The Catcher in the Rye Literary Analysis 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. First of all, the book follows the themes of isolation, innocence, and corrupted maturity through the setting. In …show more content…
the beginning of the book, Holden describes flashbacks he had which took place in Pennsylvania at Pencey Prep Academy. Pencey Prep is a boy’s school full of adolescent, confused, and “phony” teenagers. His roommate, Stradlater, is a womanizer who manipulates women by acting sincere so that they will have sexual intercourse with him. While premarital intercourse may have been humiliating or even illegal like in the 1850’s when Scarlet Letter was written, Catcher in the Rye was based in 1948 to 1949; a few years after World War II when social norms have changed. Survivors of World War II suffered traumatic post war effects (such as Holden’s older brother, D.B) and began to lose faith as well as morals. This can be seen as corrupted maturity, which Holden faces after being tempted by his sexual desires, “I figured if she was a prostitute and all, I could get in some practice on her, in case I ever get married or anything.” (Salinger 92). After the prostitute arrived, Holden’s innocence isolated himself from the prostitute when he asks if they can just talk instead of having intercourse. Even despite being in a new setting and wanting to forget about Pencey, Holden continues to isolate himself from people in order to not get hurt. Next, the book follows the themes of isolation, innocence, and corrupted maturity through symbolism. Jane Gallagher, for instance, was a symbolism of a reminiscent innocence, reminding Holden of his youthful childhood---before he grew up and became “corrupted.” Like Jane, a reminiscent, unchanging memory, was the Museum of Natural History. “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move.” (Salinger 121). No matter how many times Holden went to the Museum, it never changed. The Museum was a symbol of Holden’s desire to stop time and remain in childhood. Holden fears the future, not wanting kids to become corrupted, which is why he would want to be “the catcher in the rye.” “Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around – nobody big, I mean – except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff somewhere and catch them…” (Salinger 173). Holden, symbolizes a guardian “catching” little kids falling off a cliff into adulthood. J.D Salinger, had a decent childhood, but when he became an adult and fought in World War II, he suffered combat stress reaction. “Holden” may not want children to “fall” into adulthood because of the traumatization and corruption they will face, like what Salinger experienced. Lastly, the book follows the themes of isolation, innocence, and corrupted maturity through diction.
Holden would often mention about how lonely and depressed he was, “It was against my principles and all, but I was feeling so depressed I didn’t even think. That’s the whole trouble. When you’re feeling very depressed, you can’t even think.” (Salinger 91). This quote shows that because of Holden’s isolation, he becomes so depressed his morals bend and becomes more corrupted. Holden often repeats himself when he wants to emphasize something important. J.D Salinger’s tone sounds like a typical teenager using many slang and vulgar words such as, “chrissake” and “goddam.” Today, the lexicon Salinger used seems normal since the literary period was pre-modernism. However, when it was first published in the 1950’s it was offensive, caused a lot of controversy, and was even banned in several countries. The Catcher in the Rye was first banned after its publication for nontraditional or unpopular viewpoints, which many other classic writers faced such as William Shakespeare and Mark Twain. The book is known for being obscene and profane that teachers have been fired for allowing their students to read it. However, with Salinger’s coming-of-age-feel, it is still a popular book and is read in schools
today. In conclusion, The Catcher in the Rye was a book influenced through the author’s life and modernism, adapting the themes of isolation, innocence, and corrupt maturity; which is shown through literary elements such as: the setting, symbolism, and diction. Holden was afraid of the future and moving on into adulthood, just like the majority of high school students today. He isolated himself from getting hurt and drowned in loneliness. He thought he could handle things by himself, which lead to the corruption of his principles and morals. In the end, he just had to find someone he could lean on, and he found more balance in his life. “My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way, but I got soaked anyway.” (Salinger 213).
Holden Caulfield, the teenage protagonist of Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, struggles with having to enter the adult world. Holden leaves school early and stays in New York by himself until he is ready to return home. Holden wants to be individual, yet he also wants to fit in and not grow up. The author uses symbolism to represent Holden’s internal struggle.
Holden Caulfield, portrayed in the J.D. Salinger novel Catcher in the Rye as an adolescent struggling to find his own identity, possesses many characteristics that easily link him to the typical teenager living today. The fact that the book was written many years ago clearly exemplifies the timeless nature of this work. Holden's actions are those that any teenager can clearly relate with. The desire for independence, the sexually related encounters, and the questioning of ones religion are issues that almost all teens have had or will have to deal with in their adolescent years. The novel and its main character's experiences can easily be related to and will forever link Holden with every member of society, because everyone in the world was or will be a teen sometime in their life.
