Sal Paradise

On The Road begins with the protagonist, Sal, (representative of author Jack Kerouac), being overwhelmed by feelings of confusion and uncertainty regarding his personal identity. He then meets ‘Dean Moriarty’, an eccentric character who rejects societal values and ‘norms’. Sal is absorbed with and entranced by Dean, perceiving him as almost ‘superhuman’, and decides to follow him across the country. A passive character, Sal soon becomes dependent on Dean, mimicking his friend rather than discovering his personal identity. It is likely that such behaviour was greatly influenced by events that occurred in Jack Kerouac’s childhood . Eventually, Sal realises that if he is to be independent,

In literature, a character’s unique perspective on common human experiences can both engage the reader, and vastly contribute to a text’s endearing value and significance. The Catcher in The Rye offers a rich portrayal of such themes as, the impact of alienation as a form of self-preservation, resistance to change, and the psychological effects of unresolved grief. By telling the story directly through the first-person narration of Holden Caulfield, Salinger offers an unusually in-depth perspective of an emotionally complex character, who is struggling to find his place in the world. Unlike many coming of age stories, the reader of Salinger’s novel is left with a strong sense that Holden will continue to struggle with the protective wall of

J.D. Salinger, the author of The Catcher in the Rye, uses the behaviour of protagonist Holden Caulfield to shape his personality in the way he alienates himself from the rest of the world. Holden alienates himself from the society he lives in, his relationships with others and also the relationship he has with himself. Holden struggles to cope with the fact that eventually he will have to grow up and so will everyone around him. Holden see’s the world not being perfect as a huge problem that he alone has to fix because everyone else is too much of a ‘phony’ to do it. The novel explores Holden’s weekend after he got kicked out of his fourth school, Pency Prep, and the struggles he faces with alienating himself.

At the beginning of the novel, Sal, the protagonist, faces life changing conflicts such as moving to Euclid, Ohio, adapting to new people, and wishing everything had not changed in the first place. For example, Sharon Creech shares, “Just over a year ago, my father plucked

In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield is a troubled teenager facing the world alone, unaware of the reasons behind his impulsive actions and uncontrolled emotions. Holden is a part of a wealthy family, but he can’t seem to find happiness after his little brother’s death. He remains angry at the world, unable to cope with his ‘depressing’ life. Salinger introduces the reader to Holden when he writes “lousy childhood” in Holden’s point of view, almost warning the reader of his terrible life. Salinger deliberately sets Holden apart in a psychoanalytical space claiming to the reader, “the first thing you’ll want to know is where I was born, what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me” (Salinger 1). Holden is angry and unhappy with his life and his family, but he remains unconscious towards the motivation or drive for these emotions. Holden is only susceptible to anger, not to reason.

J.D. Salinger’s world-renowned book The Catcher in the Rye and director Sean Penn’s dramatic feature film Into the Wild both give us a unique perspective of society through a collection of descriptive imagery and riveting plot development. Both materials present us with protagonists Holden Caulfield and Chris McCandless, whom are deeply encompassed by self-introspection and who seem to be on a quest to find true happiness and meaning to their bland, corrupt lives. A recurring theme in both works is the process of discovering one’s true identity, which can only be achieved through a journey of spiritual self-discovery.

The Road portrays the journey of the father and son across a black and white world that is analogous to my experiences of the quest of survival in Afghanistan and the refugee camp in Pakistan. Where many have abandoned their beliefs and morals to survive the hellish situation. Those who survive with their beliefs and values still in intact are constantly challenged on a day-by-day basis. Their survival must be persevered to keep the fire burning, however small for their own children. There must be some goodness that remains for their children to carry into the next generations. They must always remain

I would like to meet Salva because back then there was war and fights.I would tell Salva what started war. On chapter three salva was by himself when he woke up.I would say how would you find your family. Salva had brothers and sisters he had three brothers and two sisters. Salva had to go through rough times. In the story his childhood was ruined because he had to be separated from his family it all started when salva was in class his teacher was teaching a lesson until there was gun shooting the teacher said everyone down and line up Salva was to scared to line up in the school there was yelling and screaming salva ran in a bush because he was so scared he was running away from the

In the bildungsroman Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger employs the struggle of individuality, inevitable maturation, and the childhood corruption of adulthood to reveal Holden’s alienation from society.

