Analysis Of The Catcher In The Rye

Holden Caulfield, a boy who struggles with his mental health, starts his story by saying, “I’m not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything. I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas” (Salinger 3). Published in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger depicts a three-day journey of Holden as he tries to find out more about himself. Through his struggle, Holden experiences many obstacles and events that occur in most teenager’s lives, making the book a primary target for banning due to offensive language, suicidal tendencies, sexual content, violence, and outright negativity (Information). Though The Catcher in the Rye contains controversial topics, such as depression, vulgar language, and sexual discrimination, the novel is still relevant and relatable to teens today; therefore, the story should remain an option for students to read.

The Catcher in the Rye has always been a book of controversy. Schools have banned it due to its vivid description of how a teeneger observes the world. Holden who is The protagonist’s sees the world as very morbid place for young people. Many people believe the book brings up controversial topics that should not be discussed among minors such as Holden Caulfield. Most of the topics expressed in the book could be acceptable in today's society but it caused many concerns and issues around the time it was released, 1951. In my opinion however this book has one of the greatest qualities in literature and thats relating to the reader. It should not be banned because adolescents have been able to identify with Holden’s

“The Catcher in the Rye” illustrates the confusion a teenager experiences toward society as he fears the adult world. From the language and the scenes provided from the book, we can easily see the struggle that Holden is going through and that he has mental issues. For example, in the scene when Salinger explains Allie’s death, he writes, “I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it.” (Salinger, 39). Before I read this book, I expected this book to be about the problems a teenager goes through in the 1950s, and I still thought this through the middle of the book. However, toward the end of the book, I started to see the seriousness of his mental health, and that this isn’t about a normal boy who is going through puberty, but mental illness.

Long-time controversial novel The Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger, explores the world of living post-trauma as a youth in the midst of the nineteen-fifties, through the eyes and flowing thoughts of its narrator, Holden Caulfield- a sixteen year old boy recuperating from the traumatic loss of his younger brother, Allie. Jumping into the story, the audience quickly learns that Holden is retelling his story in some sort of hospital, after he “got pretty run-down and had to come out… and take it easy” (1). Salinger goes out of his way to make points on many touchy topics throughout Catcher, however, the true meaning of the text is heavily debated due to the nature of Holden: a sarcastic, lying, cynic. Often labeled an “unreliable

The Catcher in the Rye, a controversial novel written by J.D Salinger, follows the life of a troubled teen named Holden Caulfield. Set over a period of 3 days in New York during the 1950’s, the plot follows the escapades of Holden, after he is expelled from his preparatory school. The novel, narrated through Holden's stream of consciousness, highlights modern teenage struggles while skimming many controversial topics. Its controversial content of sex, alcohol, and foul language has caused it to be banned from many libraries and school curriculums. Although, to some, The Catcher in the Rye, is seen as immoral and blasphemous, in reality, a highly moral book teaches readers about teenage struggles in a non-glamorized way.

In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger writes about Holden Caulfield, a teenager who flunks out of school and goes to be on his own. While doing this, he participates in many negative actives. Ultimately, readers see how these negative things affect his life with a looming sense of him wanting to commit suicide. However, this is not a valid reason to ban the novel. Instead critics and readers should see past these negatives and recognize that the novel gives exposure to young people who are encountering these issues, instead of hiding them away or banning them. This novel uses Holden's life as a demonstration of negative aspects including, alcohol and nicotine abuse, sexual tendencies, and obscene language to help readers better themselves. This benefits readers and overall is a reason why the novel should not be banned.

“The Catcher in the Rye” is a novel written by the author J.D Salinger. The novel is about young Holden Caulfield and his journey through New York and self-discovery. A novel that was originally made for adults that has become widely known in schools and amongst teens. Holden is a teen who seems to be mentally ill in some form or way and that allows his to take this trip in a sort of way to find himself as an individual. Holden seems to be victimized by the world around him, allowing him to exclude himself from society, leaving him with a pessimistic view on the world around him. This novel explores adolescence through the eyes of Holden as he attempts to find himself in a world where he feels that he doesn’t belong.

J. D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye introduces Holden Caulfield, the adolescent protagonist who has struggled through a complete disconnect with the outside world after suffering through traumatizing events as a child. Through a psychoanalytic lens, Holden can be scrutinized by his actions, dialogue, and thoughts. He is described as a judgemental individual who does not conform to social norms. As it is revealed that the troubled youth has been kicked out of his third school, and what Holden went through earlier in his life, the reader becomes aware of Holden’s emotional and psychological instability. This is confirmed throughout the book as Holden narrates his own experiences from the past, as well as the present, which is basically a three-day span. Early on, Salinger starts with Holden stating, “I’ll just just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty

Holden Caulfield, a boy who struggles with his mental health, starts his story by saying, “I’m not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything. I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas” (Salinger 3). Published in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger depicts a three-day journey of Holden as he tries to find out more about himself. Through his struggle, Holden experiences many obstacles and events, such as depression and profanity, that take place in most teenager’s lives, making the book a primary target for banning due to offensive language, suicidal tendencies, sexual content, violence, and outright negativity (Information). Though The Catcher in the Rye contains controversial topics, such as depression, vulgar language, and sexual discrimination, the novel is still relevant and relatable to teens today; therefore, the story should remain an option for students to read.

“Letter to Me” is a well known song in country music, by Brad Paisley in 2007. It is part of one of Paisley’s most popular albums, “5th Gear.” “Letter to me” is inspired by Brad Paisley’s wife and his own life growing up. His wife was asked to write a book as a letter to her younger self, and Paisley was inspired to write a song as a letter to his younger self.

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.

Gaydosik said, “Alienation is a negative consequence of individualism, particularly when individualism is combined with a skeptical attitude toward the existence of universal truth or the purposefulness of human life.”. Holden is a boy with psychological issues, that is true, but its cause is something different. Holden has been influenced by his upbringings and how he was raised is what makes him today. Nurture not nature. He may stay static and continue his antics such as flirting with women, but he has an internal turmoil that changes his views. Being a boy ostracized by friends and family, his only resort is alienation, but that takes a big toll on anyone’s mental health and he knows that he will have to grow up.

In my extended chapter of Catcher in the Rye, I started off by making Holden a homeless person under the bridge, discombobulated on what to do with the rest of his life. I made Holden talk to Phoebe because she is one of the only characters that genuinely understands and connects to Holden on a personal level. Phoebe knows Holden's actions and motives and is the only character that can give subsidiary advice to him. When Holden was expressing his quandaries to Phoebe, she pointed out that Holden does not like anything in life. Holden responds by saying he would love to be the “catcher in the rye.”

“The Catcher in the Rye” is a book written by Jerome David Salinger, following the life of a Holden Caulfield. Holden is a 17-year-old boy who as a result of being expelled from Pencey Prep, a boarding school in New York and decides to utilize his expulsion to take an early Christmas break. Holden, conveying his unique thoughts, as well as his peculiar adventure, narrates the book with a hidden motive of self-reflection. Salinger uses Holden to give us an insight from a historic perspective on what life was like in the past. He highlights this with Holden's addiction to alcohol, depressive behavior about Allie's death, lack of family support and his interactions with women. Salinger illustrates this to expose the pressure teenagers faced from society to hide their emotions.

All the suffering, stress, and addiction comes from not realizing you already are what you are looking for. --Jon Kabat-Zinn