Catcher In The Rye Literary Analysis

When describing Mr. Spencer, Holden uses words relating to being disgusted by the old mans appearance. He didn’t appreciate Mr. Spencer’s apparel either as his chest was exposed and he could smell Vick Nose Drops in the air (page 7). This image implies that Holden doesn’t approve of aging or the concept of working towards death. A second image is expressed when Holden talks about the food supplied at Pencey Prep. He says that although they are served stakes, it is impossible to cut into them and describes how phony the food is (page 35). This service shows how the school annoys Holden and why he can’t stand being there any longer. A third example is when he is dancing with the three girls in the Hotel lobby, he described the one girl as “dragging the Statue of Liberty around the floor” (page 74). This image portrays that Marty can’t dance very well and he can’t stand being with her; Holden may even be displaying that he is better than her. Perhaps Holden believes we are not equal and are instead based on our level of

“Holden’s world provides no one he can truly emulate.” (Bryan, 33) .m in this novel JD Stanley narrates the secondary characters as personifications as either the exact opposite rejecting Holden wants to be. His fears are portrayed in ackley, stradlater and mr. Spencer. Ackley is described to be what every teenage boy doesn't want to be, ugly and disgusting. stradlater is described as one of the largest Playboy's in pencey prep. Holden describes them both as Big phonies, along with everyone else at pencey. Holden’s fears of death and sickness is shown in mr. Spencer’s sick room. he wants to be wise likes mr. Spencer but he doesn't want the illness and old age. “ Holden is a wonderful creation. So he throws himself around as if he disparages the human race, he does not have the misanthropy that you associate with that kind of disparagement. He has a real feeling for people, that's the richness of his character...” (Moss; Devices, 31) Holden isn't just cynical he sees the world for what it really is he sees boys soccer past the stereotypes right through to the reality and thickness of a person Holden's character is what people in the real world parentheses outside of just not want to see hate the most because these are the types of people that don't lie about who or what they are. Hold him. Want to be something that are played out in the

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.

The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J.D. Salinger. It is narrated by Holden Caulfield, a cynical teenager who recently got expelled from his fourth school. Though Holden is the narrator and main character of the story, the focus of Salinger’s tale is not on Caulfield, but of the world in which we live. The Catcher in the Rye is an insatiable account of the realities we face daily seen through the eyes of a bright young man whose visions of the world are painfully truthful, if not a bit jaded. Salinger’s book is a must-read because its relatable symbolism draws on the reader’s emotions and can easily keep the attention of anyone.

The relationship between Holden and Phoebe forms a major theme that the novel aims to deliver. The fact that he is having this conversation with Phoebe, a child who is anything but simple and innocent, reveals the oversimplification of his worldview. Holden himself realizes this to a degree when he acknowledges that his idea is “crazy”, yet he cannot come up with anything more pragmatic; he has trouble seeing the world in any other way. His “catcher in the rye” fantasy reflects his innocence, his belief in pure, uncorrupted youth, and his desire to protect that spirit. On the other hand, it represents his extreme disconnection from reality and his naïve view of the world. Phoebe exposes to Holden a living embodiment of childhood. And it is a scene with her where she exposes to Holden the illogical nature of his supervisory actions, indicating that his desire to preserve her innocence will only halt her own inevitable development. Phoebe is the Greek word for “protector of children” (Bloom 2009, p185). Within the novel she is Holden’s protector. She comforts him, provides him with financial security, and protects him from getting in trouble with their mother. Reiff describes this reversal of roles between Holden and Phoebe as “Now, instead of saving the world by protecting the children, Holden wants to reject the world and shut himself off from evil by becoming a ‘deaf-mute’ in the West. It is Phoebe who rescues him from this total withdrawal” (Reiff 2008, p71). Phoebe forces Holden to view her as a human—living and progressing— rather than as a forever preserved child, and it is this humanization that causes Holden to accept her eventual progression into

In chapter 7, the themes and motifs of lying/ deception, the plight of mental health, protection, isolation, and relationship/ interaction with others are overarching. Holden is a compulsive liar who tends to lie to protect himself from judgement of others and he also lies as a means of a comfort mechanism. For example, he lies to Ackley about what the fight was about between himself and Stradlater. He claims [he] was defending [his] goddam honor.” The reason he

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, 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.

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

Overall I think that author J.D Salinger uses many different forms of symbolism such as the hunting hat, the broken record and the description of Holden being the catcher in the rye to portray key ideas to us the readers. These key ideas are; Holden Caulfield is the guardian of youth and Holden is a broken record

Although Holden enjoys reading books, when it comes to doing any work beyond reading, he does not apply himself. He has flunked out of four prep schools, including Pencey, for “not applying himself.” For example, when he speaks with his history teacher who flunked him, he admits to being a “moron.” However, it is not that he is a moron, but rather that, like a child, he cannot stay focused on the task at hand: “Well you could see he really felt pretty lousy about flunking me. So I hot the bull for a while.

J.D. Salinger utilizes extensive measures of symbolism as a part of his novel to precisely pass on the emotions of his primary character, Holden, and, generally, to uncover data relating to human slant. A number of these symbols contain incongruity, numerous implications, and fluctuating degrees of unpredictability. Through the cognizance of Salinger's remarkable symbolism, notwithstanding, The Catcher in the Rye can be genuinely comprehended and acknowledged. The character of Holden Caulfield is a capable symbol himself which speaks to individuals as they genuinely may be.

Mr. Spencer who feels bad about flunking Holden. Mr. Spencer is one of the few people that wants to help holden. “Game, my ass. Some game. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it’s a game, all right—I’ll admit that.

Mr. Spencer is a very nice teacher the character in the story seems to have a connection with Holden. Even if he failed Holden for not writing his essay on the Egyptians, like he should’ve had old Spencer cares for him deeply. I’d like to put a sense in that head of yours boy I’m trying to help you If I can” (20) Holden thought differently than his teachers. Mr. Spencer made a big difference, but that didn’t mean he would be the change that still gives the reader a thought on Mr. Spencer never giving up and having faith that someday things would change for Holden.

Spencer flunking him at all. Holden just accepts the fact that he is going to fail his class. That sort of stuff isn’t relevant to him therefore embracing his own opinion and his “failure”.