It has been proven that the environment that one grows up with will affect that person's life forever. People, especially, help to mold the life of another person. The novels Ordinary People, by Judith Guest, and The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, explore periods of time in the lives of two teenage boys who are both changing because of the people around them. Ordinary People looks into the life of Conrad Jarret, a seventeen year old boy who lives with his mother and father. The Catcher in the Rye deals with Holden Caulfield, a seventeen year old boy who is returning home from school to his parents and younger sister. These two characters have similar and different situations with which to deal. Conrad's and Holden's thoughts and actions are influenced greatly by the deaths of their brothers, by their parents, and by the female figures in their lives.
             Conrad and Holden have a very similar factor in their lives; they each lost a brother to death. Their brothers, however, affected them differently. Conrad's brother, Jordan, died in the same boating accident which Conrad survived. Holden's brother Allie died of leukemia. Conrad feels guilty about Jordan's death because Conrad survived the accident. Conrad feels that Jordan should have survived the accident instead of himself. Conrad's therapist, Dr. Berger, describes Conrad as the "not-so-perfect kidâ€" who survives the accident, while Jordan is described as the "perfect kidâ€" who did not survive the accident. Berger feels that this is what is causing Conrad's incredible guilt, that at one point drove Conrad to attempt suicide. Holden does not feel guilty about his brother's death, but rather feels anger. He (pronoun) feels it was unfair that someone as honorable and pure as Allie was taken out of the world prematurely. Holden proves this when he states "...the night he died, ..I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of...