More handpicked essays just for you.
The catcher in the rye essay about characters
Symbolism essay on catcher in the rye
Symbolism in catcher in the rye essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
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. Thesis: The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, demonstrates controversy with Sunny the prostitute, Mr. Antolini touching Holden and the curse words on the walls. Holden exhibits controversy by hiring a prostitute named Sunny. Holden has hired Sunny not to satisfy his physical desires but his emotional desires. Holden needed a companion to talk to and comfort him in a time of solitude. However, Sunny is uninterested in fulfilling Holden’s emotional desires, adding to Holden’s desolation. Overall, the fact that Sunny, a prostitute,
rejected Holden adds to his isolation and alienation. In addition to the controversy with Sunny the prostitute, Mr. Antolini depicts controversy by touching Holden. Holden believes that Mr. Antolini is making a homosexual (perverted) gesture. “ What is was, it was Mr. Antolini’s hand. What he was doing was, he was sitting on the floor right next to the couch, in the dark and all, and he was sort of petting me or patting me on the gdamn head” (Salinger 211). In an effort to protect his innocence Holden leaves. This desire to protect his innocence contributes to Holden’s inability to grow up and is a key component in his isolation. Along with Mr. Antolini, the curse words on the walls portray controversy. Holden did not want the children to wonder or worry what the perverted word meant, so he rubbed it off. “ I was afraid of some teacher would catch me rubbing it off and would think I’d written it. But I rubbed it out anyway, finally” (Salinger 221). Holden, by rubbing the words off the walls, is protecting the children innocence. He does not want expose the children from the realities of the world. Holden does not want to grow up therefore, he does not want others to grow up, so he rubs the perverted words off the wall to protect the children’s innocence. Sunny the prostitute, Mr. Antolini touching Holden and the curse words on the walls demonstrate isolation and protection of innocence, ultimately creating controversy. Sunny the prostitute dismisses Holden’s emotional desire adding to his isolation and loneliness. Mr. Antolini rubbing Holden’s head forces Holden to protect his innocence by removing himself from the situation. Holden rubbing the curse words off the wall demonstrate his protectiveness of the children’s innocence. Overall, The Catcher in the Rye, has created controversy.
J.D Salinger gives his personal vision of the world successfully through his persona Holden Caulfield in the ‘Catcher in the Rye’. Caulfield struggles with the background of New York to portray Salinger’s theme – you must live the world as it is, not as you would like it to be. There by exposing Salinger’s vision on the world.
1) This quote is an example of an allusion because Holden is referring to the book, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Moreover, it doesn't describe it in detail, its just a brief comment.
Holden experiences both alienation and disillusionment when meeting with people like Sally Hayes, Sunny and Ackley. Holden is so desperate to have human connection yet, when he starts to talk to them, he experiences them as ‘phonies’. This makes him more depressed, continuing his downward spiral. Holden is caught in a trap of his own making.
Published in 1951, J. D. Salinger's debut novel, The Catcher in the Rye, was one of the most controversial novels of its time. The book received many criticisms, good and bad. While Smith felt the book should be "read more than once" (13), Goodman said the "book is disappointing" (21). All eight of the critics had both good and bad impressions of the work. Overall, the book did not reflect Salinger's ability due to the excessive vulgarity used and the monotony that Holden imposed upon the reader.
Over the years, members of the literary community have critiqued just about every author they could get their pen on. One of the most popular novels to be critiqued has been J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. In favorable critiques, Holden Caulfield is a good guy stuck in a bad world. He is trying to make the best of his life, though ultimately losing that battle. Whereas he aims at stability and truth, the adult world cannot survive without suspense and lies. It is a testament to his innocence and decent spirit that Holden would place the safety of children as a goal in his lifetime. This serves to only re-iterate the fact that Holden is a sympathetic character, a person of high moral values who is too weak to pick himself up from a difficult situation.
Since its publication in 1951, The Catcher In the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger has served as a conflagration for debate and extreme controversy. Although the novel has been the target of scornful criticism, it has also been the topic of wide discussion. The novel portrays the life of sixteen year old, Holden Caufield. Currently in psychiatric care, Holden recalls what happened to him last Christmas. At the beginning of his story, Holden is a student at Pencey Prep School. Having been expelled for failing four out of his five classes, Holden leaves school and spends 72-hours in New York City before returning home. There, Holden encounters new ideas, people, and experiences. Holden's psychological battle within himself serves as the tool that uncovers the coming-of-age novel's underlying themes of teen angst, depression, and the disingenuous nature of society. The novel tackles issues of blatant profanity, teenage sex, and other erratic behavior. Such issues have supplemented the controversial nature of the book and in turn, have sparked the question of whether or not this book should be banned. The novel, The Catcher In the Rye, should not be banned from inclusion in the literature courses taught at the high school level.
Sunny, the prostitute. Sunny came to Holden’s place because he wanted to have sex with
Sunny embodies what Holden desperately wants and fears – physical affection. Prior to meeting Maurice, Holden is feeling “depressed and all” (Salinger 116) and “sort of lousy” (116). His negative feelings beforehand initiate him to make a decision he otherwise would not have made –agreeing to hire a prostitute - but acknowledges that “it was too late now” (119) to invalidate what, arguably, he commits to purely on impulse. He feels “a little nervous” (120) because sex is a novelty for him – he’s had “quite a few opportunities” (120) to engage in intercourse, yet hasn’t gotten around t...
In his book The Catcher In The Rye, J.D. Salinger Displays, through the main character Holden, that lying and deception are prominent in the real world. He shows that and in the pain of growing up you have much to experience and much to learn about life, people and the world. There are many instances in The Catcher In The Rye where this is apparent and also many critics have supported this in their critical analyses.
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.
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.
J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is a remarkable book that gives readers a unique and perhaps gloomy perspective of the 1950's through Holden Caulfield, a cynical and peculiar teenager. Through The Catcher in the Rye Salinger describes important aspects of the 1950's. Salinger emphasizes several key characteristics of the 50's and criticizes them through Holden. In addition, Holden Caulfield is a very interesting character with several traits that put him at odds with society.
Albert Einstein once said “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.” The majority of the people in this room can probably relate to that. Everyone has someone who doubts them, however your ability of doing things is a matter of believing in yourself and although we are tested on our academic abilities throughout school, we are also tested socially. School is more than an academic environment but it is a place where we find ourselves and find those who will stay with you through thick and thin.
Most stories have happy endings. Whether it be jail or death, or other cruel punishments, the antagonists in every story you come across almost always get what they deserve. Despite being fiction, these stories are unrealistic to me. They can satisfy me temporarily, but disappointment towards reality thrusts into my soul when I realize that happy endings are plain white lies. Happy endings from fictional stories give me false hope. Criminals don’t always get punished and victims don’t always return home alive. Realistically speaking, prince charmings chooses beautiful princesses, not a maid who can barely support herself. I am not a fan of happy endings. In contrast to most of the stories you’ve came across, I want to write stories with tragic endings. Specifically, I want to write realistic things. I know that happiness exists in real life, but if every story ends with a happy ending, it makes life unrealistic and unrelatable. I want to write things where people can relate to. I want to write something that can comfort people and know that they are not alone in whatever tragic situation they’re in. Happy endings are
The prescribed text “The Catcher in the Rye,” written by J.D Salinger, is a complex novel where the narrative is in first person. This gives us a better insight into a character’s emotions and experiences. The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is an adolescent who undergoes developmental changes in the novel. Throughout the novel, we are allowed to experience Holden’s thoughts and emotions that he encounters, which brings us closer to the character Salinger created.