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The catcher in the rye summary essay
Analytical essay the catcher in the rye
Character analysis the catcher in the rye
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In the majority of novels, the main character must venture out on a journey. This is not necessarily a literal expedition; instead it is a process by which the hero develops within a situation. This monomyth, as identified by Joseph Campbell, outlines a series of stages that the hero must complete along this quest in order to return home with their, literal or metaphorical, reward. In many ways, a bildungsroman novel displays the hero’s journey of a youthful character who embarks on a quest, through which they mature to adulthood. Some novels, such as Jane Eyre and Great Expectations, fit the paradigm for a hero’s journey quite neatly. The main characters from the two books complete every stage and experience a fairly formulaic journey. Holden Caulfield, however, is quite a bit more complicated, and does not follow the monomyth as neatly. …show more content…
For example, in a stereotypical hero’s journey, the hero will, after receiving the call to adventure, momentarily refuse it. Eventually, they will accept the quest and continue onwards. Adversely, The Catcher in the Rye is a story about Holden futile attempt to avoid entering the adult world. The quest, in and of itself, is a refusal of the call.
Additionally, in a typical hero’s journey, a mentor figure guides the hero near the beginning of the story and sends them on their way. Holden, comparatively, cannot find a mentor. There are some, such as his teachers, who attempt to guide him, and others to whom Holden reaches out, like the taxi drivers and Luce. However, every individual who could take the position proves themselves to be phony or uncaring. The closest person that Holden has to a mentor his young sister whose guidance encourages him to come home and begin entering
Foster’s characteristics of the QUEST are the quester, the destination, the purpose, the challenges along the way, and the reason behind going to the destination. In The Catcher in the Rye Holden is the quester who begins his journey by being kicked out of Pencey Prep. He decides to go on a trip instead of going home and revealing to his parents that he has been expelled. Staying around New York is a challenge in itself, and by the end of his trip Holden realizes more about himself. Some of the challenges he faces are his immaturity levels getting in the way of certain tasks and his loneliness. At the end of his trip Holden begins to have a new sense of maturity, and is ready to grow up.
Successful heroes in literature must overcome plenty of obstacles in order to finish their journey. In fact, the journey of a hero in literature is characterized by 12 specific stages: ordinary world, call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting with the mentor, crossing the first threshold, tests and allies, approach, ordeal, reward, the road back, resurrection hero, and return with elixir.1 The Grapes of Wrath is an allegory for the hero’s journey because the Joads experience each of these stages on their trek from Oklahoma to California.
Jerome David Salinger’s only novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is based on the life events shaping main character, Holden Caulfield, into the troubled teen that is telling the story in 1950. The theme of the story is one of emotional disconnection felt by the alienated teenagers of this time period. The quote, “ I didn’t know anyone there that was splendid and clear thinking and all” (Salinger 4) sets the tone that Holden cannot find a connection with anyone around him and that he is on a lonely endeavor in pursuit of identity, acceptance and legitimacy. The trials and failures that Holden faces on his journey to find himself in total shed light on Holden’s archenemy, himself.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden views the world as an evil and corrupt place where there is no peace. This perception of the world does not change significantly through the novel. However, as the novel progresses, Holden gradually comes to the realization that he is powerless to change this.
more mature for his age then he should have been. This is the basis of
However, Holden doesn’t have the most important ones such as integrity and bravery. Also, Holden is stubborn as he refuses to learn from the mentor, a key role in the hero’s journey along with having the reward. The hero’s journey plays a critical role because all of the known hero goes through this cycle. Even in modern times, a hero like Nemo undergoes the same cycle as other heroes. For example, Nemo met Gill, who is considered his mentor because he tries to design a plan in order to escape to the ocean.
In JRR Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist, undergoes the five stages of the hero’s journey: departure, initiation, the road of trials, the innermost cave, and return and reintegration into society. When the adventure is all done, Bilbo takes away an important lesson about who he is from his travels. Thus The Hobbit, the novel by JRR Tolkien is an example of a heroic quest for identity, because the protagonist, Bilbo goes through each aspect of the hero’s journey and learns about who he is.
