The Bell Catcher (cheesy, I know).

After only reading the first five chapters of The Bell Jar, there are already some parallels that are beginning to emerge between The Bell Jar and The Catcher in the Rye, specifically themes involving the characters.  Esther (the protagonist/ narrator), Betsy, and Jay Cee all show significant connections to characters in Catcher.  

Esther can almost be thought as a older Holden Caulfield, with her views on how the women at the Amazon and her magazine work place act so fake.  Unlike Holden, Esther tries to blend in and act like one of the girls, but she finds it hard and boring.  She confesses her amazement at how one of her friends, Betsy, is able to act like an energetic, cheery, magazine editor, while Esther is troubled by trying to find the purpose of all the work she has done in her life.  Like Holen, Esther realizes that life a game of which she is uninterested in playing.  It will be interesting to see how Esther will develop and coming of age (of which I assume will happen since we are reading this in a  coming of age class).  

Betsy can be connected to Stradlater.  Like Stradlater, Betsy has the ability to play and succeed in the game of life.  Betsy’s and Esther’s friendship goes on and off as Esther realizes that, as much as should would like to be like Betsy, it just doesn’t appeal to her.  

Finally, Jay Cee can be connected to Mr. Spencer.  In the beginning of Catcher, Holden has a serious conversation with Mr. Spencer, his history teacher, about how he isn’t applying himself in school and how that will affect him later on in life.  Mr. Spencer tells Holden that he needs to play the game that everyone else is playing, or he will suffer the consequences later on.  Similarly, Esther has a conversation her boss, Jay Cee, over what she wants to do with her life.  Jay Cee notes that she has been noticing how Esther may not be enjoying her work, and questions her if she knows what she wants to do next once she graduates.  This line of questioning stunts Esther for it is the first time she admits to herself that she hasn’t the slightest idea what she will do with her life.  She has found herself in a rut, where her old ways of drifting along just getting A’s in everything isn’t cutting it for her.  Although Esther is an accomplished young lady at this point, she isn’t enjoying her lifestyle, and is confused whether the magazine life is for her.

It really helped to read these two books one after another, because it’s nice to notice even the smallest parallels between them.  Although we already know the ending of Catcher and Holden’s coming of age moment, it will be interesting to see when Esther will come of age and how that will affect her life.