Lord Of The Flies, By William Golding And The Perks Of...

For me, coming of age novels always grab my attention contrary to other genres. Novels such as Lord of the Flies by William Golding and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky are among some of my most beloved. In my junior year, I read A Separate Peace by John Knowles for my AP U.S. History class while I read The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger over the summer. A Separate Peace explores the rivalry that can lie at the heart of many friendships and conveys the concept of individuality rather than conformity. Similarly, The Catcher in the Rye is the story of a teenage boy who despises the phoniness of society and fears becoming just another phony adult. Both novels share similar characteristics including their utilization of literary devices as well as protagonists who battle with preserving their youthful innocence while being forced to face the brutal reality of the adult world which threatens to make them mature too soon. Both novels, although more limited, contain differences such as the setting and the protagonists personality s. Throughout both novels, Salinger and Knowles both utilize similar literary devices to convey the overarching themes of their novels. One of the main literary devices used by both authors is symbolism. In The Catcher in the Rye, the Museum of Natural History of symbolizes the timelessness that Holden lives for, while the red hunting hat symbolizes his need for individuality. In A Separate Peace, the Summer Session symbolizes