Andrew Jazbani Mr. Kelley ACC World Literature 19 February 2015 Lessons Learned from the Catcher in the Rye The Catcher in the Rye has been one of the most banned books in American education history: it includes curse words, inappropriate situations, underage drinking, and much more. Yet, it remains as one of the most beloved and read books by adolescents and adults alike. Perhaps this is because readers relate to and sympathize with the main character, Holden Caulfield, despite the fact that he was a character from the fifties. From reading The Catcher in the Rye, one can learn about the challenges of transitioning from the innocence of childhood to the reality of the adult world. Holden Caulfield, the main character who is stuck between …show more content…
Even in strangers Holden wants to protect purity: “I’m always saying ‘Glad to’ve met you’ to someone I’m not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though” (87). Holden ironically himself that Holden becomes the “phony” when he lies to others to protect them from the truth. A reader can learn from this that it is simply impossible to protect or please everyone. Holden fails to accept this reality, and because of this he becomes unhappy and unable to move on in life. Indeed Holden’s immaturity creates for him a life of depression, and the extent of his immaturity is displayed in his fascination with museums. Holden claims: “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move. . . . Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you” (121). As Holden slowly realizes he must change in order to eventually mature, he places his wishes of stopping time to museum exhibits. Though this may seem like an abnormal first step, the reader can interpret Holden’s slow acceptance to change, and from this one learns that there is still hope for the …show more content…
Holden’s internal struggle reaches its climax when he realizes he himself must become an adult in order to save the innocent. Holden remarks: “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids. . . . What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff…” (173). The cliff in this sense symbolizes childhood, and the fall represents becoming part of the adult society. Holden, through this exposure about wanting to be the catcher in the rye, realizes he must become some type of martyr for the innocents in order to save others. Holden’s decision to become the catcher in the rye is one of Holden’s most childish ideas, mainly because it includes Holden becoming something he has fought so hard to avoid—adulthood. So now Holden has reached the main decision in his life: he must become an adult in order to protect innocence and achieve his dream. To make this decision, Holden turns to Mr. Antolini, one of the only adults he trusts. Mr. Antolini offers Holden advice from psychoanalyst Wilhelm Stekel: “‘The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one’” (188). Mr. Antolini essentially is telling Holden he could follow his immature dream and save the innocents, or he could let children
Holden Caulfield, portrayed in the J.D. Salinger novel Catcher in the Rye as an adolescent struggling to find his own identity, possesses many characteristics that easily link him to the typical teenager living today. The fact that the book was written many years ago clearly exemplifies the timeless nature of this work. Holden's actions are those that any teenager can clearly relate with. The desire for independence, the sexually related encounters, and the questioning of ones religion are issues that almost all teens have had or will have to deal with in their adolescent years. The novel and its main character's experiences can easily be related to and will forever link Holden with every member of society, because everyone in the world was or will be a teen sometime in their life.
Since its initial publication in the year of 1951, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, has been a target of controversy, debate, and discernment. This astounding novel is centered on a boy, Holden, who is writing his story within the confines of a psychiatric hospital. Through the recount, Holden encounters serious obstacles that are hard to deal with as a 17 year old. With prostitutes, teen sex, profanity, and other irrational behavior, one would understand the debated opinions of the novel. What is not understood, however, is how the story itself can be gained from. The Catcher in the Rye should not be censored because students can benefit from its deliberately emotive storyline, the capability of its narrator to be identified with, and its ability to uncover the reality of the modern age.
