The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger shows the transition of a young teenager who struggles to find himself in the adult world. Holden Caulfield encounters many different elements that he had been influenced by the world around him. He views the world full of “perverts” and “phonies”. As a result of his views, Holden withdraws from society because he believes society is “broken” and very flawed. Holden’s view of society is developed based on his experiences such as the death of his brother, flunking out of many schools, an unrealistic dream of becoming the catcher and the rye. He becomes very judgmental of others which are his way of feeling better about himself by looking at things cursorily and His approach is to dismiss thinking deeply …show more content…
He does so because he understands that if he allows Phoebe to follow him westward, he will fail his dream of protecting her innocent; instead of preventing her terrible fall into adulthood, he will be as guilty of pushing her over the edge of childhood as the anonymous "pervert" who scribbles profanity on her elementary school walls. Thus, to save her, he must sacrifice his passionate disdain for adult phonies and submit to the indignity of their "asking me if I 'm going to apply myself ' (213)…” Holden Caulfield suggests that children should be respected and protected. He wants to be the catcher and the rye to protect children from “falling over”. As a result of Allie’s death, Holden feels guilty and loses faith in the adult world, and his own future. The baseball mitt represents Holden returns to the field where childhood still remain themselves, not entering the adulthood and Holden’s life is much simpler. Furthermore, Holden is still not able to face reality like an adult, instead, Holden tells Phoebe that he just wants to catch kids from falling off a cliff. On page 173, “… Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they …show more content…
Holden wants to protect children from having to face the harsh realities of life, therefore, he wants to be a catcher in a rye. He feels so protective of others based on his own distorted outlook on the world. He hates the falseness of other people, similar to his school, but all Holden sees around him is liars and thieves. He sees Pencey Prep as a microcosm of New York City, which is filled with degenerates. Holden 's parents, also show his disregard for adulthood with their high social class position. They have not taught Holden about what is an actual reality, rather they send him off to a boarding school, creating a communication barrier between each other. Holden 's sister Phoebe, however, reflects the morality of childhood because she is bold to confront life. Adults lose the ability to be authentic and upfront, while children are more direct. One of the themes of the novel is Holden Caulfield 's conflicted relationship with youth and adulthood. In “Reconsidering the concept of therapeutic landscapes in J D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye” written by Leonard D Baer and Wilbert M Gesler, the authors, discuss the significance of the transition between childhood and adulthood had an effect on Holden Caulfield. The authors compare J D Salinger and Holden such as both of them lived in New York City, Holden’s desire to neglect society and migrating to different locations became a reality for
J.D. Salinger, the author of The Catcher in the Rye, uses the behaviour of protagonist Holden Caulfield to shape his personality in the way he alienates himself from the rest of the world. Holden alienates himself from the society he lives in, his relationships with others and also the relationships he has with himself. Holden struggles to cope with the fact that eventually he will have to grow up, and so will everyone around him. Holden see’s the world not being perfect as a huge problem that he alone has to fix because everyone else is too much of a ‘phony’ to do it. The novel explores Holden’s weekend after he got kicked out of his fourth school, Pency Prep, and the struggles he faces with alienating himself.
Catcher in the Rye is one of the most famous books in American literature. Written by J. D. Salinger, it captures the epitome of adolescence through Salinger’s infamous anti-hero, Holden Caulfield. Holden Caulfield learns about himself and his negative tendencies, and realizes that if he does not do something to change his perspective, he may end up like his acquaintance James Castle whom he met at Elkton Hills. Holden tries to find help to mend his outlook on life through Mr. Antolini so he does not end up like James, who did not want to face the problems he created for himself. This is proven by the similarities between James Castle and Holden, Mr. Antolini’s willingness to try and help Holden, and Holden’s future being forecasted by James.
In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger depicts a narration of Holden Caulfield’s encounters. Holden is portrayed as a high school student that is judgmental towards adults while kinder to the youth. Holden does not want to grow up and he thinks that if one is approaching adulthood, one will turn into a phony. Holden’s leniency towards younger people, such as his sister, is because of his dilemma of growing up or not, his distaste for adult phonies, and his own childhood.
One of the main conflict’s in the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is the recurring theme of innocence. Holden attempts to resist maturing and wants to live his life as an innocent adolescent, by staying the same, like the exhibits in the Museum of Natural History. As he reflects on the corruption of innocence throughout the novel, he realizes that he cannot remain innocent forever. While sneaking home to see his mentally unblemished little sister Phoebe, she asks him what he wants to do with his life. Holden responses to her question with a quote from a poem called “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye” by Robert Burns. This poem is about two kids having sex in a field, but Holden believes that the poem is about kids playing in a rye field. He relates this to what he wants to do in life by stating, “ I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. 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” (Salinger 173). Holden implies if you fall of the cliff of childhood you mature, but if Holden catches you, you remain innocent.
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.
