The Catcher In The Rye Literary Analysis

Holden has numerous distinct attributes pertaining to both childhood and adulthood. His transition from growing and relational life, to an uncontrolled spiritual realm, this stresses him. He has instances of introspection that helps him encompass a realization for his own livelihood. When he shares with his sister Phoebe what he would sincerely like to do with his life he says “I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.” (Salinger 173) That quote reveals the reasoning for the title of the book because Holden wants nothing more than to protect the innocence of children.

However, “for Holden, there is no place to go” (Heiserman and Miller 4). Holden was a lost soul. He created this idea in his head which would lead him nowhere. The ability to impressively lie allowed him to continually alter his inner truth to suit those around him. The “phoniness” of adulthood created a sense of detachment with Holden’s community. It could have been the loss of support as a child or even the need to mature at a young age that hindered his sense of purpose and hope. Ultimately, Heiserman and Miller attempt to uphold the position that J.D. Salinger purposefully maintains a common theme of childism throughout the novel, which lends insight into The Catcher in the Rye by helping the readers see Holden Caulfield in a new light. The similarities and differences Holden and other American heroes might not have been originally seen without this new perspective.

In J.D. Salinger’s novel Catcher In The Rye, it starts off with young man named Holden Caulfield at his school football game at Pencey Prep talking about his life. Following that the sudden and unexpected death of his little brother Allie occurs due to cancer. Holden becomes depressed and rebellious. He is aggressive towards anything and anyone who stands in his way and will knock down anything that tries to stop him from doing whatever he wants. Holden shows that the effect of Allie’s passing dawns on him throughout his life and he greatly shows it from time to time. Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden represents the voice of real people by getting expelled, being depressed, and smoking/drinking.

In Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s fantasy of being “the catcher in the rye” is a direct reflection of his unstable emotional state: he wants to shield other children from the horrors adulthood, subconsciously because he feels vulnerable and alone in the world, and does not want others to experience that type of pain, as evidenced through Holden’s thoughts during different periods of time in the novel.

“I was surrounded by phonies. . . They were coming in the goddam window. “ “The Catcher In The Rye”s , novel by J.D Salinger is about a struggled teenager named Holden Caulfield struggling with the fact that everyone has to grow up , having a concern with the loss of innocence. J.D Salinger’s purpose in writing The Catcher In The Rye was an act of liberation reflecting on Holden’s faith . He wrote this to get closure and to put words in his feelings in a way that others can relate to.

Following the death of Allie, Holden recognizes the unfairness of life and begins to alienate himself from society as a way to avoid further emotional pain. Overwhelmed with emotion, he secludes himself from the rest of his family by “[sleeping] in the garage the night he died, and [breaking] all the goddam windows with [his] fist, just for the hell of it” (44). As a result of his injuries, he is unable to attend Allie’s funeral and never receives proper closure for this agonizing incident. Holden begins to internalize his grief and anguish, contributing to his fear of emotionally opening up to others. Allie’s death serves as a catalyst for Holden’s societal isolation and influences his subsequent eccentric behaviors. Holden idealizes Allie and holds his community to this same standard. As evidenced by Allie’s baseball mitt and left-handedness, Holden wants society to possess this same degree of individuality and uniqueness, which prompts him to constantly judge those around him. He continues to look “for something [his] own environment couldn't supply them with” (207): Allie. However, he grows aware of the insincerity and cruelty of the adult world and characterizes it as “phony.” Unwilling to associate himself with this “phoniness,” Holden disengages himself from his community and continually lies to avoid social interaction. In fact, he has become

Despite Holden’s inherent flaws (impulsiveness, lack of academic motivation, and excessive drinking and smoking), his story serves as an excellent learning opportunity. Holden represents the struggles that so many adolescents are facing: trauma, absentee parents, inability to relate, and most of all, the feeling of being invisible. The underlying grief over the death of his brother, Allie, serves as “the thread that links all of Holden's good and bad choices together”, the motivating factor behind all of Holden’s actions (Kahane). Therefore, Holden’s story should not be banned as a negative influence, but celebrated as a learning opportunity. Holden exhibits typical signs of depression after losing a loved one, eventually culminating in his admittance to a psychiatric hospital. However, Phoebe serves as an exemplification of how to help those who are struggling. Phoebe understands “that to rescue someone, you don't hand them a pamphlet, you take their hand” (Kahane). Throughout the novel, Holden exhibits warning signs of depression in his day to day interactions with his classmates and personal reflections. While walking through the hallway one weekend night, Holden complains, “It was very, very quiet and depressing in the corridor... I just didn't want to hang around any more. It made me too sad and lonesome” (Salinger 57). Instead of going out like all

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a novel about a boy named Holden Caulfield who struggles with many problems in his life that we learn about all in a short span of time. The stories starts with Holden leaving Pencey, another school he has been kicked out of, and his small journey before he needs to return home. There are four major symbols that are shown in the book to help the reader fully understand the theme of the story. The four themes are Holden’s loss of innocence, his preoccupation with death, his struggles with depression, and finally his inability to transition. These four themes have numerous symbols that reflect why they are important into explaining Holden’s story.

