“A Catcher in the Rye” is not only a timeless classic that will live forever in the memories of whoever reads it, but it is also an incredible representation of the hardships of a common American teenager, an asset that few novels can brag about possessing. One lesson this story exhorts is that when somebody feels too overwhelmed to face change, they isolate themselves and take it out on others. The story begins with Holden addressing us, the readers, to convey the message that he will not talk about his childhood. That is partially because it is a time that hurts him too
The English curriculum of American high schools includes works such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Romeo and Juliet, The Great Gatsby, Lord of the Flies, and Macbeth. However, another book causes fierce debate about its inclusion in literary relevance. The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most controversial texts to grace the public education system with its heavy use of slang, mature scenarios, and bleak views of society. However, all of these subjects impact high schoolers much less than worried parents or teachers would expect while actually promoting practical, constructive themes, and for this, The Catcher in the Rye should be taught in high schools today. Although The Catcher in the Rye explores many suggestive topics, it has an overall
He cannot do either of these things because of his internal battle. The novel can be considered a Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age novel where the protagonist matures Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye expresses the hardships of growing up through the symbolism of Jane Gallagher, Allie’s baseball glove and the Catcher in the Rye poem. Holden Caulfield calls many people
That’s why stories could also be a way to express truth. Meanwhile, in “The Catcher In The Rye”, Holden states clearly at the very beginning that “I’m not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything. I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy” ( The Catcher In The Rye, 1), meaning that Holden is only going
Holden is very young when he loses his brother, which could be the reason he does not know how to deal with the situation correctly. Throughout the novel, Holden continues to think about Allie. For example, he wrote about him in a paper and he pleads to Allie in New York (Bennett 129). Psychoanalytic interpretations help readers to try and understand Holden’s psyche in order to figure out why Holden acts the way he does (Bennett 129). Looking at Caulfield’s childhood, which had a very traumatic event, could be the cause of his erratic behavior (Bennett 129).
“Since 1951 when it was first published, The Catcher in the Rye has served as a resonant expression of alienation for several generations of adolescent readers and adults who have considered themselves at odds with the norms and institutions of American society.” Holden looks at the people in New York City leading society’s version of idealistic lives and feels repulsed. His view on life is cynical, not at all in line with the optimism of the American Dream. This book could then be an antithesis of the idea. The protagonist even tries to safeguard his sister from the materialistic world thus treating it like a source of
Holden is so confused with his life, and so depressed because of the lack of love and affection he receives. As the novel unravels we come to see that Holden likes to distract himself from his issues and problems, by spending time with people who have no significance to him whatsoever, and I believe it is because Holden is trying to find a sense of purpose due to the
The book “Catcher in the Rye” written by Jerome David Salinger was a huge success in terms of sales, and also, caused a lot of controversial issues in the literary world. The book was banned from many schools and educational institutions because it brings explicit sexual contents, drug abuse and in many parts of the book it can be analysed as a critic to many religions. It was originally directed for the adult public, but it called attention of teenagers because the book presents many arguing elements about alienation beyond diverse segments on which the main character presents itself as a person who is excluded from the society because he doesn´t have the same thoughts as the civilization does. The main character of the book, Holden Caulfield, is a teenager who was about to flunk in a lot of subjects in school, and then, he decides to leave the institution to go to a lot of different places, causing and getting into some trouble. During the story, the reader discovers a lot of things about the narrator of "The Catcher in the Rye" and his deep thoughts about the world mainly about the society that we live in.
A wholesome blend of these elements were bound to create a tsunami of controversy, yet they and so much more can be found in between the pages of J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye”, a 1951 literary classic Despite being a constant threat in the eyes of the censor board, J.D. Salinger never let his quill shiver from being a spokesperson of his thoughts. “If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.” Benjamin Franklin, Apology for Printers
Minutes after Holden acts with extreme temper against Stradlater, and even attempts to punch him, he explains how he is a pacifist. This contradictory statement is one of many shown throughout the novel, which reveals Holden’s true self as a complete phony. Holden preforms many tasks throughout the novel that depict him as completely