The obvious example is, of course, the quintessential 20th century coming of age protagonist-- Holden Caulfield. Holden's obsession with youthful innocence and his disdain for the "phonies" of the adult world demonstrates his ability to see past all the societal bullshit, and finds himself unable to cope with the box society has trapped him in.
Esther Greenwood shares Holden's disdain for how society has limited her-- and mirrors him in her psychological downwards spiral throughout the events of the book. Both Esther's and Holden's inability to cope with the self imposed limits society had placed on itself result in both of them going down a path of self destruction. However, while Holden seems to have finally accepted the status quo by the end of his narrative, Esther's fate is left more ambiguous.
Alternatively, Benji from Sag Harbor, sees how "everyone's faking it", but instead of rejecting society in turn, he chooses to embrace it. Unlike other protagonists, who completely withdraw from society, Benji is able to maintain some semblance of a social life, despite his acknowledgement that "everyone was faking it".
Jason Taylor initially tries to fit in with society-- he tries to join the Spooks, act cool, etc. However, by the end of the book, Jason has realized he needs to follow his own path, and make "his insides match his outsides".
Stephan Dedalus escapes the limits of Ireland, and in doing so escapes the 'duty' of being forced to keep his work Ireland focused, and the already established status quo he was being forced into by staying.
Finally, Ruth completely removes herself from society-- by being presumed dead and living as a transient, she casts off the weight of societal responsibility.
The struggle to come to terms with one's place in society is core to the coming of age experience. It's understandable then, for this motif to be repeated universally across the genre. It's how the character's deal with their struggle that truly defines them.
