J. D. Salinger’s composition of The Catcher in the Rye served as a turning point for American literature and society. It evoked many strong emotions within readers and critics alike. Although the book as a whole was largely discussed‚ the most controversial subject was the main character Holden Caulfield. Many Americans in the mid 1900’s saw Holden as a corrupt and disturbed person. “He is a drifter‚ a wanderer‚ an adventurer who seeks not adventure but smut and the negative satisfaction of a
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Jerome David Salinger was one of the most important authors in the post-World War II era‚ as his writings changed the way people perceived the lives of adolescents. Born in New York City‚ Salinger served the United States in World War II. When he returned from battle‚ he pursued a career as a writer and eventually published his first and only novel The Catcher in the Rye in 1951. The novel was immediately successful but was somewhat controversial (“Catcher 116”). “It was also the bane of many parents
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body catch a body coming through the rye.” He responds‚ “It made me feel not so depressed any more” (Salinger‚ 2010:125). The poem which the novel’s title is derived from may be the conclusion of Holden’s greatest dream – to rescue Phoebe‚ all children and himself from being corrupted and from death; his longing to rescue Jane from Stradlater’s sexual harassment is also evident in the novel (Byrne‚ D.‚ Kalua‚ F. & Scheepers‚ R‚ 2012:63-4). Holden pictures a field of rye on a huge cliff‚ full of children
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one.’ ‘Get your dirty stinking moron knees off my chest.’ ‘If I letcha up‚ will you keep your mouth shut?’ ‘Yes.’ He got up off me‚ and I got up‚ too. My chest hurt like hell from his dirty knees. ‘You’re a dirty stupid sonuva-bitch of a moron‚”(Salinger 58). It may not be the goriest fight‚ but it certainly does give off a bad aura about the book. The fight situation in the book should be portrayed as a life lesson for teens especially who are getting ready to take the next step into college. Along
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the curb and singing ‘if a body catch a body coming through the rye’”(Salinger 115). At the end of the story‚ when Holden takes his sister to carrousel‚ worrying Phoebe falling off the horse‚ Caulfield watched her carefully as a catcher. Suddenly the rain pours‚ and “all the parents and mothers and everybody went over and stood right under the roof of the carrousel ‚ so they wouldn’t get soaked to the skin or anything”(Salinger 212). All these description are epitomes of the world in which adults
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reaction to this was “Pencey was full of crooks. Quite a few guys came from these very wealthy families‚ but it was full of crooks anyway” (Salinger 1994:3). It seems that if he rejects Pencey it will take the sting out of failing and being expelled‚ Holden makes light of the situation “So I got the ax. They give guys the ax quite frequently at Pencey.” (Salinger 1994:3) The second example of loss is the death of Holden’s brother Allie and his uncontrolled response to his brother’s untimely end.
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being kicked out of many different schools after your brother passed away and all while not having many friends and being bullied. That is exactly what happened to Holden Caulfield‚ the main character in the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Salinger uses many different symbols throughout the book to show Holden’s maturation and thoughts as he goes through a very stressful time in his life. Holden is scared for his future. He is stuck on the bridge between being an adult and a child and
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or where he is headed‚ in a world in which he feels he doesn’t belong in‚ and feels he is always around a bunch of "phonies." This would describe the position of Holden Caulfield‚ the main character in The Catcher in the Rye (1951) written by J.D. Salinger. The book‚ all narrated by Holden in first person‚ in its very unique and humorous style‚ is about Holden‚ and all the troubles he has encountered through school‚ family‚ friends‚ and basically life. Holden has been expelled from a private school
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To begin‚ The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger is unique. The novel is written from the perspective of a teenager who lives in New York in the 1950’s. From the context in the beginning and the end of the book‚ "I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy" (page 1)‚ "I could probably tell you what I did after I went home‚ and how I got sick and all‚ and what school I’m supposed
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15 Works Cited List 17 Abstract This essay is a detailed analysis about The Catcher in the Rye investigating whether it is relevant for youth and society[1] in the present day. The essay investigates how the author‚ Jerome David Salinger (J.D.) develops a mixture of themes throughout the novel such as: the fall of innocence‚ sexuality‚ culture exposure‚ depression and more to portrayal Holden Caulfield’s relationship to society. The investigation is made through looking at the narrator-based
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