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Realism Catcher In The Rye

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J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in The Rye recounts the days following protagonist Holden Caulfield’s latest academic failure and expulsion from Pencey Prep, a private boarding school. After a fight with his roommate Stradlater he decides to take an early leave for Christmas break and boards a late night train back home to New York City. During the two day time frame Holden explores the city and interacts with strangers, vague acquaintances, a former girlfriend, teachers, prostitutes, nuns and his younger sister. This coming of age piece of realism literature is an american classic that portrays the dramatic struggles of an angsty and misunderstood adolescent’s search for his place in the world as he grows up. The Catcher in the Rye is basically one long-stretched flashback narrated in past tense first person by protagonist Holden Caulfield, a 16 years old high school junior. One of the fundamental parts of the storytelling is …show more content…

Sally Hayes, pretty, friendly 17 year old girl who goes on a rather unsuccessful date with Holden and “shows of her butt in one of those littles skirts.” Mr. Antolini, a former teacher and family friend who shares valuable advice on life before he creepily pets Holden’s head while he sleeps and is thereafter labeled a potential pervert. Phoebe Caulfield, Holden’s incredibly smart and sympathetic 10 year old sister who he really wants to protect and is one of the very few people who isn’t categorized as a “phony.” This list of characters goes on and on. Unlike most other books, the characters in The Catcher in The Rye tend to appear only once in the story and are thereafter quickly replaced by new encounters or old acquaintances Holden suddenly feels like meeting as he roams around in New York. This unconscious search for new people slowly reveals a renewed understanding of Holden’s rather mystifying

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