No Innocence in Catcher in the Rye
Probably the greatest irony of the novel is the fact that, despite
his love of "childhood innocence," Holden is and acts far from innocent
himself. In fact, he is its antithesis. He acts that way for many reasons.
First of all, he has so many responsibilities. Second, he never fits in
with the crowd, and finally, he never gets any real help for the problems
that he deals with.
Holden does have a love for "childhood innocence" as seen across
the book. For example, on page two hundred and one "Somebody'd written '
Fuck you' on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe
and all the other little kids would see it, and how they'd wonder what the
hell it meant, and then finally some dirty kid would tell them-cockeyed
naturally- what it meant, and how they'd all think about it and maybe even
worry about it for a couple of days. I kept wanting to kill whoever'd
written it... But I rubbed it [The 'fuck you' written on the wall] out
anyway." Another example is on page two hundred and eight, "'So shut up.'
It was the first time she [Phoebe] ever told me to shut up. It sounded
terrible. God, it sounded terrible. It sounded worse than swearing." There
is one more outstanding quotation from the novel which is found on page two
hundred and thirteen. "I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old
Phoebe was going around and around [the carousel]." All these examples
clearly show that Holden appreciated "childhood innocence" to a great
extent. Yet Holden acts the opposite.
The irony in this novel is Holden's behavior, which is far from
being innocent. He smokes, drinks, always depressed, thinks about suicide,
thinks about going embarking to a far place, and has people tell and act in
many weird ways. There are three main reasons why he acts this way. Firstly,
Holden being only sixteen years of age already has so much responsibility.
He has to get money for food and travel. When he travels he has to make
sure he doesn't get lost, and actually gets there. He has to make sure that
he doesn't flunk school.
more mature for his age then he should have been. This is the basis of
Published in 1951, J. D. Salinger's debut novel, The Catcher in the Rye, was one of the most controversial novels of its time. The book received many criticisms, good and bad. While Smith felt the book should be "read more than once" (13), Goodman said the "book is disappointing" (21). All eight of the critics had both good and bad impressions of the work. Overall, the book did not reflect Salinger's ability due to the excessive vulgarity used and the monotony that Holden imposed upon the reader.
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.
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 to go to next fall, after I get out of here, but I don't feel like it" (page 213), we can infer that Holden Caulfield, the aforementioned teenager, is in a mental hospital. However, he tells the story through flashback of a three-day period sometime before Christmas the year before. This is unusual because most novels cover much more time than three days. This is one reason why this novel is so unique. Although the novel is spread over only three days, we learn so much about the protagonist, and many other characters, because all Holden's thoughts and feelings, especially about other characters, during these three days is portrayed, nothing is left out.
job. He owns very little material goods but has an insatiable appetite for luxury and
Themes in literary works are central, recurring ideas or messages that allow us to understand more deeply about the characters. It is a perception about life or human nature that is often shared with the reader. In The Catcher in the Rye, there are several themes that can be found in the words and actions of the narrator, Holden Caulfield. The dominating theme in this novel is the preservation of innocence, especially of children. We can see this throughout the novel, as Holden strives to preserve innocence in himself and others.
Everyone’s mother always told them that childhood innocence is the best thing in the world, but for Holden it is the world. When reading The Catcher in the Rye some people disdain Holden, because they think he’s cynical and immature, but really he is a representation of us all. Unlike other books, the protagonist isn’t someone you want to be friends with, it’s someone you realize you are. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is Holden’s chronicle of running away from his boarding school and living on his own in New York City. While there, he meets interesting people that he calls phony but in reality reflect characteristics of himself and the appalling qualities of the culture he lives in. At first he’s pessimistic towards everyone and everything but by the last scene, when he’s watching his sister on a merry go round, he does a complete 180 and starts feeling better, the sun comes out from behind the clouds and it’s a new and better Holden. It’s this last scene that sets the stage for the future of Holden. He changes in a good way, now less cynical and more open minded, a better and healthier person.
Growing up and becoming mature can be an intimidating experience; it is difficult to let go of one’s childhood and embrace the adult world. For some people, this transition from youthfulness to maturity can be much more difficult than for others. These people often try to hold on to their childhood as long as they can. Unfortunately, life is not so simple. One cannot spend their entire life running from the responsibilities and hardships of adulthood because they will eventually have to accept the fact that they have a role in society that they must fulfill as a responsible, mature individual. The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger follows the endeavours of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old teenage boy who faces a point in his life where he must make the transition from childhood to adulthood. In an attempt to retain his own childhood, he begins hoping to stop other young children from growing up and losing their innocence as well. As indicated by the title, “The Catcher in the Rye” is a book that explores a theme involving the preservation of innocence, especially of children. It is a story about a boy who is far too hesitant to grow up, and feels the need to ensure that no one else around him has to grow up either. His own fear of maturity and growing up is what leads to Holden’s desire to become a “catcher in the rye” so he can save innocent children from becoming part of the “phoniness” of the adult world.
"`I'm just going through a phase right now. Everybody goes through phases and all, don't they?'"( pg. 15) In The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year-old who is disgusted at all the phony people in the world. For example where artists sacrifice their art for fame and mothers cry fake tears in movies. The importance of not being phony and being honest is the theme that Salinger presents in this story. Holden had difficulty fitting in at school and around the real world.
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