The Catcher in the Rye vs. Grapes of Wrath

Going along with the same topic, if I had to choose my favorite between the novels The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger and Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and Robert DeMott, I would probably pick Grapes of Wrath. They are two very different stories, but I liked a lot more about Grapes of Wrath than I did The Catcher in the Rye. One thing that I especially liked about Grapes of Wrath were the characters. Every one of the characters were relatable, and because I liked them I was more into the story. The Joad family was struggling for survival on their way out west to California, and even so when they got there because there was no work. No work meant no money, and no money meant no food to feed their family. Because I liked the characters, I wanted them to find work and succeed. I think that if readers enjoy or relate to the characters, they feel for them, almost as if there is a special bond or something. I legitimately wanted to Joad’s to be happy, and I did not feel the same way for Holden Caulfield, the main character in The Catcher in the Rye. I was into Holden’s story, but not in the same way. I found him to be annoying and he caused his own problems. Holden acted immature in his situation by running away from his fears. The Joads, however, used their fear as motivation and went head first into the problem to look for a solution. They worked and thought like a team, instead of being a loner like Holden Caulfield. Maybe a key word that makes a huge difference between my feelings towards Grapes of Wrath and The Catcher in the Rye would be sympathy. I had absolutely no sympathy for Holden because he created his own problems. I had the utmost sympathy for the Joad family because they did nothing wrong, and yet were still suffering. I can honestly say I can not wait to read Grapes of Wrath again.