A Misfit to Society: An investigation of the common struggle in Catcher and the Rye and The Bell Jar between the sexual ideals imposed by society

Society is often the curator of ideals, beliefs, and expectations among a vast number of unquestioning conformist individuals. It dictates a strict set of guidelines of which no one is to venture from, or they risk being labeled as social outcasts. These unwritten social laws affect every single individual, and often conflict with one's own beliefs particularly on the matter of sex, and sex-role stereotyping. Such a criticism is evident in the case of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, and Sylvia Plath's The Ball Jar. Both of the protagonists in these narratives represent a fundamenta…