Examples Of Parallelism In Catcher In The Rye

Literature has always relied on techniques to catch the reader’s attention and format the story, and “the Catcher in the Rye” is no exception. Salinger brought many different writing styles into his novel to make it a bestseller. With his knowledge, Salinger was able to depict the persona of Holden to the reader without directly stating his characteristics. Salinger proves Holden is a lonesome figure who wanted to fit in but struggles to be accepted. The Catcher in the Rye depicts Holden as one who struggles with his sexuality and adulthood and wants to save children from adulthood because of the difficulties that it has brought himself. Salinger greatly expresses Holden through the use of metaphor, imagery, symbolism,

Contrast and Contradiction- During the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s older brother, Allie, and younger sister, Phoebe, play an important role in the story. Allie and Phoebe are the only ones Holden goes into depth about. None of the other members of Holden’s family are mentioned like his mom, dad, and other brother DB. In the beginning of the story Holden said he was not going to tell about his whole life, but only about what happened last Christmas. Holden contradicts what he says in the beginning of the story when he tells about his brother and sister, “My brother D.B.’s a

An author’s use of diction and syntax can dictate the meaning of a text as a whole. In The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Salinger uses these literary devices to establish the message in his novel. Salinger tells Holden Caulfield’s story in three days, showing the struggle of the desire to grow up but failure to act upon this maturity. One page from each of these days exemplifies the literary devices to shape the theme of the novel. Salinger’s use of diction and syntax aids his message of the preservation of innocence in a world that forces its children to grow up.

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. This quotation is from Holden’s conversation with Spencer, his former History teacher, in Chapter 2. His former teacher is lecturing him about his failures at Pencey; at this point in the lecture, he advocates the importance of playing by the rules to Holden.

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.

More specifically, Holden feels that adults are always hypocritical, superficial and inauthentic, their words and actions never matching their true feelings and intentions, in order to fit in with the world around them. Holden does not want to face adulthood himself and succumb to the phoniness that he perceives all around him. When Holden goes to say goodbye to Mr. Spencer, his history teacher, Mr. Spencer tries to talk things out with Holden and points out to him "Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules." (Salinger 8). Although outwardly agreeable, Holden thinks, “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). Holden feels hatred regarding the content of Mr. Spencer’s statement said and the fact that it came from an adult, which further reinforces Holden’s notion that adults are phony. Holden’s true feelings show how lonely and alienated he feels, and how he feels victimized that he is very different and unique from all the phony people in the world. takes comfort in the red hunting hat that is peculiar and unique, just as he is. Holden perceives children as innocent and thus, gives the red hat to his little sister Phoebe, “I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it to her.”( Salinger 180). Holden wants to shelter and shield Phoebe from losing her childlike innocence and becoming a phony

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.

In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger tells a story of a young boy, Holden, who never quite understood his stance on life. Throughout the novel, Holden struggles to adapt to the inevitable transition into adulthood, often worrying more about others than himself. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses connotative diction, repetition, and specific diction to convey Holden’s struggle of accepting life changes that led him to becoming mentally unstable.            To start off, Salinger illustrates Holden’s nature by using connotative diction.

In this quote from "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D Salinger, Mr. Spencer is lecturing Holden in his house about the rules of life and how one should follow just like everyone else in society. Holden sees Mr. Spencer as a phony because he "plays according to the rules". These rules aren't fair, Holden to trying to run away from the rules of life. The rules of how Holden will grow up and become a successful businessman or lawyer. Then go to work everyday and waste his money on stuff like Broadway shows just like his father does.Instead, Holden displays deviant behavior to "run away" from this transformation. He respects Mr.Spencer but does not look up to him because Mr.Spencer is just like any other adult who follows the rules and norms of society.

Salinger,the character Holden goes in to talk to one of the adults at his school at the time, Pency Prep where the man makes an analogy been life and a game. Holden is told by the adult that "Life is a game" yet the readers leader that Holden does want to be involved in that game, in fact, his wants to escape the game. Holden views the game of life as unfair and he does not want to conform to how the game is played. The adult goes on to tell him that "Life is a game that one plays according to the rules" which makes Holden upset because he does not think the rules are fair. This quotation is significant because the whole novel is about Holden trying to escape the "game" or life and be able to live by his own rules and not "according to the [set]

The title of the novel, “The Catcher in the Rye”, plays a significant role throughout the book as it has a substantial connection to Holden’s story. This title greatly allows for the main character, Holden Caulfield, to express his feelings towards life and towards human nature. Holden can see that the world he now lives in as it is becoming filled with corrupted people and minds. He believes the children are ruined by the ribald behavior of the older generations around them and as he shows the reader in the novel, these thoughts allow for holden to realize his true purpose in life, which would be to help save the children from this vindictive world. Holden also needs to save himself from this conflict as he is also caught between the

Mr. Spencer tried to tell Holden that life can be fun, and he must grow up when he said, "Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules." (Salinger 8) However, Holden displays a very curious and inquisitive side to his personality after he questions the ducks in Central Park. He is also searching for a deeper meaning to life, which causes some to see him as being very naive and juvenile. Holden lacks the self-confidence that he should have because it is acting very negatively upon his mind. He has the ability to poison his mind with words, and then force himself to believe that it is true. For example, Holden said," Then I read this other article about how you can tell if you have cancer or not. It said if you had any sores in your mouth that didn't heal pretty quickly, it was a sign that you probably had cancer. I'd had this sore on the inside of my lip for about two weeks. So figured I was getting cancer. That magazine was some little cheerer upper. I finally quit reading it and went outside for a walk. I figured I'd be dead in a couple of months because I had cancer. I really did. I was even positive I would be." (Salinger 196) Holden's inability to reassure himself has led him to be very negative about himself. He does not believe that he stands a chance of success in the world, so he describes himself as a failure. Holden has been told numerous times from his teachers,

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

The narrator and protagonist, Holden, in J.D Salinger’s the Catcher in the Rye, flunks out of school and finds himself walking carelessly around New York city. At 17-years-old, Holden is stuck in the middle of his transition from childhood to adulthood. His use of the word “pervert” exposes his underlying fears of expressing sexuality and trying to simplify what it means to be imtimate. Through these symbols we see an important transition from desiring childhood to having a realization only an adult could have

Paradoxes, in literature, are often employed by writers to emphasize the themes. Their true nature could be rather confusing, as they could be used in many ways. However, when analyzed at their fundamental levels, it is noted that paradoxes convey more profound ideas. Similarly, in The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger’s use of Holden’s paradoxes that overarch the entire novel emphasizes the apparent theme of identity by pointing out Holden’s problems and struggles. Salinger attempts to evince societal effects of an individual’s behaviors to the readers.