The Theme of Loneliness in The Catcher in the Rye Stephen King once said that alone was the most terrible word in the English language. That may be so. However‚ in The Catcher in the Rye‚ we see loneliness through a wholly different point of view‚ that of its protagonist‚ Holden Caulfield. The solitude that Holden experiences is a type of seclusion from the rest of world that is more or less self-inflicted. His inability to understand or be understood by those around him has led him to weave a
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_____ Incomplete quotation 4. At this part of The Catcher In the Rye‚ Holden is talking to Phoebe about his possible future careers‚ however his choice in career reflects Holden’s affinity for all things innocent and his will to a protector of them. Holden remembers a part of a Robert Burns poem incorrectly as "if a body catch a body coming through the rye" this causes him to imagine himself saving children by "catch[ing] them" before they "go over the cliff." Ironically‚ the poem itself is about
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realizes that even if he rubs off all the profanity he can‚ there will always be more in the world. This shows Holden’s growth into a mature character. He realizes that he cannot protect children from seeing the profanity‚ as he cannot be the catcher in the rye for them. In addition‚ when Holden watches Phoebe reaching for the ring on the carousel‚ he concludes‚ “The thing with kids is‚ if they want to grab for the gold ring‚ you have to let them do it‚ and not say anything. If they fall off‚ they
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In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger‚ the protagonist‚ Holden‚ exclaims that he dreams of a life where he can‚ “just be the catcher in the rye and all” (Salinger 200). Due to the pressures of American conformity in the early 1950’s‚ he discovers that he will never live a life where he simply keeps children from “falling off of cliffs”―helping them preserve their innocence. The Catcher in the Rye teaches readers that America promotes a materialistic culture in which conformity prevails. Throughout
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In this bildungsroman novel‚ The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger‚ Holden Caulfield believes that there is adolescence and adulthood‚ and he is so frightened of being categorized in the adulthood category that he goes to extremes to alienate himself from the population. He refuses to conform to the norm of American adulthood through his wild‚ immaturely driven thoughts and isolated feelings of others. Holden sees many people and many things throughout this book‚ most of them he shakes his head
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it to happen. In order to fulfill your dreams‚ you have to work hard for it to happen. In the excerpt from the book Death of a Salesman‚ written by Arthur Miller‚ it suggests that as a unique individual‚ you can’t relive another person’s life or experience. Willy Loman’s main goal or dream in life to be well-liked and to be on the top. Back in the day‚ a business person‚ or salesman would be considered as being on the top‚ being the best. The quote “... I realized that selling was the greatest career
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The main purpose of J.D. Salinger’s novel‚ The Catcher in the Rye‚ is to epitomize the importance of adolescence and illustrate the benefits of a social lifestyle. Salinger achieves this meaning in multiple ways. Primarily‚ he uses Holden‚ Catcher’s protagonist‚ as an example of a teenager who has failed to develop during the quintessential period of youth. Additionally‚ by characterizing him in this manner‚ Salinger utilizes Holden’s desire to act both older and younger than his age to convey the
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your stomach… Who wants flowers when you’re dead?”(Salinger 172). Holden Caulfield‚ the protagonist of the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger‚ begins his journey confused‚ alone and filled with regret. Holden regrets doing bad in school‚ not for his sake‚ but his parents. Holden regrets not seeing his sister‚ but most of all Holden regrets not saving his brother Allie from his untimely death of Leukemia. Holden feels he has a responsibility to save everyone because he failed to save his brother.
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The Dark Fall of Caulfield The song “Catcher” by the Swedish band Komeda refers to Holden’s fantasy. The lyrics include‚ “ Who will catch you when you fall? / Who will do it all? And/ There ain’t no catcher in the rye” (from the album Kokomedada‚ 2003). These are apt words because Holden’s dream job is to protect children from growing up and becoming phonies and perverts. In Catcher in the Rye‚ Holden Caulfield’s New York odyssey leads to his dark fall. The sixteen year-old protagonist Holden
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apathetic teenager who’s flunked out of many schools. Underneath the cynical exterior though‚ Holden is troubled. He has different methods for escaping his problems but in the end they just cause him more problems. J.D Salinger‚ in his novel The Catcher in the Rye shows that often times when an individual faces problems in their life they will try to find a means to escape‚ instead of solving them. Throughout the novel Holden seems to be excluded from any group. He feels alienated from the rest of
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