The novels the Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger and the perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky are both coming of age novels. The Catcher in the Rye is set around the 1950s and is narrated by sixteen year old Holden Caulfield. Holden is very judgemental, especially when it comes to people he has categorized as phony. The perk of being a wallflower is set in the 90s and is narrated by Charlie who is a freshman in high school. Charlie is quiet, keeps to himself, and does not enjoy being the center of attention. As most adolescents attempt to find their place in the world they often find mentors to help guide them through conflict. Both Holden and Charlie search for the meaning of their lives, go through conflict, and find someone to help guide them. Both novels are coming of age books because the main characters search for meaning in their life. Holden has trouble staying in one place for too long, for example he has been expelled from four schools. This is because he is constantly searching for his perfect world that has no phonies. While he is trying to find a place with no phonies or adults he says:
I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. (Salinger 173)
Holden is describing to his sister Phoebe what his dream job would be, which is to stop kids from growing up. This shows that Holden’s perfect world is all his own imagination. Throughout the perks of being a wallflower, all Charlie wants is to fit in. He does this by being a good friend, “I’ve been spending a lot of time with Patrick these days. I really haven’t said much. I just kind of listen and nod because Patrick needs to talk.”(Chbosky155). Charlie notices that Patrick needs someone to express his feeling to. By becoming a good friend, Charlie hopes he will be accepted into their society of friends. Through the duration of both novels the characters are trying to find where they belong in the world. Holden believes that the meaning of his life is to be the imaginary the catcher in the rye. On the other hand Charlie wants to fit into the world rather than create his own. He finds that there is meaning to his life when he becomes friends with Patrick, Sam, and the rest of the group. In addition to finding meaning in their lives, Holden and Charlie experience conflicts. The Catcher in the Rye shows Holden always running away from his problems. One example of this is when he leaves Pency Preparatory early because he does not want to apply himself to his studies or face his problems. He also dislikes most of the people at the school. He then runs away to New York City to avoid his parents who will be disappointed when they find out he has been kicked out of another school. The perks of being a wallflower exemplifies conflict through the fact that Charlie has a hard time dealing with grief and fitting in socially. Charlie says, “I’m really glad that Christmas and my birthday are soon because that means they will be over soon because I can already feel myself going to a bad place I used to go. After my Aunt Helen was gone, I went to that place.”(74). Charlie is struggling with depression and it creates major conflict in his life, leaving him in a fragile state. Further complicating matters, Charlie causes problem problems in his group of friends:
After a week of not talking to anyone, I finally called Bob. I know that’s wrong, but I didn’t know what else to do. I asked him if he had anything I could buy. He said he had a quarter ounce of pot left. So, I took some of my Easter money and bought it. I’ve been smoking it all the time since. (139) Charlie has been away from his friends for a while and his depression is becoming worse and he smokes pot to deal with his internal conflicts. Both characters go through a significant amount of conflict in their young lives. Holden and Charlie find people to help guide them and make sense of their lives. In the Catcher in the Rye Mr. Antolini wants to help Holden get his life back together after he sees that something has changed. Mr. Antolini says to Holden, “I have a feeling that you’re riding for some kind of terrible, terrible fall.”(186). Mr. Antolini sees that Holden is not the same and the choices he is making know will affect his future. Mr. Antolini is trying to warn Holden about what the outcome of his actions might be if he doesn’t change his attitude towards life. Another person who tries to help Holden is Phoebe. She says to Holden, “You don’t like anything that’s happening...You don’t like a million things. You don’t.”(169). Phoebe also sees that Holden needs to make changes in his life if he wants his life to be stable. In the perks of being a wallflower, Bill, Charlie’s grade nine English teacher is extremely supportive of Charlie. He sees how smart Charlie is but also sees how troubled he is. Bill goes out of his way to help Charlie. He gives Charlie his own personal books to read because he wants to distract Charlie from his internal conflicts. Bill also encourages Charlie to get involved. This leads Charlie to get the courage to go to the football game where he meets Patrick and Sam. With the support of others Holden and Charlie are able to view their lives from a different perspective and make the necessary changes to create a stable life for themselves. In conclusion during Holden and Charlie’s process of finding meaning in their lives, they experience conflict but ultimately find mentors to stabilize and guide them through the tough times in their lives.

Works Cited
Chbosky, Stephen. “the perks of being a wallflower.” New York: Pocket Books, 1999 Print.
Salinger, J.D. “The Catcher in the Rye.” Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print.