As American society becomes more diverse with immigrants coming from far away lands, different cultures are being introduced into the ever growing melting pot of America. Due to this melting pot and realization that America is made up of many, not one, young adult protagonists have become more diverse in American literature. This diversity in young adult protagonists includes race, gender, class, and sexuality. However, despite the identities these protagonists are associated with, they all have the same inner conflict, knowing where one truly belongs. The inner conflict of fitting in and trying to belong to someone or something has been, and should be continued to be written about since many teenagers struggle with their personality and identity.

In J.d. Salinger’s novel the Catcher In the Rye there are many events that occur that can be interpreted differently. The different interpretations that can be interpreted could be the scenes about Jane’s stepdad, Holden’s childhood, Mr. Antolini, James Castle’s suicide, Holden’s sexuality and the ending of the book. When Stradlater tells Holden who his date is he gets really excited and anxious.

With self protection as the main goal, Holden is seen removing himself from adulthood when he constantly regresses back to a childlike state of mind and and when he uses his cynicism and bitterness to alienate himself from the possible complexities of relationships. For example, Holden uses his method of isolation when he attempts to seek intimacy and connections with others. At the beginning of his trip, Holden explains, "The first thing I did when I got off at Penn Station, I went into this phone booth. I felt like giving somebody a buzz. I left my bags right outside the booth so that I could watch them, but as soon as I was inside, I couldn't think of anybody to call up" (Salinger 54). Despite being able to call anyone he pleases, he chooses to alienate himself instead. To grow up is to connect with others in an intimate level; however, Holden is scared of possible rejection or complications from a relationship. Relationships are opportunities for Holden to break out and be part of society. However, they also represent what he fears most about the adult world: change, unpredictability, and complexity. He can not form connections because he is unable to accept the intricacy of other human beings and the phoniness they embody. Therefore, he isolates himself when he avoids relationships and growing up. Not only does

Coping with the loss and death of a loved one are some of the most tremendous occasions in anyone's life. It is hard for just anyone to get over with even if they have a strong heart. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden, the main protagonist and a rebellious teenager, develops a deep solemn sadness and isolation upon society, conflicted upon the long pains associated with his brother Allie’s young death. Throughout the novel, Holden deals with the tragic death of his younger brother in a unique way, where he sets himself apart from the world, feeling varying emotions from sadness to anger which are associated with Holden growing up.

If there was a way to personify the limbo between childhood and adulthood, J.D. Salinger does it with his main character Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye. Is he a boy, or is he a man? Holden represents the struggle in understanding that the complexity of adulthood can balance with the love and acceptance introduced in childhood. By combining Holden’s nostalgic obsession with the Museum of Natural History and his crude compulsion to continuously lie, Salinger proves how uncomfortable he is with growing up. It’s these tendencies that demonstrate the classic transition that is young adulthood in a bildungsroman such as The Catcher in the Rye.

Throughout my life I have been expected to live up to the expectations of not only my family but my community. This struggle is present in the lives of everyone from the day they are born. The problem with living up to someone else's standards is that nothing ever seems to be good enough. In Catcher in the Rye, Holden struggles to live life the way he/people are supposed/expected to. He is constantly striving to find a way to escape this confusing reality.

Through feigning adulthood, Holden yearns to prolong his own innocence. Preserving mental bonds to childhood is a predominant compulsion to him. In the moment that Holden is walking down Fifth Avenue and pondering upon disappearing from New York, he states, “Every time I 'd get to the end of a block I 'd make believe I was talking to my brother Allie. I 'd say to him, 'Allie, don 't let me disappear. Please, Allie. '” (198). Holden hits the nadir of his life in wanting to run away from everything and therefore undergoes a psychotic breakdown as perceived in his speculation. It seems as though Holden 's younger brother Allie is his only solace, as he is one of the few people that he refers to with sincere affection throughout the novel. Holden 's constant reference to Allie