The Catcher in the Rye, a charming tale of Holden Caulfield, its main character as he finds his way through New York City after once again being expelled from his school. The focus now is at the near end where he enjoys his time with his little sister, Phoebe riding an ordinary carousel within a zoo. A relaxing occurrence, starting from page 232 to 233 in the life of our main character which has become rare after every ordeal he has gone through not so long ago. It’s at this moment he is given reprieve, time to simply think, which lead me to ask myself the meaning of this event. After the spark of curiosity my questions had emerged such as why, and how this one little event could be entangled with the rest of the book. They had bore fruitful …show more content…
answers in due time, at the zenith of this process I realized the main way in which it connected the entire book. This section of the story has deeper meanings and certain themes revalent throughout the novel which connect it together such as independence, protecting youth, or self recovery in order to help it’s purpose. As I recently stated independance was a theme, and the way it was presented in our passage had it connected to a deeper meaning. “All the kids kept trying to grab for a gold the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she’d fall off the goddam horse, but but I didn’t say anything or do anything.” It’s clear that Holden cares for her and wants to keep her safe, similarly to when profanity was found in the museum then promptly erased to protect Phoebe from it to not be corrupted. Despite all of this he still does nothing therefore it can’t be lack of importance, instead it’s the opposite he cares too much. He knows that if they can’t stumble, fall, crumble from their choices they won’t grow which is expressed “If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them.” This applies to Holden throughout the novel as he experiences the real world and the consequences of his actions. To stay in the rain then become ill in order to keep an eye on his sister, or to flunk out of school in order to find a place where he actually belongs to then share his story proves this. The carousel itself is of great importance to the story as Salinger gives it more than its fair share of attention, therefore it must represent something more than just a ride especially when it began to rain. A place where children gather, which causes Holden much joy “I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around, I was damn near bawling…”. This coupled with the fact that it was providing shelter for everyone as it was raining made me come to the conclusion that it was a safe haven, but from what; what can the rain it’s stopping represent? Pelting cold rain, an analogy for the ruthless world they were living in, as well as personification, “...it began to rain like a bastard”, yet for this one moment it was halted from affecting Phoebe by the safe haven. Once again Holden’s protective as well as loving character when it comes to children is reinforced by this, a clear pattern here established much earlier in the book from when he wanted to call her after getting “Plastered” in that bar all the way to now. My answer created another question however which was why was he avoiding it? Rain may pelt the land relentlessly however it is a necessary part of the world in order for every living thing to survive. Holden is no exception to this rule as rain has more than one purpose which is why he decided to stay out in it. “I stuck around on the bench for a while. I got pretty soaking wet, especially my neck and my pants… I didn't care…” rain rejuvenates life and allows it to be reborn again; the nature of how it is affecting Holden in this moment of time is more symbolic rather than physical as I had interpreted this as a sign that he himself was rebirthed. To at last flourish after a decline is what this signifies by definition, but what was the decline? “You really aren’t going anywhere?” was a question that Phoebe had asked him earlier right after the rain began, this was prompted by single letter “...I can’t wait around ill wednesday so I will probably hitchhike out west this afternoon.” What is troubling about this is that he had been had been willing to leave by himself then pretend to be a mute to avoid human contact, or with Sally, his date earlier in the novel to restart his whole life with a whole new family; all of this just because the way his character had hated a plethora of his current existence. He had recovered himself despite this long foreshadowed decline after his rebirth all thanks to the saving grace of Phoebe mounting the carousel. The choices when utilizing music in order to appeal to a theme or a deeper meaning is interminable.