They are both about a teenager trying to find out who they are in the world and trying to let go of the past. Though they have very different outcomes they share the same theme, which is ‘coming of age’. We see Holden and Charlie grow up and mature, they learn things from experiences and the people around them and learn to move on. “So, if this does end up being my last letter, please believe that things are good with me, and even when they’re not, they will be soon enough. And I believe the same about you.” (Chbosky
The Hero’s Journey is a pattern or type of novel that applies to many adventure stories.
Before this book was written in it's time frame, Holden deals with some struggles that change and impact his life quite a bit. The author portrays Holden's personality through his actions for the audience to understand him. Some of the actions are going back to visit the museum, calling and visiting Phoebe at home, visiting the park, keeping Allie's baseball mitt, wearing the red hunting hat, and asking about the ducks. These examples all play a part in showing that Holden is afraid of change. Holden is starting to grow up and make the transition into an adult, but the audience can tell Holden is struggling. Holden's decisions such as smoking, drinking constantly, buying a prostitute, and staying out late at night show his attempts to face adult life. However, when faced
Holden Caulfield can be analyzed through his thoughts, actions and circumstances which surround his everyday life. Holden acts like a careless teenager. Holden has been to several prep-schools, all of which he got kicked out of for failing classes. After being kicked out of the latest, Pency Prep, he went off to New York on his own. Holden seems to have a motivation problem which apparently affects his reasoning. The basis of his reasoning comes from his thoughts. Holden thinks the world is full of a bunch of phonies. All his toughs about people he meets are negative. The only good thoughts he has are about his sister Phoebe and his dead brother Alley. Holden, perhaps, wishes that everyone, including himself, should be like his brother and sister. That is to be intelligent, real and loving. Holden’s problem is with his heart. It was broken when his brother died. Now Holden goes around the world as his fake self, wearing his mask. Holden is looking for love, peace and understanding. He is scared to love because he is afraid he might lose it like he did with his brother. That is the reason for Holden's love of the museum, he feels safe because it never changes it always stays the same. Holden is troubled with the pain of death, it effects every aspect of his life causing him to not care about the future, himself or anyone, except Phoebe and Alley.
Protected by a cocoon of naiveté, Holden Caulfield, the principal character in the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, therapeutically relates his lonely 24 hour stay in downtown New York city, experiencing the "phony" adult world while dealing with the death of his innocent younger brother. Through this well-developed teenage character, JD Salinger, uses simple language and dialogue to outline many of the complex underlying problems haunting adolescents. With a unique beginning and ending, and an original look at our new society, The Catcher in the Rye is understood and appreciated on multiple levels of comprehension. The book provides new insights and a fresh view of the world in which adolescents live.
The hero must share their boon with the world but, like the call to adventure, the call to return canbe refused. One such example is in the story of the Hindu warrior-king Muchukunda. When he won a battle against demons, he asked that the gods grant him unending sleep. He went to a cave in the mountains that separated him from the normal world. Muchukunda later returned to the land only to find that he was an giant compared to the man that inhabited it (Campbell 167-169).
Some people feel all alone in this world, with no direction to follow but their empty loneliness. The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D Salinger, follows a sixteen-year-old boy, Holden Caulfield, who despises society and calls everyone a “phony.” Holden can be seen as a delinquent who smokes tobacco, drinks alcohol, and gets expelled from a prestigious boarding school. This coming-of-age book follows the themes of isolation, innocence, and corrupted maturity which is influenced from the author's life and modernism, and is shown through the setting, symbolism, and diction.
One well-known example of “The Hero’s Journey” from popular culture is the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling. In the novel, Harry Potter, the main character, is the chosen one and “The Hero’s Journey” applies to his life from the moment he is attacked by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as a baby. Joseph Campbell calls the initial phase of a hero’s development the “Call to Adventure.” The call is the in... ...