The theme of alienation is relevant in both "The Catcher in the Rye" and "The Grapes of Wrath. It is an idea presented very prominently in both books‚ expressed through characters‚ actions‚ and events. The Catcher in the Rye focuses on Holden Caulfield‚ a socially inadequate‚ sixteen year old boy who distances himself from others as a display of mental superiority driven by the idea he possesses that everyone is a phony‚ while he appears to be the only one who has remained genuine and authentic
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J.D. Salinger‚ in his coming-of-age novel The Catcher in the Rye‚ repeatedly uses Holden Caufield’s red hunting hat as a symbol to show Holden’s growth from a young man terrified of becoming an adult to one who begins to accept that he must be able to live in an imperfect world. In the beginning of the story‚ Holden introduces the hat as being red and floppy‚ and he purchases it in a store in New York when the fencing team traveled to the big city. In this part of the story‚ Holden wants to connect
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It is said that high school is either the best time of a person’s life or the worst. Holden Caulfield‚ the main character of J.D. Salinger’s novel‚ The Catcher in the Rye‚ epitomizes this as readers watch him struggle going through the pains of adolescence. Growing up in the 1950’s Holden is a teenager who appears to have it all. He is very smart‚ wealthy‚ and has a loving family. When looking at it closer‚ one can see that Holden’s appreciation of childhood innocence‚ and his trust issues‚ make
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In The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger there were many different ways that the main character‚ Holden‚ was trapped. He was trapped by his own assumptions‚ by his own actions‚ and his own mind psychologically. The first way Holden was trapped was by his own assumptions. Because his personality was to lie‚ he was trapped in a world of lies. This makes him a very negative person. Having a negative attitude can lead to making bad decisions and it traps him. Holden is also trapped by his
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Kierra Whitelow 19 May 2013 CLUE 9 English Sandie Whittington Presented in the book entitled Catcher in the Rye‚ Holden Caulfield rebels against what life has to offer. Symbolized throughout the book‚ Holden shows his many dislikes towards the normal actions of a human being. The normal things that take place in society seem to irate Holden. Stated in chapter two‚ Holden says “People always think something’s all true.” Holden is explaining his frustration of the lack of education towards
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Robert Kraft 11/10/10 The novel‚ The Catcher in the Rye‚ by J.D. Salinger is about a teenage boy named Holden Caulfield who struggles to find his identity. Holden wants to be an adult but he also subconsciously wants to stay young and maintain his innocence. Holden shows this when he hires a prostitute but doesn’t have sex with her. Holden’s negative encounter with the prostitute shows that although he tries to act like a tough adult he is still a kid at heart. One instance when the
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"The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger shows its readers life through Holden Caulfield’s eyes. The readers see his outlook on life‚ thoughts about people‚ and ideas about maturity and adulthood. Even though Holden doesn’t want to grow up‚ he still develops maturity through three symbols: the museum‚ the idea of being "the catcher in the rye‚" and the carrousel and gold rings. The museum holds many fond memories for Holden that he does not want to let go of. He loves this museum because he
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The story of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is given from the perspective of the main character‚ Holden Caulfield. Although the story goes into a considerable amount of detail the reader is not led to believe every part of the story because Holden presents himself as a self-avowed liar‚ and therefore he cannot be trusted. This greatly hinders the reader’s ability to gather valid information and put together their own perspective of Holden’s story. Since Holden Caulfield is the narrator
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English 12 IB September 16th‚ 2011 Symbols in The Catcher in the Rye The Red Hunting Hat Holden’s Red hunting hat is a symbol of his uniqueness throughout the book. It is a concrete representation of his alienation from “common” people as it looks very peculiar‚ and thus makes him stand out when he wears it. This represents Holden’s desire to stand apart from all the “phonies” of the world. However‚ the fact that Holden refuses to wear the hat while in the presence of people
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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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