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Holden Caulfield Vs Catcher In The Rye

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Salinger vs. Caulfield: An Analysis When I was a freshman in highschool, I decided to read The Catcher in the Rye for an outside reading assignment for my english class. Initially, I picked the book because I read that the main character had a little sister named Phoebe. I ordered a copy online and I fell in love with the revolutionary coming-of-age novel. I've done an assignment over the book at least once every year throughout my high school career. I think it's safe to say that it's my favorite book. Along with my love for the book, I’ve found that it’s author, J.D. Salinger, was a fascinating human being. Salinger was typically a short story writer, and Catcher was his first novel and even then, Holden Caulfield originated from some of his short stories. J.D. Salinger lived a long life, and his experiences shaped his writing, and his writing shaped the world. Salinger produced a revolutionary novel, The Catcher in the Rye, and through his work, he told two stories; …show more content…

Many people have found that Holden Caulfield is just a reflection of Salinger himself and that, while Salinger used all of his works as a form of self-expression, Holden was truly his own voice. It can also be perceived that Catcher was heavily shaped by Salinger’s time in WW2. As Kenneth Slawenski said, “It is with Salinger’s experience of the Second World War in mind that we should understand Holden Caulfield’s insight at the Central Park carousel, and the parting words of The Catcher in the Rye. ‘Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.’ All the dead soldiers.” Holden Caulfield could have possibly been a much happier character if it weren’t for Salinger’s war time. Although I believe that Holden’s sadness is part of what makes him resonate so much with young people throughout the

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