The Catcher In The Rye Analysis

Despite his longing for acceptance, “His efforts to connect with any stereotypical kid his age result in abject failure“(Privitera 204). Salinger thoroughly emphasizes this through Holden’s relationships with Stradlater and Ackley, with both of whom he has a strenuous and artificial relationship, demonstrated by his internal, flippant commentaries on his peers as he discusses them in the book (Salinger 31-40). Holden’s peers ostracize him due to his more introspective and introverted nature, as seen in Stradlater’s angry response to Holden’s reflective response to this writing assignment, saying that he doesn’t “do one damn thing the way [he’s] supposed to”(Salinger 47). These difficulties stem not from deficiencies of his peers, but rather a problem of Holden’s refusal to accept anything different from what he expects, making excuses about his reasons throughout the book to cover his actions. His rationalization of his internal wants and desires impedes any proper connection he could possibly make with his peers. He, “Subconsciously longs to be accepted yet feels he cannot make the connection”(Privitera 205).

The coming of age phase in a young person’s life is a transitional phase which prompts the idea of individualism, decision making, acceptance, moral challenges, disappointment, and individual needs. These years are essential for the overall learning and growing-up part of someone’s life. Coming of age characteristics transpired in the novel The Catcher in the Rye and The Absolutely True Diary of a part-time Indian pertain to, but do not exclude, the acceptance of the complexities and “grayness” of the world, confrontation with the adult world, and the individual needs and desires vs. external pressures/expectations/norms. In both novels, young boys are faced with tough choices that will later help them in the overall transition from

There is an only event that unites every single human being on the nature. Not everyone can say it is a pleasant experience, but no one can deny that it happened. This single event is labelled ‘growing up’. The transition between childhood innocence and adulthood is long and confusing, often uncovering questions that cannot be answered. During this time the adult world seems inviting and free, but only when we become members of a cruel, society can the happy ignorance of childhood be appreciated and missed. The novel Catcher in the Rye examines how adult life appears complex and incomprehensible to teenagers on the brink of entering it. Through the main protagonist Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger captures the confusion of a teenager when faced

Through Holden Caulfield’s characterisation, the use of language choice and symbolism, Salinger helped create the image we expect of teens today. Though he could not capture the adolescent voice and way of thinking perfectly. Instead, he founded the construction of the teenage stereotype, which at the time, had yet to be properly established. We all experience growing up differently, not everyone has such a pessimistic view of the world as Holden does, nor are they so unstable and antisocial. However, the novel remains relevant and studied as it relays the typical adversities of coming of age.

The Catcher in the Rye is a novel written by J.D. Salinger that occurs around the 1950s. The story’s protagonist and narrator is Holden Caulfield, a seventeen year old white male, who journeys to various places as he mourns over the death of his little brother, Allie. As a white male in a capitalist society, he has tremendous amounts of privileges that allow him to get. However, as the novel progresses, Holden describes his society as a place where honored human qualities are suppressed and capitalist ideals are embraced. Throughout the novel, we see that capitalism, “the social system based on the recognition of individual rights, including property rights, in which all property is privately owned”, destroys the overall society for Holden and his generation (Rand).

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.

Through the narrator Holden Caulfield, JD Salinger captures the confusion teenagers have when faced with real world situations. When Holden Caulfield is introduced he seems like an ordinary teenager. He is constantly complaining about his school, Pencey Prep,

American author David Barry once said, “You can only be young once. But you can always be immature.” One may question how this quote applies to his or her life. However, with further analysis, it is clear that Barry is explaining that contrary to popular belief, immaturity is not defined by physical age. This easily relates to the life of Holden Caulfield, protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, which tells the story of an adolescent’s life as he struggles to accept the fact that growing up is inevitable. Throughout this classic novel, Salinger reveals that Holden is an immature teenager by showing his stream of consciousness as well as how he interacts with other characters.

One must inevitably confront the daunting face of adulthood. In J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger depicts the disheartening journey from adolescence to adulthood that Holden Caulfield endures. Although holden seeks the freedoms that mark adulthood, he has yet to take up the role of a truly mature citizen as the society conforming nature of those adults disgust him, leading him to his gradual mental decline. J. D. Salinger uses the immature character of Holden Caulfield as a means of revealing the difficult transition from adolescence to adulthood and its psychological effects.

Each adolescent faces their own struggles before reaching the stage of adulthood. In, The Catcher In The Rye, a meaningful novel written by J.D Salinger, Salinger exploits the use of a protagonist, Holden Caulfield, who is extremely difficult to understand, to relay an important message involving adolescents. Salinger uses vague writing to portray Holden as someone who does not fit into society's expectations. Furthermore, after the death of Holden's brother, Allie, Holden goes into a downward spiral of depression and tries to venture into adulthood faster than he should have. The first time the reader interacts with Holden is when he is at, Pencey, a private school in which he is failing all of his classes, except English. As a result, Holden got kicked out of Pencey. To beat the letter, that the school sent home, Holden left Pencey early and headed into New York City. From there Holden spends his days in New York City reminiscing and interacting with some interesting characters. Based on the novel one can say that Salinger's main message in The Catcher In The Rye is to illustrate the struggle of identity crisis, which is a moment of time when a person's individuality is lost, in adolescents. Salinger does this using Holden’s sexual confusion and the use of turning an everyday item into a piece of symbolic literature.

Growing up is a very challenging feat for teenagers, as many wish to hold on to their innocence instead of facing the troubles and responsibilities that come with adult life. In his novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger uses his protagonist, Holden Caulfield, to portray the teenage angst that many adolescents go through, as they learn how to grow up and face the challenges that they must confront as they age. Salinger uses symbolism such as the exhibits in the museum, the ducks in the lagoon at Central Park, and the profane language written on the walls of buildings to demonstrate Holden’s struggle with growing up, and how he soon must forget his innocence, leave his childhood, and move on into his adult life.

Adolescence is stressful and confusing to say the least, and is a time in one’s life where one begins to discover who they are and what they want as they transition into the adult world. In J.D. Salinger’s classic American novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden, is a downhearted teenage boy used by Salinger in order to portray universal themes to the reader including isolation, loss of innocence, and the phoniness of the adult world. Through Salinger’s use of symbolism, the reader is able to ponder Holden and his struggles as he embarks into adulthood in order to come to a deeper understanding of the themes Salinger’s symbols represent.

Adolescents have to face challenges because they are still developing, yet at times are treated as fully developed human beings. J. D. Salinger explores the thoughts of an adolescent in his book, The Catcher in the Rye, showing Holden Caulfield’s perspective of the world. Holden Caulfield shows symptoms of mental illness because he is constantly depressed by everything, beyond what a normal adolescent should be feeling.

Many consider The Catcher in the Rye to be the most poignant and popular story of adolescence in American literature. Reading reviews, examining the public reception, and uncovering depths of research would evidence this well. However, the value of the novel rests not in its popularity—a simple sign of its inherent value—but in its ability to resonate truth. More than merely telling a story, Salinger creates a relatable life through the actions and attitudes of his ornery adolescent character Holden Caulfield. Even though Holden can be annoying and the setting of the novel dated, his perspective of the world makes The Catcher in the Rye just as relevant to Australian teenagers today as it was back in 1951 when first published.

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.