Examples Of Patriarchy In Catcher In The Rye

He isolates himself and becomes offensive towards Sally in an attempt to preserve his feeling of individuality. Further illustration of Holden’s struggle would be when he agreed to have a prostitute in effort to feel some kind of companionship. When the prostitute arrives he decides that he rather just talk. Holden elucidates, “I sat down again and tried to keep the old conversation going. She was a lousy conversationalist” (Salinger, 125).

The concept of sexism is a continually evolving concept that has been redefined throughout American history. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, gender roles were constantly changing because of American involvement in WWII. It was during this era when J.D. Salinger introduced Holden Caulfield to the world in the renowned novel The Catcher in the Rye. Suffering from some mental illness exacerbated by the death of his younger brother Allie, Holden struggles to find positivity in his daily life. After failing out of Pencey Prep, Holden travels to New York City where he spends three days pondering how he is going to tell his parents he was expelled. Plagued by his negative thoughts and feelings of isolation, Holden’s mental state deteriorates to the point that he contemplates suicide multiple times; however, the influence of his sister Phoebe and old friend Jane Gallagher provide Holden with a sense of optimism. Ultimately, it is Phoebe who kindles Holden’s true compassion. The Catcher in the Rye, despite containing phrases that could be considered sexist, is not a derogatory novel, but rather shows the importance of female influence demonstrated through Salinger’s composition of the novel, Holden standing up for females in his life, and the importance of females in Holden’s life.

When he comes back from the bar late at night, he encounters the elevator man and tells him to send a prostitute to his suite, yet he fails in his sexual relationship with her because of his sexual innocence caused by his isolation. When the prostitute arrives, Holden tries to avoid any sexual talk, he then tells her that he does not want to do it, he says, “I’ll pay you and all, but do you mind very much if we don’t do it? […] the trouble was, I just felt more depressed than sexy” (Salinger 96). Holden

In chapters eight through ten of the book, The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, Holden becomes desperate for an interaction with someone he likes, after having a bad night. Instead of calling up one of his friends and talking to them, Holden attempts to have interaction which fills the void. After getting punched by his roommate, Stradlater, over a fight they had because Holden believed Stradlater was mistreating a girl, he starts looking for someone to make him feel better. First, he tries to get consolidation from Ackley, the boy in the dorm next to him. Ackley ends up indirectly telling him that he can not sleep in his dorm by saying, “I can’t just tell somebody they can sleep in his goddamn bed”, when Holden asks to share the room with

Holden’s attitude toward sex is contradictory, sometimes he says that he is horny while sometimes he feels the opposite. Holden states, “Sex is something I really don’t understand so hot. You never know where the hell you are.” (Salinger 82). This quote shows that Holden has very ambivalent feelings toward sex. He says that he does not understand it because sometimes he really wants to do it, even if it is with a

He knows that Sally is not the right girl for him and he does not even like her, yet his loneliness has caused him pain and depression, while his peers are out with their girlfriends or boyfriends and have even thought about getting married. When Sally arrives it is clear that Holden’s loneliness has once again turned him into the phony he reviles when he says, “The funny part is, I felt like marrying her the minute I saw her. I’m crazy. I didn’t even like her much, and yet all of a sudden I felt like I was in love with her and wanted to marry her” (124). It is a fault in society that people feel they should start a relationship just to start a relationship, and Salinger shows how Holden is a victim of this, by making him go on a date with Sally, even though he likes someone

Readers can explore how these patriarchal expectations shape characters' actions and choices, influencing their conformity to societal norms. This dynamic is shown by the main pair of the novel, Guy Montag and his wife, Mildred. Montag keeps to a strict routine of leaving home to fulfill his duties as a firefighter, returning, and participating in the mundane routine of going to bed and sleeping. This daily routine reflects the social ideal that men are the main breadwinners and are responsible for earning a living to support their families. Mildred, on the other hand, embodies the archetype of the submissive housewife, relying on her husband for financial and household decisions, such as asking Montag, “How long do you figure before we save up and get the fourth wall torn out and a fourth wall TV put in?”

