ipl-logo

Catcher In The Rye Research Paper

628 Words3 Pages

The Catcher in the Rye Final Essay (Draft) In J.D. Salinger's fiction book, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden, a teen living in the 1940’s, experiences his teen years in strange and unusual ways. Holden teaches us that everyone experiences frustrations throughout life but can always manage them. Some readers of the novel believe that the book has lost its significance due to the fact that it was written so long ago. Others, such as the author of source 2, think that the book can still teach many important themes relevant to today’s society. Although it may seem that the book has lost some importance, the book is still very relevant and should be continued to be read today. Salinger’s book is very much relevant to teens today because it is narrated …show more content…

Even though this may be a valid point of view, the life lessons taught to the reader greatly outweigh the old nature of the book. The book discusses Holden’s dead brother, and the suffering that Holden goes through after this event. Holden like many teens today is going through hard times. Everyone goes through frustrations in life, and the book reinforces this idea and makes it clear that people are not alone in what they are feeling. Article 2 further discusses this idea by saying, “[the book] can help readers understand that they aren't the only ones coping with problems” (source 2). The fact that the book can still today make readers learn very important life lessons, shows that it is still a very relevant book almost 70 years later. The Catcher in the Rye is still a very relevant book that should be continued to be read in high schools across America. The book allows the reader to form connections with Holden. The book is still a well written and famous piece of artwork. And the book teaches us very important lessons that are valuable throughout life. All these reasons make it obvious that the book should be continued to be read in today's modern world. Think about all the knowledge that Holden Caulfield’s life has brought to the

Show More
Related

How Is Holden Caulfield A Modern Teenager

1108 Words | 5 Pages

Holden was rich and white, it made teens think that he had no real problems at all and it made it hard for them to see themselves in Holden and to feel empathy for him, therefore, Holden does not represent a modern teenager. Holden does not represent a modern teenager because they think he had no real problems at all. In Dana Czapnik’s article, From everyteen to annoying: are today's young readers turning on The Catcher in the Rye? She talks about how some teenagers see Holden and how the way they used to see Holden is not the same anymore. Back then teenagers used to relate to Holden

Read More

The Catcher In The Rye: Was Holden Successful In His Journey

593 Words | 3 Pages

Was Holden successful in his Journey This is an essay on whether or not Holden Caulfield is successful on his journey throughout the novel “The Catcher in the Rye” by Jerome David Salinger. This book shows how hard it can be for teenagers that are going from an adolescent to adulthood. Holden, who is sixteen years old, has been kicked out of several schools. Pencey Prep. was the latest.

Read More

Literary Analysis Essay Topics For The Catcher In The Rye

976 Words | 4 Pages

The Catcher In The Rye Final Essay This book, The Catcher In The Rye, written by J.D Salinger is a novel that portrays many themes that appears occasionally in every chapter. One of the themes was growing up. Holden, the protagonist in the book has been kicked out of prep school over four times, thought of everyone he saw as phonies, and has always deemed himself of depressed thoughts. He had trouble coping with life, change, and refused to face the fact that growing up is avoidable as what Alan Watts states,” life can never be grasped, never possessed or made to stand still.”

Read More

Examples Of Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

1654 Words | 7 Pages

Holden really steps out of the norms during this time. Since everyone was doing the same thing, while Holden was not, it was very strange and hard for others to connect with him. The adults in the world didn’t understand what children like him wanted and children like Holden didn’t understand why the adults were following certain ideals. This led to Holden thinking the adult world was phony. The quote by Godwin as stated above is something that leads Holden to do what he does.

Read More

Catcher In The Rye Literary Devices

1179 Words | 5 Pages

Creating a story that transcends time takes the work of a skilled and dedicated writer. To be able to throw a global audience into the mind of a complicated character is a feat not easily done. In the novel “Catcher in the Rye”, the author, J.D Salinger, masterfully uses his story telling skills to portray Holden Caulfield’s miserable decent into adulthood in this expertly written novel. It’s not difficult to see the ingredients that Salinger used to concoct this relatable and dramatic story. He uses excellent themes that audiences have seen in their own lives, he uses symbolism that enriches the reading experience with deeper meaning, and he uses a unique writing style that further immerses the reader into the character and setting.

Read More

The Importance Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

1011 Words | 5 Pages

An important time in Holden’s past was when he “slept in the garage the night [his brother] died” and his emotional instability at that point caused him to “[break] all the goddam windows with [his] fist” (50). Because of his young age, Holden refuses to accept that his brother, Allie, is gone from his life. Holden’s premature exposure to death resulted in an untimely loss of innocence. Knowing the affect of death firsthand, he sees the value of innocence in the youth and the importance in keeping it as long as possible. During his runaway journey, he befriends two nuns and discusses his thoughts on how Mercutio’s death “was Romeo’s fault… It drives [Holden] crazy if somebody gets killed… and it’s somebody else’s fault” (145).

