Theme of voluntariness in The Diamond as big as the Ritz and in The Catcher in the Rye

Both novels are critical about the society as both authors notice that world does not go into the right direction. F. Scott Fitzgerald gives the shrewd commentaries on the superficial society of 1920s America where people worship wealth and where wealth has replaced religion. In the 40´s J. D. Salinger criticise hollow middle-class morality. Both authors as narrators use naive teenagers on their way into adulthood.

John comes from the provincial place, Hades, which name suggests that the town is stuck far back in time. In summer John visits his new classmate Percy and discovers heaven. Deep in Montana mountains there is a diamond as big as the Ritz hotel. But as the story evolves we can see that wealth which has not been shared, has brought just the resentment and crimes. Aviators and mariners in the hole, blacks and Washingtons´ friends are all the victims of this obsession with wealth. But at the end of story, when the children manage to escape, it is shown that true happiness and freedom are not hidden in diamond mountain. Wealth can be its own prison.

Very similar idea can be found in Holden´s narration. We may take into account that he is overreacting, physically ill and psychically unstable, but even so he is right in one point. Our society is full of phoniness still today. Holden is different in one way. He is open-hearted, generous to the nuns, he talks even with Ackley who gets on his nerves, he is nice to children in the museum and visits his old teacher Mr. Spencer.

To sum up, Holden would be appropriate for our company in Peru, even though he would firstly need some help himself. We could take also John and Kismine to our journey, hoping they have taken some diamonds for charity. What all characters can provide us with, is finding that real value is hidden underneath. And they all have

courage to seek for it.



PS: Sorry for all mistakes, I am not used to write compositions in English ... :P