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John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, and Orson Welles were all influential novelists of their time, but Jerome David Salinger dismissed them all. He did not want to be the next Hemingway, he wanted to be the greatest original American novelist of his time. Salinger’s early life really shaped his passion to become a writer. While enlisted in World War II, he changed as a writer for the better. A sort of a revolution occurred in 1951 after publication of The Catcher in the Rye which sold sixty-million copies over the past sixty years (Rosenbaum). Although many of J. D. Salinger’s stories and novels have been controversial, his books actually changed peoples lives for the better.
Jerome David Salinger was born on January 1, 1919, in New
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York, New York to Jewish father and a Catholic mother. After being kicked out of many prep schools in New York, his family decided to send him to military school in Valley Forge. Salinger used to write stories under his sheets at night, here in Valley Forge he smartened up and aspired to become an actor or a writer when he was older. He told all of his friends that one day he was going to succeed Robert Benchley who was the theatre critic for the New Yorker(“J.D. Salinger”). Soon after graduating from military school young Salinger had no intention on going his fathers meat and cheese import business that upset his father, but his mother approved of him being an author. He soon started night classes at Columbia University in New York, here he met Professor Whit Burnett, who became a father figure to Salinger. Burnett felt Salinger’s talent and had him write a short story that Burnett would go on and publishing it in Story magazine which he was the editor of. Like almost every writers dream Jerome wanted to be publish into the New Yorker, other magazines were not good enough for him. Near the end of 1941, after countless rejections from the New Yorker they finally accepted his short story called Slight Rebellion off Madison which was about a kid whose name was Holden Caulfield (Shields 112). Salinger was infuriated because the magazine did not put his story in the magazine because World War II was more important and his short story was too trivial at the time. Soon after he wanted to join the war, and was drafted in the summer of 1942. The second world war changed J.
D. Salinger’s writing for the better. His first battle was on June 6, 1944, or otherwise known as D-Day. Salinger carried the first six chapters of The Catcher in the Rye while he stormed Utah beach. After this battle he was selected to be a part of the United States Counter Intelligence Core (CIC) where he would interview and archive the local citizens on the location of the enemies went and where their machine guns were set up throughout the city. During the war he published four short stories in Story magazine and the Saturday Evening Post, he continued to get rejected by the New Yorker. Salinger met a familiar face during the liberation of Paris, Ernest Hemingway, Jerome gave him one of his manuscripts to read while they were together. Hemingway wrote back saying that he loved it which made Salinger very happy (Slawenski 265). His last mission was to infiltrate a Nazi concentration camp but the Nazi’s already left and burning everything and everyone to the ground. This traumatic event caused Salinger to have a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized. Soon after being discharged he wrote a short story narrated by Holden Caulfield titled I’m …show more content…
Crazy. After the war Salinger returns to New York and continues to try to get published into the New Yorker.
He writes this story about a man believed to be a veteran from World War II and a charismatic twelve year old called A Perfect day for Bananafish. The short story was published into the New Yorker beginning Salinger’s winning streak as an author. He finishes The Catcher in the Rye and is worried on how people will take out of context Holden’s cursing. Salinger wanted to write a good book that would make a difference not a best seller. He met with Bob Giroux, an editor about The Catcher in the Rye and the Bob loved it saying that he would pass it onto his boss. Salinger had a meeting with Bob’s boss and the man said that Holden was too crazy for him to publish a book like that. Jerome called his agent saying he needs a new publisher. Many people say Holden is like Salinger, but Holden is Salinger. Every moment of Salinger’s life was funnelled into this book even before he started writing it. He wanted segments to be posted into the New Yorker but they rejected it. After all the praise he has been getting for this book the New Yorker made him feel like a middle class author. In 1951, The Catcher in the Rye sparked a sort of a revolution with its publication through Little, Brown and Company. American actor Edward Norton said“ When you are a kid and you read The Catcher in the Rye you are just like oh my God somebody gets it”. When he got the first copy of his
book he requested for the picture of him to be taken off, an odd request for most authors. Salinger wanted people to know the author through the book not by his or her face. Everyone wanted a sequel to see what happens to Holden, but Salinger was not that type of author. He was not ready for the immense publicity, he wanted peace and quiet to do his work and moved to the mountains of New Hampshire to live out his days, similar to the end of The Catcher in the Rye when Holden moves out west never to be heard from again (Salinger 227). Salinger struggled with constant rejection from his favourite magazine throughout his life and this shaped the Holden Caulfield character that influenced millions of people from all over the world. He put everything he had in his life into the Holden character, Salinger made his characters real and they were especially real to him because they were him. But unlike many other writers he did not want the publicity causing him to go underground not to be seen for the rest of his life. Salinger's goal in life was to write a good novel that would make a difference and not a best-seller that people would just read. But Salinger achieved both.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is a popular novel that was originally published in the 1950’s. In the book, Salinger explores various themes through the main character Holden and his interactions with others. Some of these themes include, alienation, loss and betrayal. Holden constantly feels betrayed throughout the novel by several people, including his roommate, teacher, and sister.
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1991. Print.
J.D Salinger as born in New York City on January 1, 1919, he didn’t wright many novels in which he was renowned for. But one day, he did write one novel that brought him instant fame. In J.D. Salinger’s, Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old teenage boy on the brink of adulthood, and he is trying to make sense of his existents and where he belongs. He also refuses to lose his innocence even though he knows is inevitable.
