Literary Criticism Of The Catcher In The Rye

Salinger uses the symbol of a red hunting hat to suggest and develop the themes of transitioning from childhood to adulthood, isolation and loneliness. Holden

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 Catcher in the Rye” is about a sixteen year old teenager talking about the story of his mental break down. It is really impressive because J.D. Salinger’s writing style is very direct as if Holden is talking exclusively to me and telling me about his struggles between childhood and adulthood. “The Catcher in the Rye” illustrates Holden’s hope to protect childhood innocence from adult phoniness.

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.

“The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move. You could go there a hundred thousand times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would still be on their way south, the deers would still be drinking out of that water hole.” (cite3). This quote represents Holden’s innocence as he enjoys the little things in life. He reflects on no matter what else he is going through in life, the small things in life stayed the same. “Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that's impossible, but it's too bad anyway.” (cite4). Holden wishes certain events in his life wouldn’t happen. He also hopes he could keep the good memories the same. This shows how his innocence is constantly changing throughout the story.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is the story of a young man making his way through New York city, enduring hardship, and figuring out life along the way. Although the story focuses on Holden at this point in his life, the story also details events that have happened previously, throughout his childhood and adolescence. These events have been a part of the development of Holden as a character, and make up the reasons Holden behaves and does things a little differently than others. Holden Caulfield is a lonely person who becomes increasingly depressed throughout the story. He is also judgmental towards others and continuously lies as a form of entertainment.

Throughout the story Holden experiences loss multiple times, but one stands out to him among all others. Holden loses his brother when he is 13 years old to leukemia. Holden then freaks out and unleashes his anger in the garage and punches out all of the windows causing him to break his hand. “I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage. I don't blame them. I really don't. I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it.”(P.44) Holden had a strong relationship with his brother, he did everything with him except for one time, and he feels guilty about it and he always thinks back about it when he is upset. This shows how Holden acts without someone to make a connection to as would everyone if they lose someone that means so much to them.

In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses literary elements such as tone, figurative language, and theme to create the overall effect of a teenager’s cynical and conflicted approach to dealing with the concept of adulthood. Salinger writes about Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year old boy, and his venture through New York City after he is expelled from his preparatory school due to academic failure. During his time in the city, emotional and mental problems surface, and his desperate want for companionship exposes his inability to connect with others.

At the end of the novel, Holden finally becomes happy with himself and it is the turning point of the story. One major symbol that repeats throughout the story is Holden’s red hunting hat. The hat is very protective and covers most of his head. Throughout the novel, Holden searched for companionship and someone to comfort him. Holden always wore the hat when he was alone and felt very solitary and lonely, symbolizing that it was some way he could connect to people he cared about. . At the end of chapter 25, Phoebe, “...reached in my coat pocket and took out my red hunting hat and put it on my head. ‘Do you want it’ I said” (Salinger 212). At this point, Holden had actually offered to give his hat to Phoebe. The offering away of his hat symbolizes how Holden finally felt accompanied and like he had found his companionship. When Holden meets with Phoebe the

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a story about growing up. It explores the obstacles we all face during our transition from child to adulthood. The tragedies and triumphs, the breakthroughs and setbacks, the happiness and heartache. As you follow the book's protagonist, Holden, through his journey into adulthood, you learn about his life, but more importantly, you learn about your own. You grow to sympathize with the young rebel, and you begin to see traces of yourself in him.

    J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is the chronicle of a young man's metamorphosis from immaturity to unsure manhood. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, is a sixteen-year old boy who leaves the prep school he has been expelled from to escape the frightening reality of dealing with his parents. However, during his visit to New York City he is faced with the harsh reality that he cannot continue to hold onto his childhood. Holden is an extremely complex character and it is only by examining each layer of him that the reader is able to understand his painful metamorphosis.

Holden is outspoken about his anger and frustrations, but Holden is also a confused teen that is apprehensive about people's view of him. When describing his hat, Holden subtly divulges his insecurities when he says, "It only cost me a buck. The way I wore it, I swung the old peak around to the back-very corny, I"ll admit, but I liked it that way"(18). Holden expresses that he has a particular style of wearing the red hunting hat; he has his own unique and individual identity. However, Holden knows that his "corny" and bizarre way of wearing his hat is unfashionable under societal norms. Therefore, Holden is pressured into doubt and suppressed of his definitive character by the superficiality and phoniness of adult society. Again, the red hunting hat manifests Holden's ambivalence about his individuality and character as Holden puts on his red hunting hat after he "knew [he] wouldn't meet anybody that knew [him]..."(122). Holden conveys a worrying consciousness about encountering a person he knows when he his donning his red hunting hat as he fears judgement and criticism about his unusual sense of style and character. Internally, Holden is insecure and doubtful about who he is in society so he is cautious in showing his red hunting hat to people. In a metaphorical sense, Holden

This symbolizes him holding on to his past, not wanting things to change. As Holden meets with all of his old friends, he claims many of them to have become phonies. All of his friends have grown up, and Holden is left behind, and still acts like a child. "[Holden's] central dilemma is that he wants to retain a child's innocence" (Bloom 22). As everyone around changes he just wants to stay the same, young and sheltered.

“I swear to God I’m crazy. I admit it.” It is very easy to automatically assume that Holden Caulfield is crazy. It’s even a logical assumption since Caulfield himself admits to being crazy twice throughout the course of the book. However, calling Holden Caulfield crazy is almost the same as calling the majority of the human race crazy also. Holden Caulfield is just an adolescent trying to prevent himself from turning into what he despises the most, a phony. Most of Caulfield’s actions and thoughts are the same as of many people, the difference being that Holden acts upon those thoughts and has them down in writing.

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