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Argumentative Essay On The Catcher In The Rye

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The Catcher in the Rye is one of the many novels that is banned from schools reading lists. This fact sparked interest in why this brilliant novel even deserves to be put on this list. We must dive deeper in the meaning behind the words and why the author created the characters the way he created them. J.D. Salinger introduces protagonist, Holden Caulfield as a pessimistic teenager who is essentially having a midlife crisis. Holden believes he lives in a world full of phonies and that this fact of the matter makes it impossible for him to grow into who he is destined to be. Salinger brings us on Holden’s journey and the path he takes after being kicked out of boarding school. Holden makes his way far away from his family to New York City in …show more content…

Holden visits Phoebe back at home after running away and making poor life choices. She asks him what he wants to do with his life and he responds with, “I’d 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 and all. That’s the only thing I’d really like to be” (Salinger 224-225). When Holden said this and mentioned “everybody” he meant the little kids, the new generation. The naive children that do not know what the world really has in store for them. After Holden had to bear the death of his brother Allie and his friend James, his world went dark as we know it. He took the wrong path and made bad decisions such as involving himself with prostitutes, consuming alcohol illegally, and ultimately leaving his family because of being kicked out of his prestigious school. After experiencing all of this, Holden decides to dedicate the rest of his life to protecting the kids from falling into the adult world too quickly. To help them preserve their innocence and adolescence. Holden has come to this decision because he ruled out all other professions. For example, he didn’t want to pursue his father’s job of being a lawyer because he did not know whether lawyers helped people for the genuine satisfaction of it or to receive money. This thought of Holden’s proved his claim of the world being

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