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Growing up is never easy. Holden Caufield in the dark novel “Catcher in the Rye” and Conrad Jarrett in “Ordinary People” prove this point to be true. Together, these two books portray the lives of two teenagers striving to stay alive in the rigorous world they live in. J. D. Salinger points out how Holden is constantly angry with the world. He often seeks refuge from old friends, attempting to forget about both his past and his future. Judith Guest, author of “Ordinary People”, shows Conrad as a young man, confused and hurt by so many things such an adolescent shouldn’t have to endure. The two stories are both similar and contrasting in the aspects of family and relationships, loneliness and isolation, and their maturation throughout the novels. Holden creates a dark, isolated appearance from the very beginning of his tale when he tells of the football game with everyone in the school attending it but himself. After the death of his brother, Allie, Holden has sought refuge in his younger sister Phoebe. Although she is young, Holden often confides in her, feeling as if she is all he has left. He refers to her in the story, often wishing she were there to comfort him. To Holden, his parents are naive and, many times,