The Bell Jar and Catcher In The Rye In the book The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, a young adult by the name of Esther Greenwood tells her story of her everyday struggle with life. Her coming of age is very difficult, and she does not know where she fits in society. In The Catcher and the Rye, Holden Caulfield also is trying to find his way in life. He too faces many mental and social challenges. In both novels, these characters go through many struggles to find their path in life. In both books, Holden and Esther were in a stage of their lives that proved to be very difficult mentally on each of them. Holden, at the age of sixte