The Similarities and Differences Between Holden Caulfield, Nick Carraway, and Jay Gatsby Essay Example

Characters from totally different periods such as the 1920s and the 1950s can have different expectations, identities, beliefs, and morals and can still compare and contrast. The characters Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger are the characters in question. Holden Caulfield and Nick Carraway have completely different personalities but still share the same ideas, and Jay Gatsby and Holden are both known as “phonies.” 

Jay Gatsby was viewed as an overall good person and had a passion for loving Daisy and for bootlegging which was selling alcohol illegally during the prohibition era.  Holden had a very bad self-image, he was careless and switched schools often. Holden had no passion for life and completely expressed this throughout the novel, this is one crucial difference between Gatsby and Holden, which is that Gatsby is very charming, an independent dreamer, and who is gracious whereas Holden is depressed, and resents adulthood. 

One major similarity between Gatsby and Holden is that they would lie a lot. Gatsby lied about his past to keep his love for Daisy a secret until the end of the book, whereas Holden would lie for fun because his life wasn’t interesting enough for people to hear about it. Evidence of this is “I am the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life” (Salinger 16). Because Holden and Gatsby lie so much, they're known as phonies Holden uses this phrase a lot to describe others in the book but he is reflecting on himself. Holden and Gatsby also shared the need to hold onto what was once. Both characters grasp so tightly to memories in the past, and it blinds them to reality in the present day. Gatsby and Daisy had a relationship over 5 years ago and believe that having all the money in the world and the passion he has will win her back, but this isn’t true because Daisy has completely moved on from Gatsby. Holden lost his brother to leukemia when Holden was younger, and in the book, Holden refers to Allie as his favorite thing even when he is dead. Holden and Gatsby both want things to go back to the way they were years ago but as said in Great Gatsby “You can’t repeat the past” (Fitzgerald 116). Holden and Gatsby don’t want to believe this and their lives completely decline because they can’t comprehend the idea of change. “Certain things should stay the way they are” (Salinger 122) This quote is from Holden when he was in the museum, and he is referring to when Allie was alive. “I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before.” (Fitzgerald 129) In this quote, Gatsby is referring to life as it was with Daisy before they broke up. 

Nick and Holden have opposite beliefs and personalities but share the same ideas. This idea is that it is good for everyone, but Nick and Holden have very high expectations of people and hope, even though society lets them down constantly. Examples of this are that Nick immediately gets social status from the Buchanan and Gatsby, but once he got to know these people they were phonies. Holden is also let down by women in his life such as Jane and Sally. Another similarity between Holden and Nick is that they both distance themselves from people. An example of this is “Standing way the hell up on top of Thomsen Hill” (Salinger 2) This quote occurred when it was one of Holden’s last days at Pencey and there was a huge football game but he didn’t go, in this situation Holden ostracizes himself. Nick also commits social suicide by distancing himself from the Buchanans and Gatsby because they aren’t good people. Holden also wants to commit actual suicide or has many depressing thoughts about his death. “I felt so lonesome, all of a sudden. I almost wished I was dead.” (Salinger 28) This quote expresses how depressed Holden is and also compares suicide among both characters. The difference between Holden and Nick is that Holden lies all the time about things, and this would go against Nick’s beliefs. “I am of the few honest people that I have ever known.” (Fitzgerald 69) Nick and Holden compare and contrast each other greatly, and this quote is evidence of that. 

The message overall is that people’s experiences, expectations, personalities, dreams, and identities can be completely different, or even be from different periods but can also have similarities. Even if Nick and Holden hated each other because of their opposite personalities, they have similarities. Holden and Gatsby are more similar than different but still share differences. In conclusion, these 3 characters compare and contrast each other.