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is just one example in our text as it was being played by the carousel which Holden had shortly realized after it started. To put it simply, a song about how when you find love your judgment is clouded because smoke gets in your eyes, so when it ends it’s that same smoke which brings you to tears over your past actions once that fire fueled by passion burns out. A slow paced melody with melancholy lyrics is what Holden found funny which immediately set off a red flag because I couldn’t understand why at first. If he found it hilarious it must have been because it fit well with his situation. There was one place in particular which connected with this song; when Holden was on a date with Sally then beggegd her to escape New York with him, to run away as I had stated in the prior paragraph. After the rejection he was frightened because “I was serious about it too..” even though she didn’t mean much to him yet the smoke was in his eyes. The desperation, clouding his vision however was gone when “...she sat down on this big, brown beat-up-looking horse.” Once again another connection to how Phoebe saved holden though the carousel, inadvertently due to specific song. Salinger more than likely included it as a reminder of his past, and a checkpoint to when his rebirth had begun enforcing the meanings
further. Pages 232 to 233 delved into concepts and had hidden meanings which tied it too the whole book in ways i couldn’t even understand at first without giving it much thought. The way Salinger expanded upon then enforced the character of our protagonist, Holden as well as give well deserved attention to a very important side character Phoebe via symbolism and dialect was outstanding. Simple concepts such as rain had enormous meaning, while a mediocre carousel gave not only a moment of reprieve, but helped me gain insight into the importance of prior events leading up to that current time. The character progression of Holden from wanting to run away from it all to having to stay after the realization of him finding his passion, and love of Phoebe was beautiful. Salinger’s way of getting across the theme’s which he wished to be known was very interesting through Holden’s narrations. Speaking of Holden he was relatable, he made mistakes, and obviously showed flaws which every reader could have. In this passage specifically his love for his sister which was stated early on reached it climax here to help drive home the point that she made him save himself. The song Smoke Gets in Your Eyes fit perfectly as it represented his prior fantasies with outrageous expectations finally being ended. In short this meaningful passage as you can see was excellently intertwined with the rest of the story!
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger's novel set in the 1950s, told the story of sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield. Deciding that he's had enough of Pencey, his fourth school that he'd failed, he goes to Manhattan three days before his scheduled return to home, not wanting to inform his parents that he'd been expelled and sent back. He explores the city, calls up some old friends, gets nicked by the elevator operator, and gradually becomes bitter about the world and people. He then visited his sister Phoebe. After fleeing from the house of Mr. Antolini, his former English teacher, because of mistaking his actions for a homosexual overture, Holden went to Phoebe's school and sent her a note telling her he was leaving home and to meet him at the museum. When Phoebe arrived, Holden angrily refused her request to take her with him and she ignored to speak to him. He then took her across the park to a carousel, bought her a ticket and watched her ride. Holden ended his narrative here, telling the reader that he was not going to tell the story of how he went home and got "sick". He planned to go to a new school in the fall and was cautiously optimistic about his future.
After running away from boarding school, Holden arrived at Penn Station where his adventures begin. “The first thing I did when I got off at Penn Station, I went into this phone booth...” (59).The significance of Penn Station is that this is where Holden’s independent journey begins.
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.
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.
Salinger uses the record as a symbolic device to convey that Holden cannot escape the transition into adulthood, no matter how hard he tries to prevent it. The record, “Little Shirley Beans”, represents the childhood and innocence that Holden is trying to hold on to. The song is “about a little girl that wouldn’t go out of the house because two of her front teeth were out and she was ashamed to” (Salinger 127-28). Holden relates to the little girl in the song as they both are afraid of the changes associated with growing up, and in her instance, the loss of her baby teeth.
The way that Salinger writes gives the audience a very personal and insightful look into what Holden is feeling. It’s told in the first person, in a confessional style, and utilises digression. This creates a sense of closeness with the protagonist. It’s like Holden is talking directly to the reader.
Catcher in the Rye is a complicated book about a young man going through, what appears to be a nervous break down. This is a book about the boy’s negative self-talk, horrible outlook on life, and a life itself that seems to keep swirling down the toilet. He keeps trying to fill his life with something, but the reality of it is he doesn’t exactly now what he needs. It’s complicated to understand at parts, because all he does is think of things in the worst possible conditions.
