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Esther and Holden: Best Buds Maybe


Holden and Esther would probably get along well if they met. First, they both constantly need to criticize and point out everything wrong with the world. Holden could easily follow Esther’s criticisms of Buddy as a “hypocrite,” as it so similar to Holden’s signature insult, “phony.” Esther and Holden also might make each other feel less “crazy” by validating one another’s perspectives. For example, they both feel that there is something wrong with the way 1950s society treats women, even if they do not exactly have the vocabulary to describe it. Such views can be seen in Holden’s conversation about Jane Gallagher, and much more strongly throughout the entirety of The Bell Jar.
They might disagree about other matters, however. Holden tends to be dismissive of any kind of formalized event: he lays into everything from the football game to the Christmas performance. While Esther often skips these events, it is not necessarily because she dislikes them, finds them “phony” or thinks they’re otherwise disgusting. While Holden tends to be overly cynical and see the negative in everything, Esther welcomes new experiences but does not often seek them out.

Comments

  1. NikaMarch 11, 2019 at 12:03 PM

    I hesitate to say they would really get along. I think if they were able to sit down and have a proper and honest conversation about both their struggles and frustrations with the world, they would find they have a lot in common. However, both Holden and Esther, in the point that they are in their novels aren't fully and deeply communicating with the others around them. Not to mention, a lot of Esther's issues with the world are deeply rooted in her growing feminist consciousness, and I don't think Holden has nearly as deep a grasp on the problems for them to relate to each other with that. I think the gender dynamic between the two and their separation from others would affect their ability to be close friends.

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  2. Sophia SchmitzApril 5, 2019 at 9:55 AM

    I think they would get along as well. They both want to be away from society. While it might be for different reasons I think they would find comfort in each other. Holden and Esther also come from very different background but they both has that no BS mentality.

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  3. EmmaApril 5, 2019 at 11:14 AM

    I think their inner monologues would get along. I make this distinction because, although we as readers are intimately familiar with their frustrations with society, neither character is properly equipped to communicate their frustrations. Neither of them has the vocabulary to describe what they feel and why they feel this way. Perhaps if they met when they were older, they'd have more luck successfully finding common ground.

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