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Catcher In The Rye Essay Topics

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Many books in the American school systems have been banned for “ Exploring complex topics such as sexuality, violence, substance abuse, suicide and racism through well-drawn characters lets kids contemplate morality and vast aspects of the human condition, build empathy for people unlike themselves and possibly discover a mirror of their own experience”- (Regan McMahon). While Regan Mcmahon lists topics that are considered too inappropriate for students to read, she also implies that these books help in finding your own opinions and encourages critical thinking. In the book The Catcher In The Rye it explores the topics of sexuality,substance abuse, and depression. The book shows an insight on Holden (the main character) and his life as …show more content…

This defines our way of life as we need to grow our own opinions and know how to think for ourselves. Books are very critical to this part of our life. Reading about other people's perspectives can help us understand their lives and give us a feeling of comfort or being understood. It also shows the consequences of the characters actions and how others react to them. This can help many students who relate with the main character to form opinions and new perspectives. In "The Catcher in the Rye" Holden shows many times throughout the book his perception of the world by saying “You never saw so many phonies in all your life…”(pg 164). This describes how Holden does not see much truth in the people he is surrounded by. Which many readers can sympathize with as many of us see phonies in our world.The catcher in the rye also uses symbolism to show abstract ideas. On page 150 Holden hears someone say “ ‘If a body catch a body coming through the rye’”. We can understand that it was misheard as it’s actually “if a body meet a body coming through the rye”. This was significant to Holden because hearing a child say that phrase made him feel less depressed which showed a lot about his character. Holden wanted to be the catcher and protect the innocent if they slip and fall. You can see his deeper intentions where he wanted to protect the innocent because no one did that for him. This follows the common idea of how broken Holden is and reveals deeper, complex meanings throughout the book on the impact his childhood had on his demeanor and made him mentally

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    Throughout the novel of Catcher In The Rye the readers can pick on Holden's way of thinking because it feels as if the reader is listing to Holden talk and thus this reinforces the novel’s themes. Themes like youth, phoniness, loneliness and innocence are present due to Holden’s use of character and the way he presents himself out in the story. Holden’s thoughts and diction reflect all of the themes in the story because his thoughts often become reality in which he puts out on himself. Holden is always complaining about people being fake to the point where it makes the reader feel like as if Holden is calling the reader fake. “One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies” Holden views almost everyone as phoney.

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    In more depth, this quotes shows his need to save children like his sister phoebe or his dead brother Allie from losing their childhood innocence and becoming adults which he believes are all phonies. In reality, Holden is one person so he can not be the catcher in the rye; despite that he keeps trying to be till he reaches a loin where he is truly lost in touch with reality and blinded. He does however realize that in the back of his mind, which is what leads him on such a destructive path of competing with himself constantly on meeting the idea he believes he is. He does this by drinking, smoking, becoming involved in fights and even attempting to have meaninglessness sexual encounters. However in the end he comes to the realization that he can not be the catcher in the rye despite what he’s done, and what triggers this realization for him is when he sees the word “Fuck you” on the walls of phoebe’s school.

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  • Dialectical Journal For The Catcher In The Rye

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    During the narrative, Holden is irrealistic with what he wants out of life. “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.” (ch. 22

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  • Holden Caulfield Symbolism

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    He doesn’t want his sister and her friends to live the life that he had to because it was so miserable. He didn’t want their innocence to be washed away at such a young age like him, but one kid is all it takes to ruin it for somebody. This shows that Holden really does care about his role as the catcher in the rye and that preserving innocence is what truly makes him

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  • What Does Holden's Hat Symbolize

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    Holden is a caring character, as seen through his great liking of Robert Burn’s poem, “Comin thro’ the Rye”. Holden tells Phoebe that he wants to “catch everybody if they start going off the cliff” (173). Holden wants to be a savior of innocence for children, as he wants to protect them from the ugliness of the world. This is exemplified by his anger towards vulgarity written in the school walls. He states that he could imagine how, “…some dirty kid would tell them-all cockeyed, naturally, what it meant, and how they’d all think about it and maybe even worry about it for a couple of days.”

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  • Examples Of Thematic Essay On The Catcher In The Rye

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    The Catcher in the Rye Thematic Essay Imagine living a lonesome life, full of fear and little hope of better days to come. Imagine the toll this would take on a person’s life and how they develop as a person. For Holden Caulfield, the main character of J.D Salinger’s classic The Catcher in the Rye this, is his reality. Holden is a sixteen year old troubled boy suffering through major mental issues and living a rather a depressing life for a teenager. Throughout the novel he goes through many hardships that only worsen his depression making him feel hatred towards his seemingly hellish world.

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  • Why Is Catcher In The Rye Banned

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    Not only has Allie’s death prevent Holden from forming friendships, but he also is preoccupied with wanting to be the catcher in the rye. Holden says, “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” (173). All Holden wants to do is save people who are special and innocent just like his younger brother Allie.

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  • Examples Of Phonies In Catcher In The Rye

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    By becoming the catcher in the rye, it allows him to have an excuse for not actually fighting phonies because he needs to protect kids. Holden believes that he is fighting the phony world by protecting kids from falling off this cliff which he mentions when Phoebe is telling him about being wrong. He pictures “little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around-nobody big” except for Holden who is “standing on the edge of some crazy cliff” and if the kids are not looking where they are going; Holden has to “come out from somewhere and catch them” (224, 225). Being the catcher in the rye metaphorically means that there is a very steep cliff, and at the top of the cliff, there are children playing around while Holden is at the edge of the cliff protecting them from not falling down.

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    1308 Words  | 6 Pages

    Holden’s obsession stems from his fear that he may become a phony one day. So, he spends the book running from adulthood by doing childish things and struggling to keep his life from changing. We see Holden’s fear of phonies shine throughout The Catcher in the Rye. Why does he have this fear?

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  • Catcher In The Rye Essay Thesis

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    Jessica Casimiro October 30, 2015 English 3/PayLea Short Story Essay Patrick Rothfuss once claimed, “The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind.” The novel Catcher in the Rye focuses on Holden Caulfield, an angst-ridden teen conflicted between remaining in a state of prolonged innocence or transitioning into the world of adulthood, thus facing the corruption and phoniness that it correlates with. Through Holden’s dynamic character, J.D Salinger depicts how innocence is slowly lost when exposed to adulthood. Reluctant to the idea of growing up, Holden strives to protect the innocence of himself and the ones’ around him. Holden reminisces about the Natural Museum of History, a place he enjoyed going

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