Analysis Of The Book ' The Catcher Of The Rye '

Teenage years are difficult. Time tells this story of struggle again and again. The Catcher in the Rye is a classic novel showing the struggles a teenager goes through while transitioning into adulthood. The main character, Holden Caulfield, is a judgmental and temperamental boy who struggles to see the positivity in life. Throughout the story, Holden searches to find himself, as he feels forced to grow up. He holds onto aspects of his childhood and isolates himself so much that it is even harder for him to transition. J.D. Salinger uses the red hunting hat, the museum and cigarettes as important symbols in the story to convey the themes of transitioning from childhood to adulthood, loneliness, and isolation.

Holden becomes very fond of the idea of childhood innocence, stopping him from growing up and seeing the reality of life. Holden’s name refers to this. Holden Caulfield. Let’s break it down. The “caul” in Caulfield is the “inner fetal membrane... covering the head at birth” according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Breaking up the rest of the name: Hold-en or Hold-on Caul-field, meaning hold on to the innocence. The title of the book also alludes to the idea of childhood innocence. The “catcher in the rye” refers to Holden’s ideal

In the beginning, Holden’s date seems to be going well until Holden shares his fantasy with Sally to, “ drive up to Massachusetts and Vermont,” with her to escape what is happening in the real world because he cannot accept what is happening to him (71). After sharing his fantasy with Sally, his date becomes worse because Sally denies the

The coming of age phase in a young person’s life is a transitional phase which prompts the idea of individualism, decision making, acceptance, moral challenges, disappointment, and individual needs. These years are essential for the overall learning and growing-up part of someone’s life. Coming of age characteristics transpired in the novel The Catcher in the Rye and The Absolutely True Diary of a part-time Indian pertain to, but do not exclude, the acceptance of the complexities and “grayness” of the world, confrontation with the adult world, and the individual needs and desires vs. external pressures/expectations/norms. In both novels, young boys are faced with tough choices that will later help them in the overall transition from

“I swear to God I’m a madman” (149) Holden Caulfield says, revealing the wicked nature of J.D Salinger’s 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye. The book follows 16 year old Holden Caulfield in his days spent alone on the streets of New York City after getting kicked out of prep school. During this time Holden goes on an alcoholic rampage, fueled by hate and filled with anger towards anything he sees as phony. The book has been the cause of major controversy since its release, with schools across the country banning it from the realms of teaching for decades. Now, it is read in many high school literature classes because of its alleged similarity to the way teenagers think. The Catcher in the Rye should not be taught to young, impressionable teenagers in public schools because of its rampant profanity, glorification of alcohol and tobacco use, and narration by a mentally ill, generally horrible person.

The title “The Catcher in the Rye”, itself symbolizes the desire that Holden holds to and would like to become. He visualizes himself catching kids as they fall off the cliffs. This children playing in the rye represents their innocence and childhood. The act of the kids falling from the cliff symbolizes the act of losing their innocence. Holden wants to shield the kids from losing their innocence; most importantly he wants to avoid the difficulties that come up with adulthood. In the novel, Holden is seen wearing a red hunting hat that symbolizes his state of alienation. It made him feel unique. The writer has vigilantly used this technique to give meaning to all the actions and artifacts in the novel, which hence makes a significant art piece of

Holden also has a sister, he fears that one day he will lose her too. Holden was very close with his siblings before Allie’s death. He now is afraid he will lose his connection with Phoebe because she is the only one that is able to deal with him and his raving. Everyone else leaves him when he tries to communicate to them how he feels. Phoebe is a symbol to Holden of how innocent his childhood was, and how he wishes that he could have it back. When Holden and Phoebe are on the Merry go round Holden realizes that Phoebe will always come back, such as how she keeps coming back on the ride. This makes Holden happy because she is the

J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher In The Rye, attempts to show the reader the life of a regular boy with troubles on his mind. The rich and troubled Holden Caufield is that boy. His parents are quite wealthy and want Holden to be successful in life as well, but they do not nurture Holden with the amount of love that is necessary. Holden feels the absence of love, which causes him to suffer a variety of emotional problems. Holden needs direction in his life because he constantly struggles to find the meaning of life on his own. Schools kick him out because he is not able to focus with all these issues in his life. With all this pressure he faces, Holden escapes from consciousness in what appears to be a psychological defect, but is just

In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses literary elements such as tone, figurative language, and theme to create the overall effect of a teenager’s cynical and conflicted approach to dealing with the concept of adulthood. Salinger writes about Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year old boy, and his venture through New York City after he is expelled from his preparatory school due to academic failure. During his time in the city, emotional and mental problems surface, and his desperate want for companionship exposes his inability to connect with others.

“You'll have to jump.' 'I'll jump.' 'Jump!' Major Danby cried. Yossarian jumped. Nately's whore was hiding just outside the door. The knife came down, missing him by inches, and he took off” (Heller 350). Yossarian ends his dialogue in a cheery and fun way because he is finally going to be free from the oppression of the US military. This also shows his increased morals, because in the beginning, he would have just killed the girl for trying to kill him. He also uses arrangement to show America at the time like, “ Heller's satirical masterpiece tells us something about the madness of America” (Pilger, John). This shows how the novel portrays the insanity of the war at this time and how these people need help or to get out. The main part of the novel is just the insane adventures Yossarian goes on throughout his horrifying experience.

"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of

Throughout my life I have been expected to live up to the expectations of not only my family but my community. This struggle is present in the lives of everyone from the day they are born. The problem with living up to someone else's standards is that nothing ever seems to be good enough. In Catcher in the Rye, Holden struggles to live life the way he/people are supposed/expected to. He is constantly striving to find a way to escape this confusing reality.

I do believe that the point of view objective, so that we can only see characters from the outside. This is because we can not see what the characters are thinking only what they are saying.

The chapter starts with Holden leaving the train station that had originated from Pencey and finding a hotel. After settling into the hotel, he calls the stripper but he is rejected. This was very surprising to me as it was very blatant and unexpected. Holden then goes on talking about his kid sister Phoebe who is in middle school. He describes her as being very intelligent, since she had all A’s ever since she began school. Following his thoughts on Phoebe, Holden then goes to a bar where he finds a group of 3 ladies. He approaches them and asks if they would like a drink. Unimpressed, they noticed how Holden looked quite young and all and giggled uncontrollably. Holden then asks if they would like to dance and one of the ladies accepted his request. He had complimented her dancing and tried to have a conversation but was treated with boring replies. Holden was then sick and over with the ladies’ attitude so he left the place.

J.D Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye has been a hit on the shelves since its publication in 1951. It tells the story of Holden Caulfield, a lost adolescent who journeys to find his place in the