J. D. Salinger was successful in keeping my interest in “The Catcher in the Rye” by the way he would repeat how “lonesome” and “rotten” and “depressed” Holden felt as well when he would repeat “I almost wished I was dead.” This kept my interest because it shows how unhappy and uncomfortable Holden was with everyday life. I found it quite interesting. Another way Salinger kept my interest was by showing just how easy it was to escape from the real world or just run away from situations. Throughout Chapters 7, 8, and beyond, Salinger shows how Holden easily goes from place to place without having anybody tell him differently; I liked the thought of “traveling incognito.” Although Salinger was able to keep my interest, in some ways he wasn’t quite
Salinger went through many of the experiences Holden went though. Salinger much like Holden had a sister that he loved very much, in the novel Phoebe is the only person that Holden speaks highly of; both men also spent time in a mental institution; Holden is telling the story from inside a institution; they were both kicked out of prep school and most importantly they were both a recluse from society. This is why Salinger uses Holden as his persona all though out the book. The ‘catcher in they Rye’ is almost like an autobiography for Salinger. He is using Holden as his persona to let us, the reader, dive into his thought pattern and find out some of the thoughts that he kept locked up in there.
Due to J.D Salinger’s personal and relatable narrative treatment, Catcher in the Rye continues to engage audiences, even 64 years after it was first published. The way the book deals with alienation and disillusionment in regards to Holden’s past trauma - through the closeness of first person narration and conversational writing among other techniques - creates a personal connection to Holden’s character and helps adolescents relate his troubles to their own.
American Literature is widely known for possessing themes of disillusionment. Faulkner, Harper Lee, Fitzgerald, and Hemingway dominate this category of literature. However, the most influential piece of American Literature is arguably J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. What makes this piece of art stand so far out from any other work of literature is the attributes that make this novel so relatable. The source of this raw, real emotion that completely captivates the reader is Salinger himself. The Catcher in the Rye ‘s main character Holden Caulfield is undeniably Salinger. This work of fiction nearly resembles an autobiography. J.D. Salinger uses his novel to express his disillusionment through motifs, pathos, and symbols.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is an enthralling and captivating novel about a boy and his struggle with life. The teenage boy ,Holden, is in turmoil with school, loneliness, and finding his place in the world. The author J.D. Salinger examines the many sides of behavior and moral dilemma of many characters throughout the novel. The author develops three distinct character types for Holden the confused and struggling teenage boy, Ackley, a peculiar boy without many friends, and Phoebe, a funny and kindhearted young girl.
Throughout the novel, J.D, Salinger develops Holden’s character with numerous situations. Holden makes the reader question his rectitude through his perspective of those around him, his sexual desires, his general attitude, and his chronic lying. Because Salinger permits the audience to know how situations proceed from Holden’s perspective, the audience has an alternative side of Holden available to evaluate. Without the varying traits Holden presents, The Catcher in the Rye would not thoroughly depict Holden as a suffering individual. Thus, Holden’s character is morally ambiguous and crucial to the overall development of the novel.
In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caufield attempts to protect himself from his impending adulthood by visiting New York to escape his fate. The novel follows Holden as he travels New York City in order to get away from his responsibilities of going to school. Holden suffers throughout the novel, from feeling irritated by the “phonies” at Pency Prep, to being beaten up, and even contemplating suicide, but yet he perseveres. Holden lets the reader know his deep thoughts, and gives the reader his frank opinion on life. In his many adventures in the city, Holden’s innocence gets the best of him, as he attempts to casually chat with a prostitute, or when he tries to strike a conversation with an
The novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is narrated by the main character Holden Caulfield on parts of his life. He writes of his life during the 1950’s where he is undergoing therapy in a rest home. Holden describes when he is kicked out of school, and the problems in society. He writes about how he was expected to achieve great things through his school. How he is surrounded by phony adults and liars. Holden is very confused and in the middle of all of it. After Holden is kicked out of his fourth school, Pencey Prep, he subsists in the city of New York before he returns home. Holden tries to converse with others to try and fit in, but is refraining himself from adulthood to avoid the society of adulthood.
Lies, failure, depression, and loneliness are only some of the aspects that Holden Caulfield goes through in the novel The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger. Salinger reflects Holden’s character through his own childhood experiences. Salinger admitted in a 1953 interview that "My boyhood was very much the same as that of the boy in the book.… [I]t was a great relief telling people about it” (Wikipedia). Thus, the book is somewhat the life story of J.D. Salinger as a reckless seventeen-year-old who lives in New York City and goes through awful hardships after his expulsion and departure from an elite prep school. Holden, the protagonist in this novel, is created as a depressed, cynical, and isolated character and he expresses this attitude through his dialogue, tone, and diction.
From the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the youthful protagonist Holden Caufield, employs the word “phony” to describe the behavior of a number of characters including Mr. Spencer and Ossenburger, however it is not them who are“phony”, it is the young main character. First, Mr. Spencer, Holden’s ex- history teacher, is not described as phony, but according to the adolescent, his choice of words are. Secondly, according to our main character, Ossenburger is not the generous philanthropist he portrays himself to be, but rather a greedy undertaker. Lastly, the protagonist could quite possibly be the authentic phony. All in all, the main character’s use to describe many other characters in the book is with the single word phony, when in fact the word phony would be the most probable word to describe the lead character.
Josh Hutcherson (Holden Caulfield) He has had experience playing younger and older roles in movies.
The Catcher in the Rye is one of the best books ever written and is often included in the top 100 books of the 20th century. In 1951, when it was released The Catcher in the Rye was light years ahead of its time. Although it has always been considered controversial, it should be included in every high school reading list. It has both a spontaneous, as well as a relaxed tone that transfers those sensations to its reader. The characters draw the reader in; they are relatable and well developed. The Catcher in the Rye is funny, a book that any teenager can connect with, and is still relevant today.
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.
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.
Since its publication, the novel, The Catcher in the Rye has been a source of controversy. Holden Caulfield is placed in questionable situations due to his alienation from society and desire to protect the innocent.
A major theme of J.D. Salinger’s novel, “ The Catcher in the Rye,” is turning your back on the world is not good. The teenage boy Holden Caulfield demonstrates this theme in the story with the constant negativity he receives as result of his negative attitude.