... to both self-identification and maturation. The Narrator in Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City, and Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, are two such characters. In Bright Lights, Big City, the Narrator escapes family and marriage problems, coupled with his monotonous career, through the use of drugs and participation in the infamous New York City nightlife of the 1980's. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden escapes problems at school and the societal pressure to grow up by running ... of yourself, of watching yourself in the world even as you were being in the ...

• Word Count: 3026
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School