Sample Conclusions

The ignorance of the human heart causes people to not think clearly and to commit unkind actions. Gene, Holden, and Elie had been ignorant to the evils they possessed and to the evils of others. They realized it was due to their own ignorance that they could not understand their own actions and the actions of others and not until they experienced the feeling of loss did they realize their ignorance and understand that emotions can cause actions.

The protagonists of all of these books undergo the learning that transforms a person from a child with no significant cares in the world to an adult, a seasoned veteran of the happenings of the world. This is certainly the case for these three boys, because all three of them gain something, but lose something in the process. They all gain knowledge of the world, but in the process, Elie loses his faith and his family, Holden loses the innocence of youth, and Gene loses his closest friend and a part of himself. We live in a world in which we tend to focus on the good things and ignore the less savory aspects of life, such as the inbred malice of humanity. The authors of the three aforementioned texts clearly are willing to move beyond what is easy to admit, and instead focus on that which saddens us. Unfortunately, oftentimes the truth makes us regretful, but it is something we live with in spite of that. In Night, A Separate Peace, and The Catcher in the Rye, Elie, Gene, Phineas, and Holden recognize the true nature of humanity, as all adolescents eventually will. This knowledge changes them forever.

The protagonists of Catcher, Night, and a Separate Peace find themselves lost in a world they don’t understand, maturing as they find themselves exposed to its dreadfulness. For the world is a place reflective of the nature of the people who live in it: dark, selfish, and hostile. If one wishes to maintain their individuality in such a world, they must be willing to take as great risk: setting one’s self as different labels them for retribution. In an attempt to preserve our physical existence, we end up losing that which makes life worth living, the very core of our individual existence. We become one faceless being in a crowd of many, and in doing so cease to be ourselves.

The protagonists of the three texts are all aware of the importance of innocence but also realize that one must mature and change in order to survive.  Holden is aware that change is inevitable.  Gene would like to return to the carefree days of summer but the idea that he has matured is importance to him.  Elie’s maturation was necessary for his mental and physical survival.  There is a natural longing for innocence but the entering into the adult world is a necessary part of growing up.