When Phoebe asks Holden what he wants to do with his life he replied. This reveals Holden’s fantasy of an idealistic childhood and his role as the guardian of innocence. Preventing children from “going over the cliff” and losing their innocence is his way of vicariously protecting himself from growing up as well. Holden acknowledges that this is “crazy,” yet he cannot come up with a different lifestyle because he struggles to see the world for how it truly is, and fears not knowing what might happen next. Holden’s “catcher in the rye” fantasy reflects his innocence, his belief in a pure, uncorrupted youth, and his desire to protect it. This fantasy also represents his disconnection from reality, as he thinks he can stop the process of growing up, yet he
Annotated Bibliography of Crash Course. “Holden, JD, and the Red Cap- The Catcher in the Rye Part 2: Crash Course English Literature #7.” Youtube.
In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield’s innocence is taken away through a twisted chain of events. The novel opens up with Holden depresses after fluking out of Penecy, the suicide of a classmate, and the death of his brother, Allie. Because if these tragic events, Holden tries to preserve his innocence and the purity of the children around him. Holden wants to “catch” all of the naïve children who are falling off the cliff into adulthood. As a result of Holden coming across his sister Phoebe and the “fuck you” on the wall of the school, Holden’s dreams of becoming the catcher in the rye disappear. He finally realizes that all children must fall into adulthood, just as he has.
The novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is narrated by the main character Holden Caulfield on parts of his life. He writes of his life during the 1950’s where he is undergoing therapy in a rest home. Holden describes when he is kicked out of school, and the problems in society. He writes about how he was expected to achieve great things through his school. How he is surrounded by phony adults and liars. Holden is very confused and in the middle of all of it. After Holden is kicked out of his fourth school, Pencey Prep, he subsists in the city of New York before he returns home. Holden tries to converse with others to try and fit in, but is refraining himself from adulthood to avoid the society of adulthood.
In 2003, Thomas C. Foster wrote How to Read Literature Like a Professor as a guide for students to develop strong literary analytical skills and to become well read. He discusses topics such as literary and rhetorical devices and how to approach a piece of writing. Fifty two years prior to How to Read Lit.’s publication, J.D. Salinger wrote The Catcher in the Rye, a fiction novel following the quests of Holden Caulfield, an adolescent trying to find his place in the world. Three of the most significant devices Foster discusses are flight, illness, and symbolism; all present in Salinger’s novel. With substantial evidence, strong analytical skills, and a critical reading of The Catcher, Foster’s claims regarding literary analysis can be proven
Childhood is the time of truth innocence. The protagonist, Holden Caulfied, is a reclusive person who cannot bring himself to find elation. He wants to break the confinements of his solitude by talking to someone or at least by making some kind of connection, but he could only discern desolation and loneliness. Dismally, he is repudiated by all the people who he try to talk to and is confronted with rejection and dissent from society. The novel, The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D Salinger, accentuates the obliteration for oneself to be fraternized and associated. The author portrays Holden's early childhood as a period of ignorance and innocence, and depicts how he carries a fear of failing to possess the courage to be candid and different from transitioning to adolescence by fitting himself to society.
“Catcher in the Rye”, by J.D. Salinger, is a timeless classic of a boy just trying to find himself in world full of rejecting people. The main characters name is Holden Caulfield. Holden is a sixteen year old boy who has been expelled from a yet another school. Holden has many problems in his life ranging from girlfriends to family. He does not have many friends, the girl he used to love had sex with a boy he hates, and his little brother passed away at a very young age. No matter what Holden tries to do, it seems life only gets worse. Holden has a strange personality. He wants to hold onto every childhood aspect that he can yet have sex with a prostitute. Every character in “Catcher in the Rye” has very different personalities and characteristics; each of these characters represents and shapes Holden’s own personality. Phoebe is the childhood side while Mr. Antolini is his adult side.
J. D. Salinger’s novel, Catcher in the Rye explores the ambiguity of the adult world Holden must eventually learn to accept. Throughout the novel, Holden resists the society grownups represent, coloring his childlike dreams with innocence and naivety. He only wants to protect those he loves, but he cannot do it the way he desires. As he watches Phoebe on the carousel, he begins to understand certain aspects of truth. He writes:
Which is the kind of world he wants to live in. Holden expresses his desire to preserve the innocence of others when his sister Phoebe tells Holden that he doesn't like anything, and that he has no ambitions of what he wants to be when he is older. Holden then explains that he wants to be the catcher in the rye. He says that he imagines little children playing on top of a hill and that his job is to protect children from falling of the hill. This symbolizes catching children from losing their innocence and falling into the adult world. Holden tells Phoebe, “I know it crazy, but that is the only thing I’d like to be” (172). This unrealistic desire is contributes to why Holden is struggling to transition from adolescence to adulthood. Critics of the novel have said Holden would like to suspend time stating, “Holden's desire to protect children shows his desire for suspending time, for inhabiting a space of young people conserved endlessly” (Yahya 3). Not letting go of childhood memories or accepting the harsh realities of adulthood are damaging when transitioning from
Written by J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye is a classic fiction novel. Holden Caulfield, the main character, writes in a hospital about events that had occurred before the previous Christmas. In the text, Holden states “...I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everyone 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.” (163 Salinger) Holden’s quote explains the title of the writing. All he wants is to make a difference in the lives of others, allowing him to feel important.