Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye experiences horrors from his childhood affecting the relationships he forms with others. On the other hand, Esperanza Cordero from The House on Mango Street lives in a neighborhood where men have total superiority over women’s actions and behavior. Although Holden and Esperanza had to face many difficulties, it is the actions people take towards adversity that significantly creates their identity as shown through relationships and gender discrimination.
The adversities that Holden and Esperanza have shaped their identity and their beliefs through Holden’s relationships and Esperanza’s actions against gender discrimination. One’s relationships are shown through the connections people have with others and may differ in health depending on the type of person the characters are. Clearly, Holden desperately tries to find a relationship that will talk and listen to him; Holden finds Sally in addition to…show more content… Furthermore, Holden’s urge to run away from his problems is the reason why he is walking around New York and before ending up in a sanatorium, Holden realizes that he must face his problems which cause him to mature and shape his identity. Consequently, Holden first neglects his problems instead of facing them awhile Esperanza experiences gender discrimination and confronts the problem directly. Esperanza thinks that women shouldn’t be waiting to get older and fall victim to gender superiority, she believes that “Her power is her own.” and she starts fighting against this issue by “[leaving] the table like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the plate.” representing Esperanza’s will to go through problems and solve them
