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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connect with at some point in the literature. An example of this might be a childhood stuffed animal all the way to a favorite sandwich. In the novel Catcher in the Rye‚ J.D. Salinger uses symbolism to portray the ongoing battle between innocence and the corrupt world within the main character‚ Holden Caulfield. Throughout the novel‚ Catcher in the Rye‚ the subject of innocence is regarded very highly in Holden’s life. In fact‚ these symbols have molded Holden’s views on his own life‚ and the perspective
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through. This book shocked me in a few ways. Catcher in the Rye has very inappropriate behavior‚ horrible language use‚ and not the best example for others to look up to. I liked the book and think others should read it. I think many can learn from his mistakes and where it leads him. It doesn’t curse as much as I thought but swears about every other line. I can very well understand why the book is banned from schools. This book isn’t one that has a great valuable lesson behind it‚ where you could
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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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Holden Caulfield J.D. Salinger gives Holden a realistic voice and perspective that the reader can identify with. We are able to understand how Holden has come to view this world of his through his past experiences and reactions to life’s situations. He is a very unique character that doesn’t exactly fit into a common stereo type. Although he is similar to some boys his age‚ Holden’s beliefs and values often contrast with those of his peers. Holden finds it difficult to relate to his schoolmates
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and other people. When one lives in a state of fear‚ it can have debilitating consequences. It can lead to insecurity and in extreme cases‚ mental breakdowns. Fear plays an important roll in J.D. Salinger’s fictional coming-of-age novel The Catcher in the Rye. Fear is demonstrated through the actions of protagonist Holden Caulfield‚ he is afraid of losing his innocence and wishes he could remain an innocent child. It seems as if its hard for him to face the responsibilities that come when people
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The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger introduces a conflicted and lonesome character named Holden. Being protected is just as important to Holden as being protective over children; the title of the book is a constant reminder of Holden’s ultimate goal: being the catcher in the rye (23). The title first becomes present in the novel when Holden overhears a kid singing “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye” (62). At the moment‚ Holden becomes at peace‚ but he later becomes bothered by a dream of seeing children
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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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The Catcher in the Rye is a novel about a child who does not want to enter adulthood. The theme of the story is Holden Caulfield’s painfulness of growing up and living a new life as an adult. Holden’s main goal is to avoid adulthood which he thinks that the only solution to avoid growing up is to act and think like a young child. His personal thoughts towards the Museum of Natural History addresses that he actually fears to become an adult. Furthermore‚ it demonstrates that Holden does not want to
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