Comparing Catcher In The Rye And Death Of A Salesman

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.

Our group established 5 criterions to state what makes great literature. Our first criterion was “A great book must contain a message that applies to not only those who have experienced situations in the book, but provide perspective to those who have not.” A message that can be understood by numerous groups of people is vital to a great piece of literature. Our second criterion is that in order to teach a lesson it must expose a fault in human nature or in society. Our society is just as flawed as humanity is. Acknowledging these flaws is the first step in overcoming the trials of society and man. Our third criterion is centered around the craftsmanship of the literary work. This can apply to a groundbreaking new approach to narration. Or even complex characters and a unique and individual style (Faulkner.) In summary, the 3rd criterion tries to move past just the message itself, and to focus on

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.

J.D Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye has been a hit on the shelves since its publication in 1951. It tells the story of Holden Caulfield, a lost adolescent who journeys to find his place in the

The Catcher in the Rye, a story surrounding the teenage angst and downward spiral of main character Holden Caulfield, has captivated many audiences through its controversial writing. Although many consider Holden to simply represent the anger in adolescence and fear of becoming an adult with responsibilities, his angst, alienation, and depression represents much more: the stripping of childhood innocence all too soon. Due to Holden's need to rescue so many others and the consumption of the need to regain his innocence, he cannot rescue himself from his own downfall.

I am not the first 10th grade student who has analyzed and thought through The Catcher in the Rye; I’m not the last either. For decades the book has been discussed, debated, read over and over again. Isn’t it said that assigned books have a tendency to be a tad boring at the least? I wouldn’t want to be the first to question a reputation, but Catcher struck such a chord with me that I’m actually reading it again as we speak. I can’t quite place what about it resonated so well with me, but I almost seem to relate to Holden in a way I’m not sure I know how to explain. Holden struggles the entire book with the responsibility of moving on from his brothers death, and more importantly, with the weight of growing up. It might be said that that weight

Holden Caulfield plays a timeless character in the sense that his way of life is common for the American teenager, in his time as well as now. Today parents dread the terrible and confusing adolescent years of their child's life. In J.D. Salinger's book, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is in this terrible and confusing point of his life. At this point in his life, as well as in modern teenager's lives, a transition occurs, from child to adult. Holden takes this change particularly rough and develops a typical mentality that prevents him from allowing himself to see or understand his purpose in life.

Willy Loman, the protagonist in Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, is a character lacks self-confidence. Willy passionately believes in the American Dream as a way to achieve accomplishments and be wealthy, however he does not accomplish it and his sons too. His sons struggle to do their father's hopes, while Willy’s delusions starts to affect his real life under the challenging realities of life, his cerebral condition starts to deteriorate. The pressure strains appear because of this American Dream, and because of the general necessities Willy initiates the main conflict of Death of a Salesman.

Willy Loman, the lead character in Miller’s play, had dreams which consisted entirely of being important, well known, and most importantly, well-liked. He would spend his entire adult life trying to become exactly like the man that ignited his hopes and dreams of becoming a salesman; however, it becomes apparent that Willy is incapable of accepting

Both The Catcher in the Rye and My Antonia are considered masterpieces in the American Literary canon. The Catcher in the Rye follows the story of Holden, a nostalgic depressed teen yearning for his dead brother, as he learns to deal with growing up. Holden states that "What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if [the kids] start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they

When we first started reading The Catcher in the rye to be honest I hated it, I hated Holden he never appreciated anything he got and was always complaining and depressed, the whole class hated it so I thought this was just one of those bad books that are pointless and boring that we have to read in high school to waste time. I didn’t like the beginning because I was reading the book as a 15 year old with no experience in the real world still living with my parents and never had any bills to pay, I never read the book in Holden’s point of view which was the real point of view. I feel like I didn’t like it because it talked about death and depression and the real world which every adult has to deal with because that’s the cycle of life then

I agree that The Catcher of the Rye tells the story of a sensitive youth doomed to frustration and disillusionment in his struggle to find truth and sincerity in a shallow ,pretentious world. The story focuses on Holden Caulfield’s struggle with growing up into a world he isen’t ready to accept. He emotionally battles himself with feelings of depression, obsession of death, and ethics. Holden believes alot of adults are “phonies” because they have been corrupted by a shallow society and have lost their innocence. He can’t accept the reality that he might grow up and be a phonie as well.

In Death of a Salesman, the play’s main character, Willy Loman, fits nearly every cliche there is about middle aged men who have accomplished nothing. As sad as it is to say, Willy is not only a realistic character, but a character possessing traits commonly found in modern American society. He is the adult that no one wants to be, but grows up to be nonetheless. Willy Loman is a type of person commonly found in today’s America, possessing many undesirable, yet common, traits, such as him hating change, trying to control and live through his children, and maintaining hope in the American Dream despite it failing him repeatedly.

There are different forms and examples of exemplary and classic literature which have been deemed as significant works that are highly esteemed worldwide. These examples of literature would awe the world with how much literary skill they entailed when they were composed and written: attention to details as to formation of characters, the most crafty of plots, the most eloquent speeches and lines, the most astounding of twists of scenes, and most of all, the most universal and meaningful of themes. The theme of any literary work is what makes it great as it should be able to encompass the immense diversity of the world and as it would be able to transcend the boundaries of religion, age, race, gender, etc. Two examples of this great and

The play starts off in the Loman’s small, simple house. “An air of the dream clings to the place.” Willy lives with his loving but overly defensive wife, Linda, who acts as a guard between her husband and their two adult sons, Biff and Happy. Their relationship with their father is permanently under tension. The play also highlights the pressures of the financial world and how Willy’s dream of being successful was slipping away. He believed that in society there is only room for winners, this demonstrates how ‘The American Dream’ can be filled with false promises and set up conflicts in someone’s business life, and also their personal life.