Huckleberry Finn and Holden Caulfield are two of America's most well-known fictional characters. Both The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Catcher in the Rye have been classics for ages due to their intriguing main characters. Although their situations are on completely different ends of the spectrum (not to mention time periods), these two characters are surprisingly alike in categories of self-image, language, and attitude toward society.
             Mark Twain and J.D. Salinger both used self-image as an important part of their novels. Huck sees himself as adventurous. "They all asked me questions, and I told them how pap and me and all the family was living on a little farm down at the bottom of Arkansaw, and my sister Mary Ann run off and got married and never was heard of no more, and Bill went to hunt them and he warn't heard of no more, and Tom and Mort died, and then there warn't nobody but just me and pap left, and he was just trimmed down to nothing, on account of his troubles; so when he died I took what there was left, because the farm didn't belong to us, and started up the river, deck passage, and fell overboard; and that was how I come to be here. (Twain 101)" He knows he can rely on his creativity to generate a believable story, as he did with the Grangerfords and many others. Huck knows that he isn't very important, but also realizes that he is better than crooks such as the king and the duke. Holden knows that he has a lot to learn about life. Holden sees his roommates at Pencey lower than he sees himself, but doesn't hold himself highly. In conclusion, Huck and Holden know they are not the most brilliant people in the world, but think that they are better than most and that they could be worse.
             Language plays a big role in both novels. Huck can be easily identified by his southern slang. Holden's wordy way of talking makes the book easy to read because it feels as though he is just cha...