While eating quite a large breakfast, Holden struck up a conversation with the two nuns sitting next to him. He had noticed their straws baskets and asked them if they were taking up a collection for charity. One of them replied no, but Holden still wanted to make a contribution of ten dollars. Reluctant at first, they finally accepted him contribution and thank him “so much it was embarrassing,” (Salinger 123). Holden asked where they were going and found out that they were teachers going to teach at a convent. One of them taught English, the only subject Holden did not fail. When they started talking about Romeo and Juliet, the nuns actually wanted to know and listen to Holden’s opinion of the play. This was one of the few times where Holden actually felt accepted by someone. The nuns enjoyed talking to him, and he truly enjoyed talking to them, as well. This acceptance made an impact on Holden because when his sister, Phoebe, asked him what was one thing he like, all he “could think of were those two nuns,” (Salinger 187). The two nuns at breakfast accepted Holden for who he was and listened to what he had to

As Holden denies his own innocence, he tends to forget what he’s speaking about in the first place, and starts running off about Jane, for instance, “Jane Gallagher, Jesus. I couldn’t get her off my mind.” (Salinger 37). Despite the fact that Stradlater was about to take her on a date, he

Mrs. Antolini, for instance, is forced to do all the chores at home. “Coffee, Gentlemen, finally,” Mrs. Antolini said. She came in carrying this tray with coffee and cakes and stuff on it. “Holden, don’t you even peek at me. I’m a mess”(Salinger 204). Mr.Antolini makes Mrs. Antolini prepare for Holden’s arrival, even though it is his guest and not hers. And on another occasion Holden gets ahold of not one but two prostitutes. He calls one by phone and gets rejected, the second time however he is offered in person by the elevator boy, Maurice. Holden agrees to purchase her for “a throw”. To his surprise she was as young as him. “She was very nervous, for a prostitute. She really was. I think it was because she was young as hell. She was around my age”(Salinger 105). The fact that this book condones prostitution as a social norm is atrocious. It shouldn’t be an option for women to sell their bodies in such a manner and this book makes it seem like a common choice women make. Holden did however make fun of D.B. by saying he was a

Without these scenes, Salinger’s message would be censored. This censorship disrupts the messages he is trying to portray to his audience. Such as human empathy, and maturity. Within one of these scenes, Holden had his session with Sunny, who is a prostitute. To the reader’s surprise, Holden refused to do anything sexual with Sunny, but instead talked with Sunny about a multitude of thoughts he needed someone to empathize with.

Holden’s date with Sally Hayes exhibited his difficulty at cooperating with others. At first he gives us a dire impression of Sally, “I wasn’t too crazy about her, but I’d known her for years.” (p. 105) Later, he wants to marry Sally and says he is in love with her. The biggest mystery of all when it comes to women is with Jane Gallagher. Constantly mentioning Jane, Holden recalls playing checkers with her before he got sent to boarding school. When his roommate, Stradlater, has a date with Jane, Holden asks him a peculiar question, “Did you ask her if she still keeps all her kings in the back row?” (p. 42) Holden, jealous of Stradlater’s date with Jane, longs to see Jane but never has the courage to call her. Interactions with other people especially women perplex and overwhelm Holden. He therefore resorts to isolation, illustrating a characteristic of his mental state.

To what extent does J.D Salinger’s novel Catcher in the Rye explore the range of female potentiality in society through Holden’s interactions, thoughts and comments regarding women. This question is still in progress as I am not sure it can successfully reach and essay of 4000 words. Nevertheless, this is the topic I want to base myself around. Catcher in the Rye is a novel that every sophomore had to read as part of their curriculum. This novel was always shocking as it sexualized females and saw them as objects rather than human beings. This can be seen with the main character of the novel,

What does it mean to be a Feminist? Does it automatically mean you hate men or does it mean you're an activist for women's rights? Contrary to popular belief, feminism is not about establishing a superior gender. It is about fighting for equality and destroying the social, cultural and historical norms set upon women throughout the world. The Twenty-first century has brought change and growth to female empowerment. Although, in many parts of the world women are given the same rights as men, they are still treated and viewed inferior to men. G.I. Jane perfectly illustrates the struggle women have gone through, even when given “identical” opportunities as men.

Many times in life men do not think that women can do the same things that they can; whether it’s picking up boxes or being president. There will always be that “macho man” thought of the man being stronger than the woman. In many jobs women might do the exact same thing that men do except men are getting paid more than women even if it is an insignificant amount, it happens in many places and even though many people disapprove of it there are still jobs like that out there. And there are still employers who think that a woman should not be in the work force if so home. Many feminist have been working to solve this problem and there are still people who are working to solve and change many more of these problems, and even though in some places it doesn’t seem like it, feminism and feminists