Analysis of JD Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye'

During the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, author J.D. Salinger brings Holden’s pessimistic, antisocial personality to life through what he says, how he says it, and through the characters he meets. Salinger bases Holden’s expressions off of the culture of the 1950’s, his own personal dialect, and the everyday occurrences of Holden’s life in mind. J.D. Salinger manipulates the diction, uses syntax to criticize others, and controls the character interaction and dialogue in order to create the protagonist, Holden Caulfield.

In the Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, there are many items of symbolism. The symbolism in the story keeps Holden sain. Some items of symbolism are Holden's’ brothers baseball mit, the schools Holden gets kicked out of, and the carousels gold rings. The baseball mit and the carousels’ gold rings are positive representation of symbolism, whereas the schools, are negative.

Many novels cannot be fully understood and appreciated if only read for face value, and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is no exception. The abundant use of symbolism in Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is of such significance that it “proclaims itself in the very title of the novel” (Trowbridge par. 1). If the symbolism in this novel is studied closely, there should be no astonishment in learning that The Catcher in the Rye took approximately ten years to write and was originally twice its present length. J.D. Salinger uses copious amounts

“Don’t tell people what you are thinking, or you will miss them terribly when you are away” (Salinger 214) says Holden Caulfeild as he warns the world. Salingers novel pinpoints the many fears and phobias of growing up from an immature, pessimistic, “everybody’s a goddam phony” perspective that makes it relate-able to young transitioning teenagers. Salinger's Caulfeild is afraid of growing up and the unknown prospects of entering the adult world after experiencing a life changing event. Holden, clinging to his innocence, most importantly learns how the Phony adult world not only treats people like HC poorly, but it kills them.

Books that are unique to their time period are memorable and often kept throughout the ages. A typical “coming of age” novel, which is a story that shows the development of a character throughout the novel, can carry characteristics that make it still stand the test of time today. Like the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger uses distinctive characterization techniques that include specific symbols making the novel stand the test of time from its publishing date, to present day, and more years to come.

Have you ever read a novel in which a character is talked about often but never appears or appears but for a brief moment? At times you may think nothing of that character, you could assume they add nothing to the context of the novel and are placed to fill up a couple pages, but on the contrary. In some works of literature a character who does not appear at all can have a significance presence. In J.D Salinger’s novel “ The Catcher in the Rye”Holden the main character’s brother, Allie never appears but is mentioned multiple times. The lack of Allies presence is vital to the key aspects of Salinger’s novel. Often this lack of presence from a character is done on purpose. It can be done to signify something, make the novel multi dimensional or to enhance the writing. Ally’s absence affects the main character, the theme of the book, and a development of characters.

Written in 1951, J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye continues to be a popular book amongst Americans. Although The Catcher in the Rye has been banned in many public school settings in the United States it continues to stay atop some of the greatest books of all time lists. Whether people are in their teens or in their fifties they find themselves drawn to Holden Caulfield. At some point in their life they could relate to a sense of alienation, caused by money and wealth. Humans are wired to be jealous and want what others have. Holden Caulfield has the opposite problem, he has money and wealth which he inherited from his hard working parents. However, he himself is not motivated to work hard, graduate prep school and earn his own wealth. Instead he despises hard working students at the many prep schools he drops out of. Holden also has a big number of family complications. An area to explore is how wealth can contribute to feelings of alienation and despair. Holden Caulfield has a complex relationship with money, not wanting to associate from it, but benefiting from it. A further look into the 1950’s may give an insight into the troubled mind of Holden Caulfield.

In the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist Holden Caulifield views the world as an evil corrupt place where there is no peace. Holden has a phony phobia that restricts him from becoming a fully matured adult. In Holden's attempted journey in becoming a fully matured adult, he encounters many scenarios involving friendship, personal opinions, and his love of children. His journey is an unpleasant and difficult one with many lessons learned along the way; including the realization that he is powerless to change the world.

It would surprise most people who know me to discover that I was able to find inner peace by reading a book that inspired criminals to commit murder. A book that left me desperately wishing that the author was a good friend of mine, someone that I could call up on a whim just to talk to. This book is none other than Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

It is the last chapter in the book and Holden finishes his story by stating, “That’s all I’m going to tell about,” meaning there is more to his story and how he could go on and predict about his life later on, but at the moment he was not ready to talk about it. The reason he does not want to is that as he was telling the major events that had happened in his life, he realizes something. Holden becomes aware of the fact that, “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody” (Salinger 234).

Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye has been pronounced a literary classic for its atypical portrayal of adolescence, to effectively convey the protagonist’s alienation and confusion. The introduction of The Catcher in the Rye is underpinned by disorder and confusion through a stream-of-consciousness narration, which digresses from one subject to another. Consequently, Holden’s multitudinous thoughts and feelings appear to lack a cohesive pattern. Additionally, Holden’s prevalent ascription of other students as “phony” (Salinger, p.3) alludes to his alienation and isolation as a form of self-protection; he rejects those he does not understand. Furthermore, the vocabulary encapsulates typical adolescence dialect of the 1940s, and resultantly, alienates contemporary reader. This is typified through Holden’s use of colloquial speech, in particular, his exclamation “that killed me” (Salinger, p.42) to express his amusement. Therefore, the introduction of Holden’s disjointed monologue in The Catcher in the Rye foreshadows Salinger’s unique interpretation of adolescence.

New York is the city of dreams that can help any aspiring person grow, learn, and thrive. Although the Big Apple has a variety of opportunities, its raw and unfiltered display of life can tear apart the last bit of innocence to which an adolescent clings. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger introduces the narrator and main character, Holden Caulfield, a former student at Pencey Prep who has been expelled. He decides to runaway to New York City to escape the pressure of becoming adult and to save his innocence from the hands of cruel society. Here, he discovers the imperfections found in each character, judging them before judging himself. In the novel, the author expresses the importance of being honest with oneself through

Martin Luther King Junior once said “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars”. This quote implies that it is easier to see beauty in life once one is at their lowest point. The light King refers to is the positive things in our lives, and the darkness is representative of negative points in a person’s life. I agree with this quote, because many people take the good things in their lives for granted until they are gone. When the “stars”, or positive things in life are gone, one realizes how truly wonderful they were.

     J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye has captured the spirit of adolescence, dramatizing Holden Caulfield's vulgar language and melodramatic reactions. Written as the autobiographical account of a fictional teenage prep school student named Holden Caulfield, The Catcher in the Rye deals with material that is socially scandalous for the time (Gwynn, 1958). As an emotional, intelligent, and sensitive young man, Holden puts his inner world to the test through the sexual mores of his peers and elders, the teachings of his education, and his own emerging sense of self. Throughout the years, the language of the story has startled readers. Salinger's control of Holden's easy,

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