Since its initial publication in the year of 1951, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, has been a target of controversy, debate, and discernment. This astounding novel is centered on a boy, Holden, who is writing his story within the confines of a psychiatric hospital. Through the recount, Holden encounters serious obstacles that are hard to deal with as a 17 year old. With prostitutes, teen sex, profanity, and other irrational behavior, one would understand the debated opinions of the novel. What is not understood, however, is how the story itself can be gained from. The Catcher in the Rye should not be censored because students can benefit from its deliberately emotive storyline, the capability of its narrator to be identified with, and its ability to uncover the reality of the modern age. The Catcher in the Rye was deliberately written with an emotive storyline. In the novel, Holden is a conflicted 17-year-old teenager that discriminates, has low self-esteem, and seems to be depressed. The way the author dexterously uses his words depicts how Holden feels, purposely summoning emotions within the reader to understand the situation the character faces. “Then, all of a sudden, I started to cry. I couldn’t help it […] but once you get started, you can’t just stop on a goddam dime,” (Salinger, 179). The use of the profanity in this quote is so that the reader realizes how conflicted Holden is about crying. It produces emotions in anyone who reads it. Students can learn from this storyline because it gives them the ability to feel what they are reading – to understand. This is not flawed writing, nor is it meant to be offensive; it is purely the objective of this form of literature – to present an artificial reality and to inv... ... middle of paper ... ...and controversial. These individuals have not recognized the sincerity of the novel and the potential it holds to change one’s view on life and on other people. The novel is purposely written in a way to raise feelings, help readers to identify with characters, and reveal reality. The Catcher in the Rye has been studied in Language Arts for years in schools and should be continued, as it will be beneficial to students. Language Arts is undeniably an art, just as music is an art. One does not eliminate and replace the notes composed in a symphony simply because it has been perceived as fallacious. Similar to that symphony, the Catcher in the Rye has been engraved with evocative words that make it as prominent as it has been to this day, and should remain unchanged forever. Works Cited Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Canada: Little, Brown and Company. 1951.
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.
The world is not perfect, it is filled with violence, sex, obscenity, and immoral values. It is true, if you believe it or not the world is indeed filled with these bad traits of mankind. Holden Caulfield is no exception to having these traits. The following quote explains why: “‘You do? Why? No kidding, they better for sex and all?’ ‘Listen. Let’s get one thing straight. I refuse to answer any typical Caulfield questions tonight. When in the hell are you going to grow up?’ I didn’t say anything for a while. I let it drop for a while. Then old Luce ordered another Martini and told the bartender to make it a lot dryer”(Salinger 189). Parents are not protecting children better if they can not let the children face the truth on how awful the bad side of the world is. Sex and libations are common bad habits of the human race. If a parent does not allow a child to face those bad ideals, is the parent doing a kid a favor? No she or he is not. Eventually the child will find out sooner or later on those topics from a bad source of information. Not only is sex and drinking in the world, violence is also in it too. The book also has violent scenes, like as follows: “‘Now, shut up, Holden, God damn it- I’m warning ya,’ he said- I really had him going. ‘ if you don’t shut up, I’m gonna slam ya one.’ ‘Get your dirty stinking moron knees off my chest.’ ‘If I letcha up, will you keep your mouth shut?
All of these are components of J. D. Salinger’s writing style. While the tone of The Catcher in the Rye may suggest a lighthearted, entertainment centered novel, the work is, in actuality, a deep study of human emotion and sympathy, as well as a dark portrait of the wickedness in the world.
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.
For many years people have argued about the inclusion of The Cather in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger in the high school english curriculum. This is such due to the inappropriate and adult oriented themes within If considered, many times within the novel the main character will face situations in which that the negative and vulgar themes will blossom into something meaningful that the reader can benefit from as a person and as a student. While the vulgarity and adult themes in The Catcher in the Rye are indeed inappropriate for adolescent students, ultimately its underlying themes of self discovery and possessing moral values provides life and ethical lessons that can be applied in the classroom as well as on a daily basis and therefore, the novel should be included in the high school curriculum for students to learn.
If there are 785 instances of profanity in the book, I contend there are well over a hundred scenes where Holden used the word depressed. D"Ambrosio presents this same thought saying, "It should be obvious by now that I don't see The Catcher in the Rye as a coming of age story . . . adolescence isn't the source of Holden's outsized feelings"(37).
Innocence lies within everyone in at least one point in their lives, but as reality consumes them, that purity begins to vanish slowly as they learn new experiences. In the coming of age novel set in the nineteen-forties, J.D Salinger writes about a sixteen-year-old boy named Holden Caulfield who stands between a road that separates childhood from adulthood and is confused about which path to take. On a three-day trip in New York away from his family and fellow peers at school, Holden encounters many situations in which lead him to think twice about who he wants to become and how he wants to guide others who are in the same situation he is in. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger utilizes symbolism, vivid imagery, and slangy diction to expose Holden’s struggle to preserve the innocence of the people that he loves while alienating himself from the adult world he calls “phony.”
In 1951 the book “The Catcher in the Rye” was released, ten years later it had become the most censored book in all schools. In 1981 it had become the most censored book in the United States, however in that time it was also the second most taught book in all high schools. “Wolf, Baldassarro R. "World.eduNewsBlogsCoursesJobsPartners." Worldedu Banned Books Awareness The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger Comments. World.edu, 11 Jan. 2011. Web. 8 Nov. 2013.” “The Catcher in the Rye” is one of the most controversial books in the history of writing. Many are unsure on why it has been one of the most debated and censored books and whether it really should be so such a controversial topic.
