The Breach in the Cage of Conformity “Better to fight for something than to live for nothing”-General George S. Patton. Society has always put people into categories where some just do not belong, even till this day. Portrayed in both the novel of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and the film Dead Poet’s Society directed by Peter Weir, characters face the harsh reality of the roles society wants them to play. However, both stories convey the idea of stepping out of one’s role and being who they are, even if society does not agree. Both works develop the underlying theme of retaining to one’s true thought through cages society puts individuals in. The Catcher in the Rye focuses on a character named Holden, who by any means, does not fit society’s mold of a young adolescent. While on a date with Sally Hayes, Holden mentions how instead of dealing with all the phonies in the world, he would much rather run away with her and “stay in [some] cabin camps and stuff...until the dough runs out”(Salinger 77). Though quite unrealistic, instead of trying to fit the mold of getting a job and contributing to society, Holden believes the world is very much fake to the point where he would much rather escape the harshness and the cage, and run free in a cabin in the woods. His thought process is unlike any other individual in the society he lives in, and Holden would much rather stay true to what he believes in, and who he wants to be. Moving forward, when visiting Mr. Antolini, his former teacher and mentor, where he warns him of a “terrible, terrible fall” that may occur if he were to continue acting the way he did(Salinger 109). However, instead of listening and heeding Mr. Antolini’s warning, Holden chooses to continue thinking the way he does, concentrating on his own thoughts of how tired he feels. Holden’s view on how society wants him to be contradicts the way he wants to act. Holden would much rather do as he pleases when he pleases than let society decide for him. Instead of conforming to what society would want an adolescent to do, Holden puts his own thought and spin into every situation he faces. Dead Poet’s Society directed by Peter Weir featured a group of young individuals who try to find their
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,
In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden, cannot accept that he must move out of childhood and into adulthood. One of Holden’s most important major problems is his lack of maturity. Holden also has a negative perspective of life that makes things seem worse than they really are. In addition to Holden’s problems he is unable to accept the death of his brother at a young age. Holden’s immaturity, negative mentality, and inability to face reality hold him back from moving into adulthood.
Teenage years are difficult. Time tells this story of struggle again and again. The Catcher in the Rye is a classic novel showing the struggles a teenager goes through while transitioning into adulthood. The main character, Holden Caulfield, is a judgmental and temperamental boy who struggles to see the positivity in life. Throughout the story, Holden searches to find himself, as he feels forced to grow up. He holds onto aspects of his childhood and isolates himself so much that it is even harder for him to transition. J.D. Salinger uses the red hunting hat, the museum and cigarettes as important symbols in the story to convey the themes of transitioning from childhood to adulthood, loneliness, and isolation.
The Catcher in the Rye is one of J. D. Salinger's world-famous books about the disgruntled youth. Holden Caulfield is the main character and he is a seventeen- year-old dropout who has just been kicked out of his fourth school. Navigating his way through the challenges of growing up, Holden separates the “phony” aspects of society, and the “phonies” themselves. Some of these “phony” people in his life are the headmaster whose friendliness depends on the wealth of the parents, and his roommate who scores with girls using sickly-sweet affection. This book deals with the complex issues of identity, belonging, connection, and alienation. Holden senses these feelings most of the time and is guilty about many things in
Peter Weis movie Dead Poets Society took place in the early 1950´s at a privileged private prep school for young men entering adulthood, much like Salinger's famous award winning novel Catcher in the Rye. Wiers movie has multiple unique characters that all somehow mirror Holden Caulfield, the main character featured in Salinger's work. Holden's admiration and love for the genuity of one's character strongly reflects the respect John Keating's holds for the originality that in shown through poetry of a person. Two boys, the first being Todd Anderson, mirrors braver side while Knox´s love for Chris reflect on Holden passion for Jane. These three characters in comparison to Holden best bring out some of his most memorable qualities.
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.
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
In J. D Salinger 's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist, Holden, goes through many hardships in his journey to self-knowledge. In the beginning, Holden has to deal with being kicked out of school and not having any place to call home. He is also struggling with the unfortunate tragedy of the death of his beloved younger brother Allie. At the same time, Holden is trying to deal with growing up and accepting the adult world. Throughout the novel Salinger addresses the conflicts faced by a young man struggling with the trials and tribulations of growing up while also confronting personal loss and loneliness along the way.
Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger, incorporates numerous themes. However, the two most important themes throughout the book were innocence and loneliness. Holden’s innocence is constantly changing as he matures throughout the story. Furthermore, Holden has to deal with the effects of embarking on his journey throughout the story with loneliness. Salinger’s message during the 1940’s shows how American society and the growth of the teenage boy remains the same throughout
The exciting novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger expresses the free will of choice. Salinger cleverly conveys how decisions can alter a person’s perspective of their peer. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, is a young teenager who has emotional instability and behavioral concerns. Holden acts immaturely extensively throughout the book. Holden invents a world where adulthood is the emblem of superficiality and “phoniness”, while he chooses to convey childhood as a world of innocence. Holden’s observation of himself being the catcher in the rye is highly symbolic. When Holden states he wants to walk off beyond the cliff and catch the
Imagine living an isolated life in which everyone else’s opinions and actions seem to be wrong. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the novel The Catcher In The Rye, lives the life of a remote teenager who thinks society is filled with phonies that corrupt the innocence of people. In the story, Holden Caulfield is not the average 16 year old that cares about school or a social life. Holden gets kicked out of school, and explains his story throughout the course of a few days how he runs away from home and faces obstacles, later on reuniting with his younger sister, Phoebe, where he then wants to go to California because he starts to notice a change in Phoebe that Holden cannot handle. In Salinger’s novel The Catcher In The Rye, he demonstrates
A young adolescent going through the stages of puberty without knowing where he’s heading or doing, deranged in a world that he perceives he doesn’t correspond to, and surrounded by bunch of people he calls ”phonies”. These are one of many descriptions Holden Caulfield has, the questionable hero and main character from the book “The Catcher in the Rye” written by J.D Salinger (1951). The book “The Catcher in the Rye”, wholly narrated by Holden Caulfield, in its very matchless and comical style of expressing himself, is about Holden and all the inconveniences he has had through his existence. Holden has been expelled from several schools in the past due to his lack of good grades; the most recent one was a private school in Pennsylvania called “ Pencey prep”, because of failing four classes.
Catcher in the Rye allows people to understand childhood and the innocence with it. But, no matter how much you try, everyone has to grow up. Holden doesn’t accept this reality and refuses to growing up, even comparing it to
Holden Caulfield plays a timeless character in the sense that his way of life is common for the American teenager, in his time as well as now. Today parents dread the terrible and confusing adolescent years of their child's life. In J.D. Salinger's book, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is in this terrible and confusing point of his life. At this point in his life, as well as in modern teenager's lives, a transition occurs, from child to adult. Holden takes this change particularly rough and develops a typical mentality that prevents him from allowing himself to see or understand his purpose in life.
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.