Literary Analysis Of Catcher In The Rye

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A door slams. A muffled scream echoes through the house. Someone shouts, “This is so unfair!” No one gets hurt, but no one remains unscathed. A typical scenario in the house of a teenager, but why? Throughout life, people only see the world from their point of view, and many never attempt to view their actions in any way but their own. J.D. Salinger penned the auspicious novel, The Catcher in the Rye. This classic tells the story of a mentally disabled teen that grew up too fast. Holden, the aforementioned teen, distances himself from personal connection after his younger brother, Allie, dies. By cutting himself off from the love of those around him, he feels lost and misunderstood. Holden begins to hate the world, and soon gives up on attempting
He meets a lot of “phony” people, and uses their duplicity to justify his irrational distaste. Early in the story, Holden talks about a Pencey alumnus named Ossenburger. After graduating from Pencey, Ossenburger made his living in the undertaking business (Salinger 16). When providing this description, Holden says that Ossenburger “probably just shoves them in a sack and throws them in the river” (Salinger 17). While the man may pinch pennies, Holden's response seems a bit exaggerated. Later, he meets an acquaintance of Sally Hayes at a play. He describes the man's apparel as “Strictly Ivy League” (Salinger 127). Just in case the audience might miss the sarcasm dripping from his voice, Holden adds, “Big deal” (Salinger 127). As the conversation continues, Holden summarises the stranger's feelings about the production. The “Ivy League” guy felt the plot could improve, but the actors “were absolute angels” (Salinger 127). A short while after he watches this play, Holden sees a movie. As Holden already made his opinions on movies clear, the negative - and sarcastic mood of this commentary surprised no one. He uses words like “putrid” and “phony” to describe the movie itself along with those around him (Salinger 137-139). The lady sitting next to Holden cried throughout the entire film, but refused to take her young son to the restroom (Salinger 138). Upon noticing this Holden compares this lady to “a
He changes his mind when he sees Phoebe carrying suitcase, wearing his hat on her head (Salinger 252). She wants to run away with him, and he realises he can't go. She already lost one brother to cancer, and another moved to the opposite end of the country. She can't lose another because of him. Salinger includes this to show how the world could begin to change if everyone started listening, processing, respecting the struggles of others. Holden, an unreliable narrator, represents everyone. Each individual on this earth has a part of Holden in them. The phonies symbolise various evils, and Phoebe represents the catalyst. Everyone deals with the phonies, but Phoebe still runs in that red hunting hat. She tries to draw nearer to the people running away. No, the bias and selfishness will never stop, but she might catch up if everyone works

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