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Jerome David Salinger was a writer from America who is best known for his novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951) and his famous colection of short stories called Nine Stories (1953) which includes stories such as “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” published in January of 1948 and “For Esmé—with Love and Squalor” published in April of 1950. In both works we follow stories of men who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder, shortly PTSD, which they both aquired during their service in Second World War. This theme may be found in even more of Salinger’s works as it is possible he himself suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that can develop after a person is exposed to a traumatic event, …show more content…
The story A Perfect Day for Bananafish is about Seymour Glass, a Second World War veteran who has not been himself since he came back from the war. Seymour’s strange behaviour is narrated through a phone conversation between his wife Muriel and her mother, and also manifested by the end of the story during elevator ride. In For Esmé—with Love and Squalor we are introduced to Sergeant X who suffers from battle fatigue (disorder similar to PTSD) but ultimately recovers because of a letter from a girl Esmé and her brother Charles. Some even speculate that “Sergeant X is suspiciously like Salinger himself. The story is more than merely a personal recollection; rather, it is an effort to offer hope and healing – a healing of which Salinger himself
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is a popular novel that was originally published in the 1950’s. In the book, Salinger explores various themes through the main character Holden and his interactions with others. Some of these themes include, alienation, loss and betrayal. Holden constantly feels betrayed throughout the novel by several people, including his roommate, teacher, and sister.
After many years of ideas coming and going, one that seems to stay the same is the thoughts of tennagers. In the book The Catcher In The Rye written by J.D Salinger many can still relate to Holden’s story even after a 76 year difference. While exploring the city around him Holden takes the time to try to find himself on a deeper level and try to grasp how growing up really makes him feel. Given the fact that everyone is unique in among themselves the need for self satisfaction is always current meaning many run from the true responsibilities that come with age.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. 1951. New York: Back Bay Books, 2001. Print.
The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J.D. Salinger that is told from the point of view of Holden Caulfield. Holden is a young man struggling with growing up and facing the adult world. As a misunderstood teenager, Holden learns to deal with the deception of the adult world and the consequences of his choices.
Salinger, J. D.. The Catcher in the Rye. [1st ed. Boston: Little, Brown, 19511945. Print.
n.d. Web 12 Nov 2013 Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1951.
Throughout J.D. Salinger’s “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” many different themes are used to reveal how the protagonist is lead to his ultimate demise. In the stories, there are many themes that are used such as the fall from innocence into despair and ruin, split personality casing the character’s ruin, and deterioration into madness and obsession. This paper’s intention is to offer a clear presentation on how the two author’s works are similar and different.
Seymour Glass is a war veteran on vacation with his wife Muriel. He seems to suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome because of the war. He recently has tried to commit suicide twice. Once by driving his father-in-law's car into a tree and again by trying to jump out a window. J.D. Salinger's story, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," seems to be a simple story about a couple on vacation in Florida and his encounter with a child named Sybil on the beach. Seymour's relationship with Sybil after further examination allows one to see that what really is taking place is Seymour's search for truth and innocence in the world.
J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is a remarkable book that gives readers a unique and perhaps gloomy perspective of the 1950's through Holden Caulfield, a cynical and peculiar teenager. Through The Catcher in the Rye Salinger describes important aspects of the 1950's. Salinger emphasizes several key characteristics of the 50's and criticizes them through Holden. In addition, Holden Caulfield is a very interesting character with several traits that put him at odds with society.
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1951. Print.
For twelve years I’ve tried to hide my pain and fear from you. I’ve been trying to ignore the horror stories, unknowingly blinding myself from the stories of hope. I’m not as bitter as this story may lead you to think. In fact, I am an adamant believer in the statement (overheard three years ago in the Coffee House): “God has never taken anything away from me that he hasn’t replaced with something better.”
As Irving Howe once observed, “The knowledge that makes us cherish innocence makes innocence unattainable.” In a dynamic society, innocence evades even the youngest members of our world; it evades even the nonexistent members of our world. J.D. Salinger explores this elusive innocence in his short story, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish." Distinct similarities appear between the main character, Seymour Glass, and Salinger including the World War II experience and attraction for younger, more innocent people (Salerno). Salinger conveys this through Seymour’s preference of a young girl’s company over his own wife's company. Throughout the story, “Salinger constantly draws attention to himself and his precocious intellect” (Daniel Moran). “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” revolves around an army veteran post-World War II who visits a beach resort with his wife but spends more time there with the young Sybil Carpenter. Using a historical context of World War II and portrayal of many different characters, Salinger effectively depicts the story of a man in a desperate search for innocence. In “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” J.D. Salinger uses symbolism and figurative language to stress the concept of unattainable innocence.
Jerome David Salinger, also known as J. D. Salinger, is a fascinating author best known for his novel, Catcher in the Rye. Although Salinger only published one novel, he wrote several short stories for magazines like The New Yorker and Story. A large number of these stories went on to be compiled into books such as Nine Stories, Franny and Zooey, and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction. Despite the fact Salinger has not published any stories in over 45 years, his reputation is still quite popular. Salinger's stories are studied in high schools and colleges, introducing thousands of individuals to his writing and ultimately increasing his fan base. Catcher in the Rye continues to sale 250,000 copies a year world wide. With increasing popularity, Salinger slowly secluded himself from the world, eventually avoiding all requests for interviews and public appearances. With Salinger unwilling to share personal information and no authorized biography to date, gathering material on him is difficult. To better understand Salinger's life, readers look towards his stories in which Salinger tends to write about familiar territory which incorporates personal experience. In an interview in 1974, referring to his life Salinger stated, “It's all in the books, all you have to do is read them.”(Bloom 16)
Going through life means experiencing great happiness but also great loss. Every loss we face may hurt and cause us grief, but we must let life take its course and endure the pain, for we cannot know true happiness without knowing true sorrow. Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” discusses the hardships that come with pain and loss and gives insight about how a person can overcome that pain. Even the pain might hurt a great deal right now, the wound will only heal if we allow ourselves to feel that pain. As famous poet Lao Tsu once said, “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
Jerome David Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is a truly unique novel in terms of writing style. The story is told in a second person narrative style by a character named Holden Caulfield, and is written loosely in a fashion known as 'stream of consciousness writing'.