Catcher EBR Salinger used erasing profanity and museums to convey his theme that everyone experiences a loss of innocence at some point in their life as it is unavoidable. Salinger uses the symbol of erasing profanity to symbolize an attempt by Holden to protect the school children's innocence. While Holden is waiting at the school to deliver his note to Phoebe he notices that someone wrote “fuck you” on the wall. Holden tries to save the kids' from seeing these bad words as he erases it off of the wall. However what he doesn’t realize is who wrote the explicit words. Holden assumes it was some homeless bum because he doesn’t realise that the kids' in the school know what these words mean. He just thinks that by erasing the words he save the kids innocence, like he is the “Catcher in the Rye”. “Somebody’d written “Fuck you” on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and how they’d wonder what the hell it meant.”(Pg, 221) “I figured it was some pervert bum that’d sneaked in the school late at night.”(pg,221) Holden still has this idea in his mind that all kids are innocent and that he can help them stay away from the adult world forever hence being innocent forever. He just assumes that it was some bum off the street, but that’s absurd as why would a random person just think that writing those words on the wall would be funny. Holden still
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.
This quote shows how Holden believes the curse word, fuck, will taint his sister and other children's innocence. Holden describes their innocence as not knowing what the word means until another kid tells them what the curse word means, which signifies the tainting of their innocence. Holden does not want his sister and the other children to lose their innocence.This motivates Holden to rub out the “Fuck you” on the wall. Therefore, the kids will never see it and still retain their
On page 203 it says “I went down down by a different staircase, and I saw another “fuck you”on the wall. I tried to rub it off with my hand again, but this one was scratched on, with a knife or something It wouldn’t come off.” This shows how Holden is desperate to remove the “fuck you” that's written on the wall because it’s something he doesn’t want Phoebe to see and this is because Holden just wants Phoebe to have a normal childhood until she is actually exposed to the horrible life of being an
Salinger is able to allow the reader to see how the theme: the loss of childhood innocence, is an inevitable process of human life. Holden uses “fuck you” as a symbolization of the corruption that thrives within society, and it is through the realization that humanity is not innocent that Holden is able to come to the realization that his dream to become the “catcher in the rye” will always remain a dream. What Holden is able to conclude is that no matter where you go society will always find a way to corrupt individuals, and even though graveyards are symbolic of peace they are not exempt from the discord. The loss of innocence can never be prevented because pieces of the adult world are always invading into the most tranquil nooks and crannies, thus through this interpretation of the text the reader is now able to see Holden’s shifting views of the loss of innocence and how it can never be
Salinger’s full use of symbolism goes unnoticed until his novel is read a second or third time. Most of it
The author J.D Salinger conveys the theme of the loss of innocence in title?? using symbolism.
J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye features a complex narrative surrounding a troubled young student, Holden Caulfield. Difficulties he faces throughout the story force Holden to confront his fears of adulthood and maturation and the responsibilities therein through the difficulties he faces throughout the story. Academic controversy surrounds whether Holden learns from these confrontations and adjust accordingly, maturing throughout the story. While initially this seems rather subjective, a thorough analysis of Holden’s actions throughout the story as well as of the symbolism injected by Salinger makes it quite clear that Holden does undergo a significant maturity arc as the story progresses. Holden’s social development and maturation
Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye has been into continuous dispute and controversy since its publication in 1951. Some critics think that Salinger 's narrative of the human plight is engrossing and enlightening, yet incredibly depressing. The leading character, Holden Caulfield, serves as the basis for critical discussion due to his psychological conflict. Salinger 's portrayal of Holden, which encloses incidents of dejection, nervous breakdown, impulsive spending, sexual exploration, and other wandering behavior, have all assist to the controversial nature of the novel. Yet the novel is praised by its piercing advocates, who argue that it is a critical look at the problems facing American youth during the 1950 's.
In The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, the main character and narrator Holden Caulfeild walks many different paths of life. He jumps around different aspects of his life throughout the book, showing the reader many different sides to himself. This theme is presented through the author’s technique in crafting the characterization and symbolism. J.D. Salinger develops a puzzle of a personality for Holden throughout the book, to show the complexity and multitude of sides to Holden’s character.
J.D. Salinger illustrates how one reacts to adult challenges with efforts to maintain innocence. As humans our main initial instincts are either to engage or run away when given a challenge. Holden’s initial response to adulthood approaching him was to fight it. The museum is an example of an important place to Holden as it is one of the few places he can rely on to stay the same. “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was” (121). To Holden the museum is serves as like an escape from the complicated adult life of reality. This idea gives the reader the
Many novels cannot be fully understood and appreciated if only read for face value, and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is no exception. The abundant use of symbolism in Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is of such significance that it “proclaims itself in the very title of the novel” (Trowbridge par. 1). If the symbolism in this novel is studied closely, there should be no astonishment in learning that The Catcher in the Rye took approximately ten years to write and was originally twice its present length. J.D. Salinger uses copious amounts
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.
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.
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.
Salinger, J(erome) D(avid) (1919- ), American novelist and short story writer, known for his stories dealing with the intellectual and emotional struggles of adolescents who are alienated from the empty, materialistic world of their parents. Salinger's work is marked by a profound sense of craftsmanship, a keen ear for dialogue, and a deep awareness of the frustrations of life in America after World War II (1939-1945).