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The brilliant Jerome David Salinger lived an isolated, yet interesting life. Salinger is best known for his book The Catcher in the Rye, which became popular when it was published in 1951. When he was alive, Salinger loved to write, but not publish his books or articles. Although, Salinger hid from the spotlight when he became famous, his books and articles became more famous. His book The Catcher in the Rye has influenced the literary world. Salinger lived a long life, during which he impacted the literary world because he was influenced by many people and events.
Salinger lived a long life, during which he accomplished many things. He was born in 1919 and died in 2010, living to the age 91. Born in New York City, Salinger was the younger of two children. When he was in school, he was not an attentive student and fluked out of McBurney School. He was later sent to Valley Forge Military Academy, which is located in Pennsylvania. After he graduated, he went to many different colleges like Ursinus College and Columbia University. Columbia University was where he found the passion to write. As he was starting to get better at writing, he was drafted to World War II for the next two years. Even during this time he wrote and created a start to his best seller. “Salinger continued to write, assembling chapters for a new novel whose main character was a deeply unsatisfied young man named Holden Caulfield.” (“Jerome David Salinger”) Salinger did suffer trauma during the war and had to be hospitalized after suffering a nervous breakdown. When Salinger returned to New York, he resumed being a writer and finished and published The Catcher in the Rye. Two years after his book was published, he went into isolation and moved to New Hampshire wh...
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...nt writer who stood out because of his writing even though he tried to hide from the spotlight.
Works Cited
"Biographical Reflections on J. D. Salinger." J.D. Salinger: A Study of the Short Fiction. John
Gabriel, Kathy. "Salingerincontext.org." Salingerincontextorg RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
"J.D. Salinger." Starpulse. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2014. .
"Jerome David Salinger." 2014. The Biography.com website. Apr 25 2014
MCDUFFIE, BRADLEY R. "When Hemingway Met Salinger." - KansasCity.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
Paul Wenke. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1991. 121-130. Twayne's Studies in Short Fiction 25. Twayne's Authors on GVRL. Web. 6 May 2014.
"The Catcher in the Rye." Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 116-137. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 6 May 2014.
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.
Due to J.D Salinger’s personal and relatable narrative treatment, Catcher in the Rye continues to engage audiences, even 64 years after it was first published. The way the book deals with alienation and disillusionment in regards to Holden’s past trauma - through the closeness of first person narration and conversational writing among other techniques - creates a personal connection to Holden’s character and helps adolescents relate his troubles to their own.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. 1951. New York: Back Bay Books, 2001. Print.
American Literature is widely known for possessing themes of disillusionment. Faulkner, Harper Lee, Fitzgerald, and Hemingway dominate this category of literature. However, the most influential piece of American Literature is arguably J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. What makes this piece of art stand so far out from any other work of literature is the attributes that make this novel so relatable. The source of this raw, real emotion that completely captivates the reader is Salinger himself. The Catcher in the Rye ‘s main character Holden Caulfield is undeniably Salinger. This work of fiction nearly resembles an autobiography. J.D. Salinger uses his novel to express his disillusionment through motifs, pathos, and symbols.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is an enthralling and captivating novel about a boy and his struggle with life. The teenage boy ,Holden, is in turmoil with school, loneliness, and finding his place in the world. The author J.D. Salinger examines the many sides of behavior and moral dilemma of many characters throughout the novel. The author develops three distinct character types for Holden the confused and struggling teenage boy, Ackley, a peculiar boy without many friends, and Phoebe, a funny and kindhearted young girl.
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is home to the protagonist Holden Caulfield. There is no coincidence that he holds a striking resemblance to the author of the novel himself. Salinger seemed to have a similar childhood as Holden describes in The Catcher in the Rye. Both men also seemed to have a certain fascination with younger children, especially younger women. J.D. Salinger based one of his most famous characters, Holden Caulfield, on personal experience.
Salinger, J. D.. The Catcher in the Rye. [1st ed. Boston: Little, Brown, 19511945. Print.
Wildermuth, April. "Nonconformism in the Works of J.D. Salinger." 1997 Brighton High School. 24 November 2002. <http://ww.bcsd.org/BHS/english/mag97/papers/Salinger.htm>
Lies, failure, depression, and loneliness are only some of the aspects that Holden Caulfield goes through in the novel The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger. Salinger reflects Holden’s character through his own childhood experiences. Salinger admitted in a 1953 interview that "My boyhood was very much the same as that of the boy in the book.… [I]t was a great relief telling people about it” (Wikipedia). Thus, the book is somewhat the life story of J.D. Salinger as a reckless seventeen-year-old who lives in New York City and goes through awful hardships after his expulsion and departure from an elite prep school. Holden, the protagonist in this novel, is created as a depressed, cynical, and isolated character and he expresses this attitude through his dialogue, tone, and diction.
Stevick, Philip. "J(erome) D(avid) Salinger." American Short-Story Writers, 1910-1945: Second Series. Ed. Bobby Ellen Kimbel. Detroit: Gale Research, 1991. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 102. Literature Resource Center. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
Many critics consider J.D. Salinger a very controversial writer, for the subject matters that he writes.. J.D. Salinger's works were generally written during two time periods. The first time period was during World War II, and the second time period was during the 1960's.
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1991. Print.
Wildermuth, April. "Nonconformism in the Works of J.D. Salinger." 1997 Brighton High School. 24 November 2002. <http://ww.bcsd.org/BHS/english/mag97/papers/Salinger.htm>
Studies In Short Fiction 18.1 (1981): 65. Literary Reference Center. Web. The Web. The Web.
Catcher in the Rye is a complicated book about a young man going through, what appears to be a nervous break down. This is a book about the boy’s negative self-talk, horrible outlook on life, and a life itself that seems to keep swirling down the toilet. He keeps trying to fill his life with something, but the reality of it is he doesn’t exactly now what he needs. It’s complicated to understand at parts, because all he does is think of things in the worst possible conditions.