Comparing The Catcher And The Rye, By J. D. Salinger

In J. D Salinger 's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist, Holden, goes through many hardships in his journey to self-knowledge. In the beginning, Holden has to deal with being kicked out of school and not having any place to call home. He is also struggling with the unfortunate tragedy of the death of his beloved younger brother Allie. At the same time, Holden is trying to deal with growing up and accepting the adult world. Throughout the novel Salinger addresses the conflicts faced by a young man struggling with the trials and tribulations of growing up while also confronting personal loss and loneliness along the way.

The quote “Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules” (Salinger 8), demonstrates how some people make life easier than others. Old Spencer is one that believes life is about rules, from this it can be inferred that he is higher on the social ladder. Holden, on the other hand, is at the very bottom of the social ladder. Holden doesn’t like the rules because he believes that life has no meaning after Allie’s death.

Intro- Catcher in the Rye a book written by J.D Salinger writes about a teenage boy named Holden Caulfield who lost his brother from Leukemia.

One of the greatest American Literature writers, J.D. Salinger, was familiar with a rough childhood by experience. He was able to parallel his experiences to the experiences of Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in The Catcher in Rye. In this novel, Holden experiences conflicts that most youth are not familiar with. The conflicts in Holden Caulfield’s life are caused by various forces and circumstances.

In the book Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses the main character, Holden Caulfield, to embody his issues with connection and isolation. Holden’s failed relationships resemble the lack of love in Salinger’s life. Holden falls into continuous states of misery,

When Holden is told by old Spencer that life is a game and that he must play by the rules, Holden interprets it not by winning or losing, but by what team he is playing on. Holden believes his life is hard because of the relationships he has with certain people. He believes that if these people were not in his life, his life would be a whole lot easier and simple.

But if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot-shots, then what’s a game about it? Nothing. No game. Mr. Spencer refers to life as a game and to win you have to play by the rules but Holden knows it’s not that simple, maybe if you’re on the side with all the hot-shots you have a chance but for people like him, who are on the other side you can’t obtain happiness by following the rules. In Holden's case there aren’t any clear rules to follow to lead him to happiness or success.

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.

The phoniness, in which the characters use, contributes to the manipulation of values and ideals of individuals who succumb to the pressure of society. In J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger reveals his abomination for phoniness through Holden’s experience with the adult world. Phoniness creates a structured society where the connotations of success are deceptive. In addition, it sets standards and expectations for how individuals should act based on their social status. Furthermore, it interferes with one’s honesty by abolishing their authenticity and sincerity. In The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger suggests how the lack of authenticity and the manipulation of one’s originality can be traced back to the use of phoniness in

In a conversation between Holden and Spencer, Holden is lectured about the importance of “playing by the rules.” Spencer, his former history teacher at Pencey, explains that life should be “played by the rules.” and calls life a game. To himself, Holden goes on to say, “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. But if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot-shots, then what’s a game about it? Nothing. No game” (Salinger 8). Clearly, Holden identifies himself with the people on the other side. He shows that he is sort of isolated from the rest of the world and created this cynical view of everyone and everything. He shows that he has no hope in becoming on of the “hot-shots” and already expresses that he is a lost cause and does not know what to do with his life. It seems as though “Holden 's oversized inferiority feelings are in contrast to his ex­tremely high goals of superiority. Thus he is sure to feel small and inferior”

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.

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.

In Catcher In The Rye, Salinger uses Holden’s need of human contact to illustrate the problem of his self-alienation. His self-alienation is detrimental, ultimately blocking him from what he truly wants. Holden thinking he is better than others, which distances him from others and also hurts others in the process.

It has been said, “I’m not good at expressing my feelings, so I keep everything bottled inside. Half of the time, I want to tell someone what I’m feeling, but I don’t even know how to describe it. So I stay quiet”. This is similar to Holden in the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. The quote and Holden are similar because Holden’s quite about and not very good with expressing his emotions.

Holden refuses to obey the rules enforced by the society and adulthood because he perceives himself as an outsider. He detests the loss of innocence, integrity, and genuineness in the adulthood. Equally important, when Holden Caulfield visits Mr. Spencer, he advises him to accept Dr. Thurmer’s word that “life is a game” that must be played by the rules (12). On the other hand, Holden believes that life is a game for “all the hot-shots” (12). So, he believes he isn’t on the “hot-shots” side.