Protected by a cocoon of naiveté, Holden Caulfield, the principal character in the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, therapeutically relates his lonely 24 hour stay in downtown New York city, experiencing the "phony" adult world while dealing with the death of his innocent younger brother. Through this well-developed teenage character, JD Salinger, uses simple language and dialogue to outline many of the complex underlying problems haunting adolescents. With a unique beginning and ending, and an original look at our new society, The Catcher in the Rye is understood and appreciated on multiple levels of comprehension. The book provides new insights and a fresh view of the world in which adolescents live.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is a coming-of-age novel set in New York during the 1940’s. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the story, is a detached seventeen-year old boy harboring feelings of isolation and disillusionment. He emphasizes a general dislike for society, referring to people as “phonies.” His lack of will to socialize prompts him to find nearly everything depressing. He’s alone most of the time and it’s apparent that he is very reclusive. This often leads him to pondering about his own death and other personal issues that plague him without immediate resolution. Holden possesses a strong deficit of affection – platonic and sexual – that hinders and cripples his views toward people, his attitude, and his ability to progressively solve his problems without inflicting pain on himself. The absence of significant figures in his life revert him to a childlike dependency and initiate his morbid fascination with sexuality. In this novel, Salinger uses Sunny, Sally Hayes, and Carl Luce to incorporate the hardships of discovering sexual identity and how these events affect adolescents as they try to understand their own sexuality.
J.D Salinger writes from personal experience in his novel, The Catcher in the Rye. The American author lived in New York City and attended a Manhattan public school for most of his adolescence before attending a boarding school that he soon left. He also suffered a mental breakdown while serving in the army. His experiences were a major part in not only the plot of his novel, but in building the character of Holden Caulfield. As the male protagonist in this coming of age novel, Holden Caulfield was faced with several obstacles to overcome. During his journey he deals with stress, anxiety, and difficult decisions while he was exposed to prostitutes, thieves, financial difficulty, and other foreign aspects of this unfamiliar reality. During this journey, he contradicts himself by attempting to protect the innocence of the youth around him while he makes obvious his ceaseless determination to reach adulthood prematurely. In this situation, his desires lead him to mental instability from an already questionable mental state. In The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger explores the complexity of mental illness through the male protagonist, Holden Caulfield, during his impossible mission of preserving the innocence of others.
The Catcher in the Rye tells the story of Holden Caulfield, a teenage boy struggling with important issues of adolescence, while having numerous ordeals in the great city of New York. It was written by J.D. Salinger in 1951, mainly targeted at young adults. Ever since, it has been taught at schools all over the world, and Holden is considered an important symbol for teenage rebellion. However, there is a chance that Holden’s symptoms go beyond those of an average teenager, and come closer to those of one who is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
Superficially the story of a young man getting expelled from another school, the Catcher in the Rye is, in fact, a perceptive study of one individual’s understanding of his human condition. Holden Caulfield, a teenager growing up in 1950’s, New York, has been expelled from school for poor achievement once again. In an attempt to deal with this he leaves school a few days prior to the end of term, and goes to New York to take a vacation before returning to his parents’ inevitable irritation. Told as a monologue, the book describe Holden’s thoughts and activities over these few days, during which he describes a developing nervous breakdown. This was evident by his bouts of unexplained depression, impetuous spending and generally odd, erratic behavior, prior to his eventual nervous collapse.
Since its publication in 1951, The Catcher In the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger has served as a conflagration for debate and extreme controversy. Although the novel has been the target of scornful criticism, it has also been the topic of wide discussion. The novel portrays the life of sixteen year old, Holden Caufield. Currently in psychiatric care, Holden recalls what happened to him last Christmas. At the beginning of his story, Holden is a student at Pencey Prep School. Having been expelled for failing four out of his five classes, Holden leaves school and spends 72-hours in New York City before returning home. There, Holden encounters new ideas, people, and experiences. Holden's psychological battle within himself serves as the tool that uncovers the coming-of-age novel's underlying themes of teen angst, depression, and the disingenuous nature of society. The novel tackles issues of blatant profanity, teenage sex, and other erratic behavior. Such issues have supplemented the controversial nature of the book and in turn, have sparked the question of whether or not this book should be banned. The novel, The Catcher In the Rye, should not be banned from inclusion in the literature courses taught at the high school level.
What was wrong with Holden, the main character in The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D.Salinger, was his moral revulsion against anything that was ugly, evil, cruel, or what he called "phoney" and his acute responsiveness to beauty and innocence, especially the innocence of the very young, in whom he saw reflected his own lost childhood. There is something wrong or lacking in the novels of despair and frustration of many writers. The sour note of bitterness and the recurring theme of sadism have become almost a convention, never thoroughly explained by the author's dependence on a psychoanalytical interpretation of a major character. The boys who are spoiled or turned into budding homosexuals by their mothers and a loveless home life are as familiar to us today as stalwart and dependable young heroes such as John Wayne were to an earlier generation. We have accepted this interpretation of the restlessness and bewilderment of our young men and boys because no one had anything better to offer. It is tragic to hear the anguished cry of parents: "What have we done to harm him? Why doesn't he care about anything? He is a bright boy, but why does he fail to pass his examinations? Why won't he talk to us?"