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Symbolism analysis of the catcher in the rye
The meaning behind the book catcher in the rye
Symbolism in catcher in the rye essay
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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. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s outlook in life is either the innocence of childhood or the cruelty of adulthood. He believes that the innocence of childhood is very valuable and it should be protected from the cruelty and phoniness of the adult world. Therefore Holden has a desire and is compelled to protect a child’s innocence at all costs. This is revealed when Holden tells Phoebe that he wants to be the catcher in the rye. Holden says to Phoebe, “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they’re ru...
Holden says "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." (page TBD) This quote goes well with Holden resisting to grow up. Holden says this when he's standing over the ledge and looking down on the children. Holden believes that it is important to maintain a child's innocence and we see this throughout the book. Constantly Holden is helping children and making sure they are doing well and are okay. We see this a lot when Holden talks about his sister Phoebe. Holden does not want to grow up and he proves that when he says that adults are phony and then Holden will look at a child and he will think that he wants to save that child from growing up because he doesn't want that kid to become a phony like the rest of the adults. In the song When We Were Young by Adele she says You look like a movie/You sound like a song/My God, this reminds me/Of when we were young/Let me photograph you in this
One of the greatest American Literature writers, J.D. Salinger, was familiar with a rough childhood by experience. He was able to parallel his experiences to the experiences of Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in The Catcher in Rye. In this novel, Holden experiences conflicts that most youth are not familiar with. The conflicts in Holden Caulfield’s life are caused by various forces and circumstances.
The themes of “The Catcher in the Rye” are isolation, avoidance, and the fear of growing-up. The plot revolves around Holden and the people he interacts with. Holden is a mess. He is like a lot of kids who find out that growing up can be scary. I think that Holden wanted to be like Peter Pan and never grow up. The plot shows that the way Holden handles his fear leads to many stressful and disappointing situations and relationships.
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
Holden wants to shelter children from the adult world (Chen). In Chapter 16, the catcher in the rye finally appears. This is also a symbol for what Holden would like to be when he grows older. He pictures a group of many kids playing in a field of rye, where it is his job to catch them from falling off the cliff. This shows Holden’s love for childhood and his need to preserve it in any way he can. According to Alsen, “The way Holden explains why he wants to be the catcher in the rye shows the kindness and unselfishness of his character. However, the surreal nature of the metaphor also reveals his unwillingness to face the real life choices he needs to make now that he is approaching adulthood.” By the end of the book, Holden realizes in order for kids to grow, there can’t be protection from all of potential harm. “He therefore gives up his dream of being the catcher in the rye and is ready to make a realistic choice of what he wants to do with his life” (Alsen). Holden’s dream world, that doesn’t involve change, is unrealistic. He is terrified by the unpredictable changes of the adult world, but there is no way for Holden to avoid the experiences and changes that the
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.
He begins to own up to his mistakes and starts to build stable relationships with his peers. In a conversation with Phoebe Holden mentions that he wants to be a catcher in the rye, and save children from falling off the cliff. Being a catcher in the rye is a metaphor that represents Holden's dream of saving people and leaving a lasting mark on the world. “ 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. I know it's crazy”(186). When we enter this point in the book we can really get a feel for how much Holden has matured as he has begun thinking about others and not just focusing on himself. Although Holden has progressed in his track towards maturity he still tends to sway away from maturity. Holden continues to impolitely disagree with others and argue his way to the top in order to achieve what he desires, “Daddy's going to kill you.” Phoebe suggests, then Holden comes right back and states “I don't give a damn if he does” (186). This example shows that Holden still has a fixed mindset on his ideas and doesn't allow for new thoughts to persuade him to change his opinions. This forces us to view him as immature as we do not see a man who is incapable of interchanging ideas with others and therefore unable to interact with his
...rdian to save the kids from losing their innocence by not letting them fall off the cliff. This is what Holden truly wants to do, and he says to Phoebe ‘I know its crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be’ (225). This is all Holden wants to do because he wants to save other children from losing their innocence because he does not want them to experience what he had to go through. He doesn’t want all the children to go through the tough times that he had to face through his youth because they have to enjoy their childhood. He wants to protect all the children by being their guardian and savor from innocence. In the end, Holden’s dream job of being the catcher in the rye is a job that he has dreamed about because he wants to be a savor of innocence for children.
