The Catcher and the Old Man

After analyzing both characters it seems that they are polar opposites but at the same time have common characteristics. Both of these characters, Santiago and Holden, display strength in different ways. Santiago shows strength in his physical capability and in his mental stamina to stay focused while Holden shows his strength in his opinions and how he voices them. But nonetheless both of the characters have strength and do things that show it. The other similarity in the novels is that both cause the characters to make a major realization about their lives. For Holden it is that he has to accept the responsibilities that come with getting older and becoming an adult even though he doesn’t like how it seems. For Santiago, it is that he has accomplished everything he needed to in his life to be at peace with himself so his life can end. The similarity is that both characters are doing something that opens up a new chapter in their lives. The difference is that one has just begun the longest and most important part of his life and the other has ended this part and is ready to bring his life to a close. The major difference in the two characters is their intelligence. On one end, Holden believes he is always right no matter what and always wants to voice his opinion, while on the other end, Santiago has a great amount of knowledge but keeps to himself about it. He has had a lot of experience but remains humble about it. Holden does not have much experience in life with many things but still acts like he knows everything that there is to know about anything and everything. Overall I think that the characters of each novel show similar traits, but have a lot of differences in personality and style. Maybe if Holden was as old as Santiago, he would have a different attitude and have even more in common with him. Maybe he would just be the same hardheaded person he was as an adolescent. Its hard to tell, but personally I think Holden would be a lot like the Old Man.