Salinger uses specific motifs and symbols to illustrate Holden’s naive and unrealistic view of the world. A great example of this is when he believes he can be the catcher in the rye. By doing so he imagines he is able to maintain all the innocence within society. Holden
The Catcher in the Rye is not all horror of this sort. There is a wry humor in this sixteen-year-old's trying to live up to his height, to drink with men, to understand mature sex and why he is still a virgin at his age. His affection for children is spontaneous and delightful. There are few little girls in modern fiction as charming and lovable as his little sister, Phoebe. Altogether this is a book to be read thoughtfully and more than once. It is about an unusually sensitive and intelligent boy; but, then, are not all boys unusual and worthy of understanding? If they are bewildered at the complexity of modern life, unsure of themselves, shocked by the spectacle of perversity and evil around them - are not adults equally shocked by the knowledge that even children cannot escape this contact and awareness?
In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden Caufield believes that innocence is corrupted by society. He exposes his self-inflicted emotional struggles as he is reminiscing the past. For Holden, teenage adolescence is a complicated time for him, his teenage mentality in allows him to transition from the teenage era to the reality of an adult in the real world. As he is struggling to find his own meaning of life, he cares less about others and worries about how he can be a hero not only to himself but also to the innocent youth. As Holden is grasping the idea of growing up, he sets his priorities of where he belongs and how to establish it. As he talks about how ‘phony’ the outside world is, he has specific recollections that signify importance to his life and he uses these time and time again because these memories are ones that he wont ever let go of. The death of his younger brother Allie has had a major impact on him emotionally and mentally. The freedom of the ducks in Central Park symbolize his ‘get away’ from reality into his own world. His ideology of letting kids grow up and breaking the chain loose to discover for themselves portrays the carrousel and the gold ring. These are three major moments that will be explored to understand the life of Holden Caufield and his significant personal encounters as he transitions from adolescence into manhood.
The Catcher in the Rye is a story about a teenage boy who struggles with the harsh reality of growing up and dealing with his own troubles. This story begins with the main character Holden failing out of school. Holden seems to have problems wherever he goes. He writes an essay about his brother Allie who died from leukemia. His roommate insults the essay causing Holden to punch him in the face. He runs away from school after getting into a fight with his roommate. He stays inNew York City until the remainder of the school year is over. On the subway to the city he tells made-up stories to other passengers. Once he makes it to the city he checks himself into Edmont Hotel. While exploring the city he seems to simultaneously explore his sexual curiosity. He says “In my mind, I'm probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw” (34).
Superficially the story of a young man getting expelled from another school, the Catcher in the Rye is, in fact, a perceptive study of one individual’s understanding of his human condition. Holden Caulfield, a teenager growing up in 1950’s, New York, has been expelled from school for poor achievement once again. In an attempt to deal with this he leaves school a few days prior to the end of term, and goes to New York to take a vacation before returning to his parents’ inevitable irritation. Told as a monologue, the book describe Holden’s thoughts and activities over these few days, during which he describes a developing nervous breakdown. This was evident by his bouts of unexplained depression, impetuous spending and generally odd, erratic behavior, prior to his eventual nervous collapse.
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.
Throughout the duration of the book, Holden seems to make little progress in his personal growth, although for brief periods of time it appears he is closer to adulthood than what the reader is lead to believe. When visiting Phoebe’s school he discovers crude language written on the wall. Holden immediately thinks of ‘Phoebe and all the other little kids’ and how he would hate them to see the foul words. This proves that Holden has a natural protective instinct and symbolically takes on the persona of ‘catcher in the rye’ as he wipes the words off the wall. Holden wants to shield the children from seeing the obscenities of adulthood prematurely, just as the catcher wants to protect children from falling off the ‘cliff’. At the end of the novel Holden appears to have more acceptance of the idea of growing up. As he watches Phoebe on the carousel he deduces that sometimes you ‘have to let them fall’ (referring to the children on the carousel.). Holden now understands that growing up is inevitable and fighting it is useless. However, regardless of this new found clarity, he still obsesses about living in an uncomplicated world. He delights in the fact that the carousel goes ‘round and round’ because it continues to fuel his fantasies of staying in one place forever. It would seem that even though he has made progress, Holden still struggles with
Jerome David Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is a truly unique novel in terms of writing style. The story is told in a second person narrative style by a character named Holden Caulfield, and is written loosely in a fashion known as 'stream of consciousness writing'.