Analysis Of The Catcher In The Rye '

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.

In “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D Salinger, Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old boy who has recently expelled from school, had lost his younger brother to Leukemia and witnessed the suicide of one of his peers, struggles in his journey of coming of age. He isn’t fond of the idea of having to mature and be exposed to responsibilities and problems of the real world. As a result, he tries to preserve the innocence of his younger sister, Phoebe. One way in which he aims to accomplish this goal is through a Little Shirley Beans record which he buys in hopes of giving it to Phoebe. Salinger utilizes the symbol of the broken record to develop Holden’s loss of innocence and deteriorating character.

It is known that humans require interaction between each other. As a result we tend to get attached and depend on them. We tend to advocate others from groups and keep to the same people. J. D. Salinger explores this in his book in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye. This book is beloved by many because it is so easy to connect to, even our generation now can connect to Holden and some of the things he goes through. The story is about a boy named Holden, he gets kicked out of school multiple times, and instead of telling his parents he wanders around New York in search of someone that cares and that he can make a connection with. Growing up is hard, and we need human connection to make through the hard times.

The Catcher in the Rye is a novel written by J.D. Salinger that occurs around the 1950s. The story’s protagonist and narrator is Holden Caulfield, a seventeen year old white male, who journeys to various places as he mourns over the death of his little brother, Allie. As a white male in a capitalist society, he has tremendous amounts of privileges that allow him to get. However, as the novel progresses, Holden describes his society as a place where honored human qualities are suppressed and capitalist ideals are embraced. Throughout the novel, we see that capitalism, “the social system based on the recognition of individual rights, including property rights, in which all property is privately owned”, destroys the overall society for Holden and his generation (Rand).

In J.D. Salinger’s novel Catcher In The Rye, it starts off with young man named Holden Caulfield at his school football game at Pencey Prep talking about his life. Following that the sudden and unexpected death of his little brother Allie occurs due to cancer. Holden becomes depressed and rebellious. He is aggressive towards anything and anyone who stands in his way and will knock down anything that tries to stop him from doing whatever he wants. Holden shows that the effect of Allie’s passing dawns on him throughout his life and he greatly shows it from time to time. Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden represents the voice of real people by getting expelled, being depressed, and smoking/drinking.

Holden’s story takes place in the 1950s. Because of this, it is necessary that the reader reads the story from multiple points of views. As Foster puts it, “don’t read with your eyes” (Foster 228) meaning that it is sometimes necessary to read from a perspective that will let you relate to and sympathize with the characters. The time period is shown many times such as when Holden goes dancing and asks a girl if she feels like “jitterbugging a little bit” (Salinger 72) referencing an iconic dance from that era. What people said and how they said it were very different in the past, and it is important to keep that in mind while reading.

In the Tribes of Palos Verdes and The Catcher In the Rye, both Jim and Holden struggle to find mental stability in their lives. J.D. Salinger expresses one of Holden's weaknesses in the statement,"I'm just going through a phase right now. Everybody goes through phases and all, don't they?"(15). When someone has a issue they often can’t say they have that problem and blame another reason for it. For Holden in The Catcher In the Rye, he blames his struggles on the phase he is going through.

As Catcher in the Rye progresses, Holden’s experiences become more meaningful and reflective; as a result, the protagonist accelerates towards his inevitable breakdown, revealing a pain-riddled, lost, thoughtful, oddly hopeful, and utterly real personality in the process. Holden is increasingly disgusted with how normal people approach life, thus making him unsure in how to approach his own life. “People never think anything is anything really. I’m getting goddamn sick of it” (Salinger 190). This prodded question of what is meaningful reverberates throughout the movies, plays, books, stories, and other creative works that span the length of human existence. Nodding at the true root of his obsession with phoniness, Holden often struggles with

Image. Everyone would like to show something else than who they really are. By portraying a different image, some people are enabled to show a better side of themselves. Others show a side that they think others would approve of. In the book The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is shown to be a cynical and a bit of a pessimistic person. However much he adopts this personality, is it his true nature? Throughout the book, Holden makes use of a frame narrative to show a different person than who he might truly be.

Reaching adulthood for many individuals leaves them instilled with curiosity and unaware of what to come. Characters like Iggy Slocomb and Holden Caulfield are lead through a journey of self-driven motifs to better understanding there true place in life and adjusting accordingly. Nonetheless there view on society has left them believing hypocrisy is a trait carried through many, and thus falsely believing they are exempt from it. Hypocrisy is viewed as the process of stating moral standards or beliefs in which one self does not follow. Although both characters are seen with this theme, it’s not the only one present. In the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and the movie Igby Goes Down by Burr Steers hypocrisy, self-Isolation and the deception of adult-hood are themes that re-illiterate the coming of age for young-adults like Holden Caulfield and Igby Slocumb.

Was there a time in your life where you felt closed minded or got scared of losing? Or feared of becoming a person you don’t want to be, someone different when you get older? Well I think most of us were there once in our life which is what Holden Caulfield is going through from the book of Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger. Holden Caulfield is a seventeen year old male who lives In New York City, but was also in a Prep school called Pencey which later he was expelled because of academic failure. In this book Holden is lonely, lost and innocent like a child, this is shown through his interest in the ducks, his fear of growing up and his distant relationship with his parents.

Accomplishment is measured in a variety of ways. It can be achieved through a game won, a skill mastered, or a lesson learned; it involves any sort of success, and it results in growth. In The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger, Holden embodies an anxious, confused teenager who can’t figure out what his future will hold – usually stories like this involve some sort of growth, and result in a coming of age. Ironically, Holden’s only purpose is to resist maturity; throughout the book he grows and changes minimally, as a result of little to no success. Stuck in the middle of innocence and maturity, he is not able to apply himself to accomplish anything. In The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger employs stagnant symbols and the “Comin’ Thro’ the

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

Learning from experience continues to be an important source of lessons in our lives. Experience permits one to become independent, look onward from failure, and learn to make decisions. This is specifically shown in the novel “The Catcher In The Rye” by J.D Salinger. Holden Caulfield, being someone who is unique, strong in his beliefs and ideals, shows sufficient proof to illustrate how development is represented on account of experience. After further examination of Holden’s fight with Stradlater, James Castle’s suicide, and Holden’s incident with Maurice, it will clearly be proven that Holden Caulfield developed as a character through various incidents that involve violence.