Themes of Society and Growing Up in The Catcher in the Rye
In reading J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, one is compelled to have a very strong reaction to the contents of the book. Whether that reaction is negative or positive, it is unquestionable that the reader will give the novel a second thought after reading it. There could be many reasons why this novel has such an impact on the readers. It may be the use of Salinger's catchy slang phrases, bitingly sarcastic and usually negative, grabbing the attention of the reader. Another possibility is Holden, the novel's subject and lead character. "He describes everything as 'phony', is constantly in search of sincerity, and represents the first hero of adolescent angst"(Belcher). Or, it could be the originality of the perspective the book takes on the popular theme of the right of passage and the experience of growing up. Most likely, it was the overall tone of the book that incorporated all of these factors and combined them to form an inventive story line with a believable plot.
Holden Caulfield, described in the book as around age sixteen, is a classic antihero type: full of negative opinions, rarely a gentleman, not exactly the best looking boy in his prep school, yet somehow deserving of some sympathy. Holden is a character who is said to be motivated by his hormones and his own personal opinions alone. Unfortunately for him, both of these aspects of his character often get him into trouble. However despite all of this, Holden is a character that most teenagers relate to in many ways because his feelings are genuine and problems easy to relate to.
When studying a piece of literature, it is meaningful ...
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...d he was confused like everybody else. There is a line in the book where Holden actually says "I don't exactly know what I mean by that, but I mean it." One wonders how the author could get away with saying something like that, but then one realizes that in actuality it is refreshingly different and almost a relief. The theme of the novel was a message about society and growing up. For Holden and for many others, it is too much to ask to live in a world where you have to catch yourself before you fall.
Works Cited
Belcher, William F., and Lee, James E. J.D. Salinger and the Critics. 20th Sept. 1999
http://kirjasto.scifi/salinger.htm.
Davis, Robert Con, ed. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 56. Detroit: Gail Research Inc., 1989.
Stevenson, David. "J.D. Salinger: The Mirror of Crisis." The Nation, Vol. 184, No. 10, March 1957, 215-17.
1) This quote is an example of an allusion because Holden is referring to the book, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Moreover, it doesn't describe it in detail, its just a brief comment.
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.
There are many who will argue that the cost of executions are higher than the housing of the average inmate for life. There also remains the issue of the aging population of offenders. Those individuals who will never see the other side of the bars are growing in numbers and with this influx, the financial strain on the Canadian economy at the federal level (which affects all Canadian citizens) will be critical. The continuous growing demand for housing these convicts is creating the problems of double and sometimes triple bunking. Therefore, the Canadian government is having to build more prisons nation-wide.
Gwynn, Frederick L. The Fiction of J.D. Salinger. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1963. Print.
They were also one of the first nations to sign (December 2000) and ratify (May 2002) the Protocols. On the home front, an arranged Independent Working Group coordinated with the Canadian Federal Government reguarding trafficking. In the aftermath of 911, IWG members did not know the ins and outs of trafficking, therefore, a security lens was useful in getting human trafficking onto the public agenda, and members feel this issue should be part of the public framework,(Oxman-Martinez, et al. ,2005,). The Federal Minister of Justice formalized the role of the IWG in the spring of 2004. They received an official mandate to cultivate a comprehensive anti-trafficking policy. According to Oxman=Martinez (2005), anti-trafficking energies in Canada have focused on prosecution of traffickers and interception of irregular migrants; their opinions are that Canada still does not have legal direction for the protection of victims, (Laczko, Godzdziak, 2005, p.102). Another criticism from a 2000 study by the consulting and audit Canada, there is no agreed-upon definition of trafficking in persons, amid the individual member departments of the
Anne was the "unannounced" valedictorian of her class at the Virginia Theological Seminary and College (Potter 129). This was unusual because at the time African American women were able to attend school, but most did not go to college, much less become the valedictorian of the graduating class. Though some say that Anne was not the valedictorian of her class, but rather a shy girl was the valedictorian, and Anne definitely was not shy ("Anne Bethel"). Anne’s intelligence definitely shows throughout her work.