All of these are components of J. D. Salinger’s writing style. While the tone of The Catcher in the Rye may suggest a lighthearted, entertainment centered novel, the work is, in actuality, a deep study of human emotion and sympathy, as well as a dark portrait of the wickedness in the world.
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.
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 - J.D. Salinger as Holden Caulfield. & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is home to the protagonist Holden Caulfield. There is no coincidence that he holds a striking resemblance to the author of the novel himself. Salinger seemed to have a similar childhood as Holden describes in The Catcher in the Rye. Both men also seemed to have a certain fascination with younger children, especially younger women. J.D. Salinger based one of his most famous characters, Holden Caulfield, on personal experience. & nbsp; Holden's story in The Catcher in the Rye begins with Holden at his school, Pencey Preparatory, which is a boarding school. He was sent there by his parents, who seemed to be withdrawn from his life. Similarly, Salinger's parents sent him to Valley Forge Military School, where he had a neighbor who always seemed to be barging in, showing a resemblance to Salinger was also born in New York to upper-class parents. It seems as though Holden Caulfield's childhood is an identical match to that of J.D. Salinger's. The. & nbsp; Salinger had a deep love and fascination with young children, especially young women. In the 1970s, Salinger maintained a close connection with an eighteen year-old girl, Joyce Maynard, who eventually moved in with the author. J.D. Salinger continued to have many relations with younger women, much like this one. His fascination with young women is reflected in Holden, who has a similar mind-set. Even as a seventeen year-old, Holden is infatuated with his perception of Jane Gallagher as a little girl. It is this picture of innocence that Holden is in love with, and not what Jane is like now. The concept of, "the catcher in the rye," the cliff. Salinger used Holden to vent his love, and passion for children. & nbsp; Holden is almost an identical representation of what J.D. Salinger is truly like. His adoration for young women is shown in Holden's love for Jane, and in the concept of, "the catcher in the rye. " Both show similarities in their childhoods, from growing up wealthy in New York, to being sent away for school. J.D. Salinger used Holden Caulfield to expose his personal life, and possibly his personal feelings. & nbsp; & nbsp;
Jerome David Salinger, also known as J. D. Salinger, is a fascinating author best known for his novel, Catcher in the Rye. Although Salinger only published one novel, he wrote several short stories for magazines like The New Yorker and Story. A large number of these stories went on to be compiled into books such as Nine Stories, Franny and Zooey, and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction. Despite the fact Salinger has not published any stories in over 45 years, his reputation is still quite popular. Salinger's stories are studied in high schools and colleges, introducing thousands of individuals to his writing and ultimately increasing his fan base. Catcher in the Rye continues to sale 250,000 copies a year world wide. With increasing popularity, Salinger slowly secluded himself from the world, eventually avoiding all requests for interviews and public appearances. With Salinger unwilling to share personal information and no authorized biography to date, gathering material on him is difficult. To better understand Salinger's life, readers look towards his stories in which Salinger tends to write about familiar territory which incorporates personal experience. In an interview in 1974, referring to his life Salinger stated, “It's all in the books, all you have to do is read them.”(Bloom 16)
After World War II J.D. Salinger joined the ranks of the exceptionally adept authors that came about after the heinous second world war. Salinger, fueled by his experiences from the war, addressed many concerns and issues, most of which are timeless. Due to many of his astounding pieces, and his fresh outlook on society, is considered a phenomenal, classic, American author. One that is responsible for many renowned, coming of age novels, as well as a number of agonizing critiques of the society that has been cultured. The Catcher in the Rye and, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” are two of his most acclaimed works, both wrestling with the concept concerning the conservation of innocence, a main talking point of Salinger. This is visible through many similarities between the two works. In The Catcher in the Rye, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” and, J.D. Salinger: A Life the characters share common internal conflicts regarding the people that they have become, this central conflict aids in conveying Salingers overwhelming claim that when faced with great ordeals, any figurative wounds attained, affect a person in every aspect of life.
Stevick, Philip. "J(erome) D(avid) Salinger." American Short-Story Writers, 1910-1945: Second Series. Ed. Bobby Ellen Kimbel. Detroit: Gale Research, 1991. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 102. Literature Resource Center. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
Not many great novels were produced during the post World War II era. Perhaps the greatest novel published was J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. This book, just like all other great works, was met by scathing criticism and unyielding praise. Many literary critics marveled at Salinger’s genius use of language to make Holden Caulfield, the main character, unbelievably realistic. Through Holden’s thoughts and dialogues, Salinger successfully created a teenage boy. Because of that The Catcher in the Rye became one of the few great post World War II works.
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.
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.
All-in all, Salinger?s writing style is one of unique, masterminded inventiveness. Some may argue that Salinger has done nothing unique or inventive, but he has combined so many various and beautifully executed writing styles and devices of literature that no one on earth could argue against the fact that J.D. Salinger has masterminded a classic novel that has already lasted over sixty years as a great and controversial story. The examples of relationships, society, and life itself that Salinger has created in The Catcher in the Rye are so exquisite and so timeless that they have already reserved the novel a place in history as one of the greatest stories of all time. As simple and easily understood as the story is, the morals behind the plot and the subtle symbolism scattered all throughout Holden?s tale have turned the teenager?s journey into an epic excursion.
Salinger is a successful writer, but most importantly, his writing made huge impacts. As seen in his famous work The Catcher in the Rye, which had set new literature of the post world war. (Encyclopedia of Biography page 2)