The book The Catcher in the Rye was published in the year 1951 and has been the subject of constant debates and controversies. The novel has not only been the target of criticism, but has also sparked discussions on its effectiveness for use in high schools. The novel is about a period of three days in the life of Holden Caulfield. The novel’s most criticised points are its issues such as profanity, irrational behavior, and teenage sex, but it still gives very important lessons to young readers because it teaches tolerance, discipline, religion, and rational behavior. More specifically it teaches that desirable behavior will make them and society better, and as such, I do not think it should be banned from high school curriculum. This paper analyzes the reasons why The Catcher in the Rye should not be banned from English classes that are taught in high schools.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s outlook in life is either the innocence of childhood or the cruelty of adulthood. He believes that the innocence of childhood is very valuable and it should be protected from the cruelty and phoniness of the adult world. Therefore Holden has a desire and is compelled to protect a child’s innocence at all costs. This is revealed when Holden tells Phoebe that he wants to be the catcher in the rye. Holden says to Phoebe, “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they’re ru...
In a conversation Holden has with his sister Phoebe, she asks him what he would want to be. In response, Holden says, “... I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. ... I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t know where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them ... I’d just be the catcher in the rye” (Salinger 224-225). Holden reveals his desire to be the protector of innocence and the reader sees that he would rather live in his own fantasy of innocence, than face the reality of the world around him. In his dream world, Holden wishes to be someone who protects children’s innocence. Similar to a child, Holden oversimplifies real life and has his own fantasy of what he wants to do. Lott and Latham stated in regards to Holden and his journey while finding his identity and say, “... the heroes also experience disillusionment with themselves and with the world around them as they move from innocent idealism of the very young to a more realistic acceptance of personal limits and social imperfections” (24). During the novel, it is obvious that Holden is stuck between the worlds of adolescence and adulthood. Holden 's obsession with innocence causes difficulty in accepting the responsibilities of adulthood. Everything is considered “phony” by Holden, except for what is still innocent. Holden is completely fixated on all forms of innocence and wishes to stay in
Although The Catcher in the Rye caused considerable controversy when it was first published in 1951, the book—the account of three disoriented days in the life of a troubled sixteen-year-old boy—was an instant hit. Within two weeks after its release, it was listed number one on The New York Times best-seller list, and it stayed there for thirty weeks. It remained immensely popular for many years, especially among teenagers and young adults, largely because of its fresh, brash style and anti-establishment attitudes—typical attributes of many people emerging from the physical and psychological turmoil of adolescence.
In a quintessential storybook, a hero's character is meant to convey a lesson, and teach a behavior that the reader should adopt. Unfortunately, not all protagonists have the good character of the archetypical hero. Such is the case in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, one of the most widely taught and analyzed novels with a teenage protagonist: sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield. Although The Catcher in the Rye is an enduring classic about the woes of growing up, its content is inappropriate for school study due to the fact that the main character, Holden Caulfield, is a poor role model for impressionable adolescents.
Holden’s ideal fantasy of being the catcher in the rye is the central metaphor and symbol in this novel. Because Holden believes that adults are phonies, he attempts to catch children from falling into a world full of phoniness and impurity. For instance, Salinger writes, “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff--I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going 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. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be”(Salinger, 173). In this quote, Holden explains to his younger sister, Phoebe, what he truly wants to do with his life. He wants to keep children
Salinger’s ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ Eric Lomazoff argues that Holden Caulfield is merely “a good guy stuck in a bad world.” Holden values honesty and stability, often admitting how much he dislikes change. Already being an incredibly emotional person, the added pressure to let go of his innocence and transition into the adult world, which favors suspense and lies, is nearly too much for Holden to handle. Lomazoff explains further that although Holden tries to make the best of his situation, it is ultimately a losing battle. “It is a testament and decent spirit that Holden would place the safety and well-being of children as a goal in his lifetime.” says Lomazoff, which reinforces that Holden is sympathetic character that has high moral value, but is possibly incapable of pulling himself out of a dismal