The overpopulation in the prison system in America has been an on going problem in the United States for the past two decades. Not only does it effect the American people who are also the tax payers to fund all of the convicts in prisons and jails, but it also effects the prisoners themselves. Family members of the prisoners also come into effect. Overpopulation in prison cause a horrible chain reaction that causes nothing but suffering and problems for a whole bunch people. Yet through all the problems that lye with the overpopulation in prisons, there are some solutions to fix this ongoing huge problem in America.
The main conflict is Holden Caulfield versus his fear of growing up and becoming an adult. This fear of maturing started when his parent’s “star” child died. His brother, Allie, dies as a child and this is how Holden remembers him. This results in Holden wanting to stay a child, which develops his fear of growing up. We see an example of this by Holden’s view of the process of maturity, he feels like he is being plunged into strange world where everything will become complex. Many have a hard time with accepting that they are no longer children and that they have been plunged into adulthood, this is exactly what Holden is struggling with. Instead of accepting this step Holden resists it as he notices the world of adults as being insincere
Hamlet chooses to go mad so he has an advantage over his opponent and since he is the Prince of Denmark certain behavior is unacceptable, so by faking madness he is able to get away with inappropriate sayings and actions. We can see this when he talks to Claudius, Polonius, Ophelia and his mother. When Hamlet talks to Horatio in the first act he says how he is going to "feign madness" and that:
Anne Robert Jaques Turgot, baron l' Aulne, was born in Paris on May 10, 1727 to a noble French family of Normandy. Following in the footsteps of his ancestors, who had furnished the state with numerous public officials, Turgot would achieve public renown as Intendent of Limoges and later as Controller General of all France. Although Turgot ended his public career in unfortunate circumstances, being dismissed by Louis XVI for ineffectiveness, his political theories became a major influence in the remaining years of the Old Regime. The depth of Turgot’s economic thought was not recognized at the time because it largely went against what the ruling aristocracy wanted to hear. His clairvoyance is much more fully noted in light of the last two centuries. Furthermore, Turgot was one of the King’s last controller-generals before the French Revolution ended the monarchy. When his political and economic ideals are considered against this backdrop their importance as well as their contradictory nature become apparent.
Overcrowding in our state and federal jails today has become a big issue. Back in the 20th century, prison rates in the U.S were fairly low. During the years later due to economic and political factors, that rate began to rise. According to the Bureau of justice statistics, the amount of people in prison went from 139 per 100,000 inmates to 502 per 100,000 inmates from 1980 to 2009. That is nearly 261%. Over 2.1 million Americans are incarcerated and 7.2 million are either incarcerated or under parole. According to these statistics, the U.S has 25% of the world’s prisoners. (Rick Wilson pg.1) Our prison systems simply have too many people. To try and help fix this problem, there needs to be shorter sentences for smaller crimes. Based on the many people in jail at the moment, funding for prison has dropped tremendously.
Hamlet throughout the play seems insane but in reality it is only an act to achieve his goal of killing his father's murderer. Hamlet chooses to go mad so he has an advantage over his opponent and since he is the Prince of Denmark certain behavior is unacceptable, so by faking madness he is able to get away with inappropriate sayings and actions. We can see this when he talks to Claudius, Polonius, Ophelia and his mother. When Hamlet talks to Horatio in the first act he says how he is going to "feign madness" and that:
Firstly, in order to gain a better understanding of the problems that plague or correctional system we must fully understand the enormous overcrowding problem that exist in the majority of or state and federal prisons. Since 1980 the prison population has quadrupled and only the numb...
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.
The first issue that I would like to address is the overcrowding issues in prisons. In my opinion, overcrowding issues are the biggest issues in our correctional system that concerns every citizen. Running a prison required money, resources and manpower, with overcrowding issues, the government would have no choice but to increase the number of correctional facilities, privatized prisons and increasing manpower. According to (Levitt, 1996), “The incarceration rate in the United States has more than tripled in the last two decades. At year-end 1994 the United States prison population exceeded one million. Annual government outlays on prisons are roughly $40 billion per year. The rate of imprisonment in the United States is three to four times greater than most European countries.” (p.1). Overcrowding issues are not only affect prisons but the society as a whole as well. The reason is simply because prison population directly refl...