Lowell explores the theme of helplessness for love in “The Taxi.” Summed up by this quote “Why should I leave you? To wound myself upon the sharp edges of the night.” This releases helplessness feeling that the narrator cannot function

Jerome David Salinger’s only novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is based on the life events shaping main character, Holden Caulfield, into the troubled teen that is telling the story in 1950. The theme of the story is one of emotional disconnection felt by the alienated teenagers of this time period. The quote, “ I didn’t know anyone there that was splendid and clear thinking and all” (Salinger 4) sets the tone that Holden cannot find a connection with anyone around him and that he is on a lonely endeavor in pursuit of identity, acceptance and legitimacy. The trials and failures that Holden faces on his journey to find himself in total shed light on Holden’s archenemy, himself.

Langston Hughes uses beautiful symbolism and imagery in his literary work “On the Road”. Hughes offers up the idea that if one is to open ones heart; life will provide unlimited abundance. In this literary work, Langston Hughes uses nature to demonstrate and symbolize the unwillingness of his main character, Sargeant, to participate in life. Hughes also demonstrates the use of a person’s anger and instinct to survive and how they both can be used as powerful forces in breaking down racial barriers. Another more impacting symbol Hughes uses is Jesus Christ as a metaphor. Hughes uses this to show how people experience life and how the traditional church values contradict each other when it comes to the acceptance of human beings. Therefore

I had just gotten over a serious illness that I won't bother to talk about, except that it had something to do with a miserably weary split-up and my feeling that everything was dead" (Kerouac 1). Thus begins Sal's life on the road and his search for a more meaningful, authentic life. He has failed to find authenticity in mainstream society but hopes to find it on society's fringes. In the novel, Sal's search for authenticity begins and ends with his association with Dean Moriarty. His highly charged friendship with Dean Moriarty continues throughout the novel but finally ends with a denouement in Mexico City. In his frenetic search for authenticity, Sal encounters a continuous progression of marginalized people that include not only Dean's friends and sexual partners but also hobos, migratory farm workers and black jazz musicians. Sal feels that all these people have authenticity because they all value the immediate over the traditional expectations of mainstream society. Kerouac defines the intense moment or "It" as the culmination of the immediate. "It" is well illustrated when Sal and Dean, together with a group of their Beat friends, go to a wild party at the house of Rollo Greb on Long Island, and Dean enthuses about Rollo saying, "if you go like him all the time you'll finally get it." "Get what?" "It! It! I'll tell you - now no time, we have no time now" (127). Later in

“The narrative, after all, was written in a mental hospital with [Caulfield] under the care of a psychoanalyst guy” (Bryan 2). Throughout the novel we exhibit Caulfield’s mental state and come to a hypothetical conclusion that he might be suffering from a disorder, like Schizophrenia. This could also relate back to Salinger’s split outlook on life, of wanting to achieve and protect that childhood innocence, but then realizing, what’s the point of it all if you have to grow up anyway. Salinger portrays adulthood as a trap leading into your disappearance as a person. For example, “ at this point [in the novel Caulfield’s] neurosis verges on madness. Each time he crosses a street, he imagines he will "disappear" and "never get to the other side of the street” (Bryan 3). The other side of the street can symbolize the light at the end of the tunnel, that Salinger will never reach.

Part two of Jack Kerouac's novel, On the Road, gives the reader, for the first time, a close look at the character Dean Moriarty. This section of the novel begins when Dean, his ex-wife Marylou, and his friend Ed, meet up with his closer friend, Sal, at Sal's brother's house in Virginia. Sal had not seen Dean for over a year when they suddenly show up on the doorstep. Sal sums up their tale by saying, "So now Dean had come about four thousand miles from Frisco, via Arizona and up to Denver, inside four days, with innumerable adventures sandwiched in, and it was only the beginning" (117). Dean is an individual who has a very enthusiastic and optimistic outlook on life. But attached to his