Read More

Jd Salinger Biography Essay

1283 Words | 6 Pages

He meets his “Old Sally” who wants nothing to do with him. In the end of of the book he goes home and sees his sister Phoebe, and his family, and decides to stay. It doesn’t add up. enough to to make people say, “That was an awesome book!” Although he [Holden] doesn’t add up people have compared him to [ Mark Twain’s]

Read More

How Does Holden Caulfield Change Throughout The Novel

693 Words | 3 Pages

Catcher in the Rye In the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the narrator and protagonist Holden Caulfield a sixteen year old junior undergoes a series of changes. Holden learns multiple life changing lessons; one of them is you must grow up. In the beginning of the novel, Holden starts out as “that kid”; the one with the parents who expect him to get into an ivy league school, and end up with a kid with no intentions of doing so. At the beginning of the book it is very apparent that Holden lacks motivation; he also has hit rock bottom.

Read More

Catcher In The Rye Rhetorical Analysis

828 Words | 4 Pages

As the book starts Holden describes his childhood and how he has been kicked out of several school and once more again from his currently school, giving a sense of irresponsibility and no care in the world. Holden later on mentioned slowly the loss of his brother due to leukemia and how he reacted outrageously by breaking the windows of his garage home. As a reader one would view that behavior as abnormal, but Peter Shaw descried it as a normal behavior for a fictional character in the 1950s and by mentioning that Holden, “is presenting in a somewhat different manner than are the sentimentalized young people in other novels if his period” (par. 3), admitting that Holden was somewhat of an outcast of a character even for its time he is still considered normal. Shaw also challenged the reader’s view of Holden by emphasizing that Holden is not a real person, but a fiction character developed in the 1950s and in fact a mad psychological character is normal and made the reading rather more interesting and acceptable during that time. As readers someone may come across as understanding Holden’s behavior due to a loss and everyone mourns differently and as Shaw said, “ the one period of life in which abnormal behavior is common rather than exceptional” (par.

Read More

Stubbornness In Catcher In The Rye

1493 Words | 6 Pages

The Catcher in the Rye In the novel The Catcher in the Rye J.D Salinger writes about a teenager struggling to find his place within the existence of the reality of others. Salinger creates shocking events that lay out the foundation of the the main character Holden Caulfield’s life in the novel. Salinger uses Holden’s characteristics throughout the novel such as Holden’s stubbornness to establish a much bigger theme in the book along with many other symbols.

Read More

Catcher In The Rye Man Vs Society Analysis

1063 Words | 5 Pages

The book, The Catcher in the Rye, takes place in the years of the 1940s-1950s of New York City. Author J.D. Salinger expresses in the book about the struggles and the countless amount of stereotypes and establishments of the American society. Holden Caulfield, J.D Salinger’s protagonist, gives perspectives of society’s conflicts and facets of society. Holden addresses that would should not change, but should be preserved within a glass case at a museum. Now explore the varieties of encounters and how the give an example of the theme of conflict between control and independence that the protagonist confronts in the book, The Catcher in the Rye.

Read More

Catcher In The Rye Adolescence Analysis

859 Words | 4 Pages

By illustrating the fact that the adolescents’ perspective and adults’ perspective on the society are contrasting, Salinger establishes a sense that adolescents’ perspectives has changed negatively because they suffer from extreme stress levels as they set themselves up for their

Read More

How Does Holden Present Grief In Catcher In The Rye

1033 Words | 5 Pages

As I stated earlier on, at first I did not appreciate Holden’s character. I thought he was aggressive, rude, and a tad bit cruel, especially with his attitude and the tendency to classify those around him in such a way that prevents him from truly getting to know others and experience what they are able to bring into his life. The further I read, especially towards the end with more coming into the light I started to realize that Holden is not a cruel or overly judgmental person, he is just broken. The more I analyzed Holden’s character, the more I was able to see myself through the trail of his words and actions. Holden is undoubtedly misunderstood by those around him but through no fault but his own.

Read More

Catcher In The Rye Essay Thesis

600 Words | 3 Pages

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

Read More

Catcher In The Rye Annotated Bibliography

587 Words | 3 Pages

This source thoroughly covers all contents of the novel The Catcher in the Rye. This sources provides an in depth analysis of the novel and allows users to view the novel from another perspective other than there own. Sparknotes powerfully demonstrates the use of literary devices within the novel as well as it breaks down the novel into sections and provides a brief summary of each major event such as conflicts etc. Sparknotes also allows for other users to comment to create discussions about the novel which is fascinating as well as it provides a breakdown of each character and it goes into great amount of detail for major characters in the novel.

Read More

More about Catcher In The Rye Research Paper

Open Document