Catcher in the Rye is one of the most famous books in American literature. Written by J. D. Salinger, it captures the epitome of adolescence through Salinger’s infamous anti-hero, Holden Caulfield. Holden Caulfield learns about himself and his negative tendencies, and realizes that if he does not do something to change his perspective, he may end up like his acquaintance James Castle whom he met at Elkton Hills. Holden tries to find help to mend his outlook on life through Mr. Antolini so he does not end up like James, who did not want to face the problems he created for himself. This is proven by the similarities between James Castle and Holden, Mr. Antolini’s willingness to try and help Holden, and Holden’s future being forecasted by James.
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.
In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is seen by some critics a a drop out student destined for failure in life, but I see him as a symbol of an adolescent who struggles to adapt to the reality of adulthood.
J. D. Salinger's notable and esteemed novel, Catcher in the Rye, reflects the hypercritical views of a troubled teenager, Holden Caulfield, towards everyone around him and society itself. This character has a distinguished vision of a world where morality, principles, intelligence, purity, and naivety should override money, sex, and power, but clearly in the world he inhabits these qualities have been exiled. Holder desperately clings to and regards innocence as one of the most important virtues a person can have. However, he son becomes a misfit since society is corrupted and he yearns for companionship, any kind of connection with another to feel whole and understood again. Ironically, despite his persistent belittling and denouncing of others, he does not apply the same critical and harsh views on himself.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a classical coming of age novel that deals with a youth’s mental adjustment to a modern world. Holden Caulfield, Salinger’s troubled protagonist, has a flawed view of the world where youth and integrity fights maturity and corruption. Salinger explores this dichotomy using a variety of motifs and symbols.
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.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is a coming-of-age novel set in New York during the 1940’s. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the story, is a detached seventeen-year old boy harboring feelings of isolation and disillusionment. He emphasizes a general dislike for society, referring to people as “phonies.” His lack of will to socialize prompts him to find nearly everything depressing. He’s alone most of the time and it’s apparent that he is very reclusive. This often leads him to pondering about his own death and other personal issues that plague him without immediate resolution. Holden possesses a strong deficit of affection – platonic and sexual – that hinders and cripples his views toward people, his attitude, and his ability to progressively solve his problems without inflicting pain on himself. The absence of significant figures in his life revert him to a childlike dependency and initiate his morbid fascination with sexuality. In this novel, Salinger uses Sunny, Sally Hayes, and Carl Luce to incorporate the hardships of discovering sexual identity and how these events affect adolescents as they try to understand their own sexuality.
Salinger made the tone of the book humorous to show that Holden is in an arrested state of development. It also makes him approachable in the book in order for the audience to connect with Holden. Throughout the book Holden is always angry. Putting humor in the book in some ways, evens it out. Teenagers are taken to be sad and angry all of the time. The tone in which Salinger gives to Holden allows the character to serve as a relatable person that connects with a wide ranging audience.
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.
In J.D. Salinger’s controversial 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main character is Holden Caulfield. When the story begins Holden at age sixteen, due to his poor grades is kicked out of Pencey Prep, a boys’ school in Pennsylvania. This being the third school he has been expelled from, he is in no hurry to face his parents. Holden travels to New York for several days to cope with his disappointments. As James Lundquist explains, “Holden is so full of despair and loneliness that he is literally nauseated most of the time.” In this novel, Holden, a lonely and confused teenager, attempts to find love and direction in his life. Holden’s story is realistic because many adolescent’s face similar challenges.
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, the author of The Catcher in the Rye, uses the behaviour of protagonist Holden Caulfield to shape his personality in the way he alienates himself from the rest of the world. Holden alienates himself from the society he lives in, his relationships with others and also the relationships he has with himself. Holden struggles to cope with the fact that eventually he will have to grow up, and so will everyone around him. Holden see’s the world not being perfect as a huge problem that he alone has to fix because everyone else is too much of a ‘phony’ to do it. The novel explores Holden’s weekend after he got kicked out of his fourth school, Pency Prep, and the struggles he faces with alienating himself.
Holden Caulfield. 16 year old male. He is currently going through a stage of depression. Comes from a wealthy family. Father works as a large corporation lawyer. Has three siblings, one deceased. Holden has an older brother named D.B he’s currently in Hollywood working on his writing. Holden also has a younger sister Phoebe that is 10 years old that will listen to Holden’s conversations. Holden admits to have used alcohol and cigarettes. Has gone to many private prep schools and has failed out of each one.