Mr. Antolini, Holden’s former teacher, is lecturing Holden when he decides to write down a quote for him, “‘The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.’” (188). When Holden reads this quote of Wilhelm Stekel, it brings him closer to overcoming his childishness and realizing that the fall from childhood to adulthood is an unavoidable part of life. The immature man’s death for a noble cause is reflective of Holden’s fight to save children from adulthood, which ultimately does not benefit the children and their well-being. Mr. Antolini is trying to convey to Holden that if he continues to follow this path of unacceptance, he will never find a way out. He is trying to encourage Holden to follow the mature man’s path of life and to eventually understand and accept change in children. Mr. Antolini is a catalyst for Holden’s growth; he comes closer to his ‘fall’ to adulthood through their
Holden’s carelessness about life displays his overall difficulty taking position among the norm. Holden states “I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It’s awful. If I’m on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody
In an attempt to give a simple, kind, farewell gesture to his history professor, Holden hoped to be given affection, understanding, and acceptance but is instead harshly ridiculed for his abhorrent performance in the class. Holden is completely rejected and even left with the parting words of “Good Luck,” just to metaphorically twist the knife. After Holden has run away, he tries to find acceptance and comfort in a prostitute and even ends up just wanting to talk. However, even though he is paying her for her time, Holden is rejected by the prostitute and beaten severely for not giving her more money. Finally, Holden comes across two nuns that actually show him some acceptance. They enter into a friendly conversation with him, which has rarely been seen in other characters, and even at the end tell him how much they enjoyed talking. This final even had a positive effect on holden that is later seen when his sister asks him what he likes and all he can think of are the nuns. Acceptance is hard to find when the whole world seems to be changing around someone, and as Holden learns this, he also learns that he needs to move forward and let go of the innocence that he holds onto. Once he does that, acceptance becomes no longer
The death of his little brother, Allie, left him questioning life and conceiving everyone around him as “phonies” and fake. Throughout the story Holden’s memories and constant thoughts of Allie cause him to seek out the innocence in others, which gives him a small reminder of his brother. This, along with other psychological reasons causes Holden to be determined in preserving the purity of others. Holden explains this goal of his to Phoebe his little sister picturing Holden “standing on the edge of some crazy cliff--I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going 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”(173). The rye field symbolizes an individual's childhood while they wander in the field getting closer and closer to the cliff, inevitably falling off, becoming engulfed by the unnecessary evils of the real world. Holden believes that his life is unsalvageable and his only purpose should be to preserve the innocence of others, to catch the oblivious children falling off the cliff in an attempt to preserve their childhood. Holden struggles to maintain the innocence of his siblings; after losing his brother he tries to protect his sister from the adult world but fails
Since its publication in 1951, The Catcher In the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger has served as a conflagration for debate and extreme controversy. Although the novel has been the target of scornful criticism, it has also been the topic of wide discussion. The novel portrays the life of sixteen year old, Holden Caufield. Currently in psychiatric care, Holden recalls what happened to him last Christmas. At the beginning of his story, Holden is a student at Pencey Prep School. Having been expelled for failing four out of his five classes, Holden leaves school and spends 72-hours in New York City before returning home. There, Holden encounters new ideas, people, and experiences. Holden's psychological battle within himself serves as the tool that uncovers the coming-of-age novel's underlying themes of teen angst, depression, and the disingenuous nature of society. The novel tackles issues of blatant profanity, teenage sex, and other erratic behavior. Such issues have supplemented the controversial nature of the book and in turn, have sparked the question of whether or not this book should be banned. The novel, The Catcher In the Rye, should not be banned from inclusion in the literature courses taught at the high school level.
Holden tries to preserve his own innocence, and the innocence of others by not letting go of childhood memories and through his desire to suspend time. Holden views the adult world as corrupt and full of phonies. He admires childhood because of how it is free of corruption, and untouched by the adult world. IN order to preserve his own innocence Holden often attaches himself to childhood memories. The Museum of NAtural History is one of Holden’s favourite places . He mentions that his grade one teacher Miss. Aigletinger used to take his class there every saturday. While writing about the museum he says, “The best thing, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was” (121). This shows how Holden wants to preserve his innocence because he expresses how he likes how everything stayed the