Catcher In The Rye By J. D. Salinger

One of the hardships Holden must cope with is his inability to come to terms with death, in particular that of his younger brother, Allie. Holden seems to have experienced a

Much of Holden’s inner turmoil comes from the lack of closure he had from his brother’s death. Regarding Allie, we can see that he struggles a lot with death and depression in general and we are shown this multiple times throughout the book for example in chapter one he describes himself as "wanting to disappear", introducing the reader to a first glimpse of Holden's frustration, saying, "I don’t even know what I was running for- I guess I felt like it. After I got across the road, I felt like I was sort of disappearing. It was that kind of crazy afternoon, terrifically cold and no sun out or anything…" This quote is important to the theme of unresolved grief because it reveals the fragility of Holden’s mental state. Salinger often uses second-person narration that addresses in the novel to show us that Holden is trying to disconnect from his problems and emotions by addressing the reader, proving that Holden has fallen negatively to the impacts of unresolved grief This also helps to make him feel less lonely and alienated. The personification of the "crazy afternoon" is a subtle nod to Holden’s damaging mental state about the effects of Allie's death. The windows are mentioned often and symbolize a barrier between himself and the people and world around him. Salinger was competently able to address the theme of unresolved grief, creating a novel that is untouched by any other in terms of quality and messages

In The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, the main character and narrator Holden Caulfeild walks many different paths of life. He jumps around different aspects of his life throughout the book, showing the reader many different sides to himself. This theme is presented through the author’s technique in crafting the characterization and symbolism. J.D. Salinger develops a puzzle of a personality for Holden throughout the book, to show the complexity and multitude of sides to Holden’s character.

J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye features a complex narrative surrounding a troubled young student, Holden Caulfield. Difficulties he faces throughout the story force Holden to confront his fears of adulthood and maturation and the responsibilities therein through the difficulties he faces throughout the story. Academic controversy surrounds whether Holden learns from these confrontations and adjust accordingly, maturing throughout the story. While initially this seems rather subjective, a thorough analysis of Holden’s actions throughout the story as well as of the symbolism injected by Salinger makes it quite clear that Holden does undergo a significant maturity arc as the story progresses. Holden’s social development and maturation

JD. Salinger’s 1951 book, The Catcher in the Rye, shows us how society treated their confused and changing teenagers during their transition into adulthood. The book’s main character Holden Caulfield is being pressured into growing up even though he doesn’t feel ready, to lead an adult life. He is still struggling socially and mourning for his deceased brother whose death turned Holden upside down and into a negative, hopeless person from a young age, which causes him to be distracted, indifferent and to flunk every school he goes to.

In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye, Holden Caulfield, a seventeen-year-old boy, transitions from childhood to adulthood. The death of Holden’s little brother signifies the beginning his loss of innocence and growth of maturity. As he enters adulthood, Holden views society differently from his peers by characterizing most of his peers and adults he meets as “phonies.” Thus, Holden takes the impossible challenge of preserving the innocence in children because he wants to prevent children from experiencing the corruption in society. The Catcher In The Rye embodies Holden’s struggle to preserve the innocence of children and reveals the inevitability of and the necessity of encountering the harsh realities of life.

Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger, incorporates numerous themes. However, the two most important themes throughout the book were innocence and loneliness. Holden’s innocence is constantly changing as he matures throughout the story. Furthermore, Holden has to deal with the effects of embarking on his journey throughout the story with loneliness. Salinger’s message during the 1940’s shows how American society and the growth of the teenage boy remains the same throughout

Responsibility is considered to be a natural addition to life as people grow older. Holden Caulfield struggles to accept his responsibility in his life throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye. During the course of the novel, Holden experiences the sudden pressure of responsibility caused by his actions. As his counter attack to the unwanted situations he faces, Holden does what most people would do and rejects the direction his life is now headed. Holden Caulfield shows his revulsion to accept responsibility through his self-proclaimed adulthood, confusion of independence, and being blinded by his own emotions.

J.D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, is the story of Holden Caulfield’s loss of faith in society, and in particular adults. Salinger uses a number of symbols to demonstrate Holden’s rebellion against the phony facade of society and his desire to preserve the innocence of children, especially those he loves. Chief among them is Holden’s misinterpretation of Robert Burns’ poem “Comin thro’ the Rye”, wherein Holden mistakes the original line, “If a body meet a body”, with “If a body catch a body”. Holden fantasizes about being the “Catcher in the Rye” who saves millions of children from metaphorically falling off the edge of a cliff, in other words, losing their innocence and becoming phony adults, . Holden’s fixation with preserving innocence appears to emerge after the death of his brother Allie, three years earlier. For example, when Holden is asked what he likes by his sister Phoebe he responds with “I like Allie” even though Allie is dead. Holden idolizes his younger siblings, Allie and Phoebe, noting that children that still have their innocence and have not been corrupted by adulthood, an example of this is the way Phoebe still puts sentimental value in the pieces of the “Little Shirley Beans” record, and the way that Allie wrote poems on the inside of his baseball mitt so that “he’d have something to read when he was in the field and nobody was up at bat.”

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger’s protagonist, Holden Caulfield suffers from depression due to the death of his younger brother, Allie. Allie’s premature passing elicits Holden’s cynical views of the world and the “phonies” around him.  Holden isolates himself from those around him in order to shy away from the complexities of life. Salinger uses a hat, a museum, and a merry-go-round to illuminate Holden’s inner turmoil with people, the notion of adulthood, and growing up. Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and the studies of Ego, Superego, and Id are used to show the significance of Holden’s behavior in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

Holden uses the ducks to represent himself, because they have to face the rest of the world, which is the ice they are surrounded by in winter. He doesn't want to become a phony adult, and uses James Castle as an example. He took his own life and in Holden’s eyes you are running away from your problems and a phony. His little sister, Phoebe, is still a child and he wants to do everything in his power

His discomfort can be attributed to him comparing himself to Horwitz and what he is like. In his conversation, Holden attempts to connect; the other person rejects him, and then he reacts to the rejection. Holden first reaches out to Horwitz when he asks about the ducks. The ducks often represent Holden’s efforts to reach out and connect with other people. They are not an in depth topic which further expresses Holden’s futile efforts to connect.

The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, consists of many minor characters. There are more than about sixty characters in the novel in which only three of them are major characters (Holden, Allie, and Phoebe) and the rest minor. Many of these characters are just mentioned with no lasting impact on either the novel itself or Holden. Salinger uses minor characters in the Catcher in the Rye to tell the readers about Holden and his views about the world.

This is portrayed by Holden’s insatiable curiosity about the ducks and the frozen pond. He wants to know where they go when their home is no longer available. This can show Holden’s own insecurity about leaving home and growing up. He wants to make sure that the ducks are okay despite the fact that their pond is frozen over and they can’t live there for awhile. Holden talks a lot about running away and never coming home.

They cannot escape Change, try as they might, but must endure it. Holden is our narrator, though slightly delusional we often forget to not take his word, or so readily trust him. His constant and repeated usage of “crazy” and “depressed” seem to be for effect only; yet after Holden’s near fall in the pond and his unvarying brooding on death, Holden does seem to be on the edge of sanity’s precipice. Subsequent to searching for hints and turn of phrase in Holden’s narrative can one realise that Salinger foreshadows an abysmal event, such as an attempted suicide by