt pressured about growing up and living by societys rules, and to disengage from meaningful human connection. The realease of this book created a wave of disagreement and contreversy but many saw this book as a symbol of cultural oppression. The movie six degrees of separation also explored the consequence of alienation as a form of self protection, Paul is a gay black man living on the streets of New York with very little money, it is implied that his life may not have been filled with wealth and opportunity. He yearns for a life that will provide him with comfort and stability, he enters peoples houses and surrounds himself with what they have and for a moment he is able to pretend that what they have belongs to him. Paul creates a new identity for himself as a â€Å"son of sydney Poitier† as that is the only way that the rich would open their doors to a stranger and allow him into their lavish apartments. However his deceptive personality cannot be sustained,