If there were one word to tell what the theme of the book was it would be innocence. How we are all innocent at some point, how to try to keep our innocence, and how no one can keep their innocence forever. We all fall from our innocence. Adam and Eve fell from grace and innocence and set the tone for all of our lives. Throughout the whole book Holden is trying to make people keep their innocence and he wants to hold onto it himself. What he needs to learn and does learn through the course of the book is that no one can keep his or her innocence. We all fall at some point, but what we have control over is how hard we fall.
Catcher in The Rye, by J.D Salinger, addresses an issue that many teenagers have spoken out against in this modern generation- displacement in society. Holden Caulfield, a young adolescent experiences this discomfiture to comply with the rules of society and intentionally tries to stop the inevitable- the loss of innocence. Innocence to Holden is simply a phrase that he is unable to conceptualize. Holden’s idea of corruption of the young, influences his point of views that often differ from his peers, causing him to feel alone and often depressed. He shows his mental instability and his inability to view the world in the same way as people in his age group, and stereotypes loss of innocence with “phoniness”. Holden’s hatred for the corruption
Growing up is something that everyone experiences, and along with growing up comes the loss of innocence. In J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist Holden Caulfield wishes to be the “catcher in the rye” so that he can preserve the innocence of individuals. As Holden travels the streets of New York City, he realizes how ugly the adult world really is. As a troubled teenage boy, Holden does not want to grow up but soon concludes that he cannot stop himself from this process. Because of Holden’s belief that the adult world is full of phonies, his brother Allie’s death, and the loss of his own innocence, Holden feels compelled to protect the innocence of the people around him.
The idea of preserving innocence and growing up is a common topic throughout Catcher in the Rye. In chapter 22 it is further revealed that Holden is unable to protect Phoebe’s innocence because he is already corrupt. This chapter exposes Holden by revealing his innocence is gone, due to his constant cursing and having no plan in life. One of the major themes in the novel is protecting innocence in children, and this chapter elucidates that because Holden came to Phoebe to try to protect her innocence. In the novel Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger argues that innocence is lost due to the protector, or Holden Caulfield, being corrupted himself; Holden already lost his innocence and refuses to grow up and face reality which makes him corrupted and unable to protect Phoebe’s innocence.
We see during the novel that Holden wants to be able to protect innocence in the world, however by the end of the story he lets go of that desire. This is a point of growth for Holden. He finds that it is impossible and unnecessary to keep all the innocence in the world. While with Phoebe Holden says, “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye...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...That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye” (173). In this moment Holden wants to be able to preserve all the youth and innocence in the world. He doesn’t accept that kids have to grow and change and that they can’t stay innocent forever. Later on in the story when Holden is with Phoebe at a carousel again he thinks, “The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the golden ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them.” At the end of the novel Holden realizes and comes to terms with the fact that kids grow and lose their innocence. He moves from his want to be the “catcher in the rye” to...
Holden from the start of Catcher in the Rye deems people of society to be pretentious, referring to them as ‘phonies.’ His lack of trust and belief towards adults causes him to want to save children from becoming adult themselves. As Phoebe and Holden were conversing as what they’d like to be one day, Holden points out “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”; he enthusiastically states out that he’ll be the one to save them from what he considers to be the death of their childhood (Salinger 54). The cliff symbolizes the jump from adolescence to adulthood. The determined diction shows off Holden’s genuine desire to help out kids from ever growing up. Holden holds himself to the idea that facing adulthood is a terrible fate and should be avoided w...
From the moment a young child observes the privileges adults have in the world, they cannot wait for the day when they grow up. On the contrary, Holden Caulfield has no desire to grow up because his introverted personality protects him from the fear of the loss of innocence. Throughout the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the J.D. Salinger utilizes symbolism, discouraging imagery, and colloquial diction to make the reader be aware of Holden’s fear of the loss of youth. Holden, although he is only seventeen when he is narrating his story, he speaks as though he is an old man remembering his youth.