Rhetorical Analysis Essay On The Catcher In The Rye

The beginning of Holden’s journey starts with the innocence and naivety of childhood. Childhood is the stage that ignorance is bliss with no care in the world. Holden goes to a prestigious boarding school for boys and he believes that everyone in that school is a phony in some way. Holden is an observant character as he stays in the background, but he can also cause the most trouble. Like a child, he asks many questions and he is very curious to the point that he can be annoying.

Holden struggles with growing up and facing reality. There are many examples of Holden’s immaturity that are displayed in many forms such as facing responsibilities, his speech, his actions, and etc. Holden’s outlook on adult life is that it is superficial and brimming with phonies, but childhood was all about looking pleasing and innocent. He wants everything to stay the same and for time to stop. As Holden progresses in age, he will discover more about becoming mature in the

Rhetorical Précis 1: In his essay, “ Love and Death in The Catcher in the Rye” (1991), Peter Shaw claimed that Holden behavior and way of thinking is due to common abnormal behavior in a certain time for teenagers (par. 10). Shaw supported his assertion of the young Holden by comparing the literary culture of the 1950s and how Holden’s fictional character fits within the contemporary Americans novels as a, “ sensitive, psychological cripples but superior character” (par. 3). Shaw’s purpose was to show that Holden’s sensitive and psychological behavior is not abnormal, but such like stated by Mrs. Trilling that,” madness is a normal, even a better then normal way of life” (par 4). Peter Shaw’s tone assumed a highly educated audience who is

Holden states that he misses Stradlater and Ackley, even though, he picked fights with both of them. Holden emphasizes “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody” (234). This quote shows how much Holden has matured by the end of the book. Throughout the whole book, Holden calls most of the characters a “phony.”

The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” was about the journey of a adolescent boy finding his way to adulthood. In the book Holden Caulfield was unsuccessful in finding his way to adulthood. Holden’s attitude in the novel throughout his journey was very immature. He also can't accept the fact that innocence can’t be forever protected. Lastly, Holden calls everyone a phony when in reality he is the real phony.

Throughout the story, Holden retells his relationship with D.B. In the beginning he describes him as, “being a prostitute”(Salinger 2). This is unexpected due to the fact that his brother is now a very successful screenwriter. Rather than showing support for his brother's new found success, Holden labels him as a phony. Similarly, when he is jealous of Stradlater's success with his love, Jane Gallagher, he immediately insults him and says, “all the athletic bastards stuck together.

In J.D. Salinger's bestselling novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield shows a sense of maturity that exceeds far beyond his peers when it comes to sexual relationships with girls. First, Holden becomes furious when he learns that Stradlater exclusively wants his childhood crush Jane for sexual endeavors. Second, Holden forfeits his big chance with Sunny and attempts to unsuccessfully build a healthy relationship with her instead. Third, Holden reflects on his treatment of girls, showing a more refined mindset when compared to other teenagers. Although Holden dislikes the transition from childhood to adulthood, he exhibits qualities of a mature grownup without even knowing it.

From the outset, I have to say that “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger has been one of the most important and influential pieces of literature I have ever read. At its core, the book is a superb coming of age novel which discusses several extremely powerful themes such as the difficulties of growing up, teenage angst and alienation and the superficiality, hypocrisy and pretension of the adult world. These themes resonated deeply with me and were portrayed excellently through the use of powerful symbolism and the creation of highly relatable and likable characters. One such character is Holden Caulfield whom the story both revolves around and is narrated by.

Confined by insecurity, loneliness, and uncertainty, he continues on his spiritual quest for true happiness. These feelings overwhelm Caulfield as he judges all individuals he comes into contact with as phony. Caulfield is unaware of his negative opinions, which are self-serving. Bickmore and Youngblood state, “An honest hypocrite, Holden is the very essence . . . of adolescence.

Holden knows when Stradlater is home before Stradlater even walks through the door: “Anyway, the corridor was all linoleum and all, and you could hear his goddam footsteps coming right towards the room.” (40) Holden gives a detailed description of the hallway and Stradlater’s footsteps so the reader can experience a similar uncomfortable sensation. Holden is afraid to grow up, and does not want to face the reality of adulthood: “Holden’s inability to save Allie from death fuels his desire to rescue innocence from anything that threatens it, including the corruptions of adult sexuality and money.” (Austin Allen) He wants to experience sex;

Today we are dealing with Holden Caulfield, a 17 year old student who attends Pencey Prep in New York City. Holden is maturing quickly and has happened to grow six and a half inches in the past year. He has grey hair at the age of seventeen and is very skinny for his age. Holden’s family consists of his mom and dad, his brother D.B, and his sister Phoebe. Holden did have another brother, Allie, but he passed away when Holden was thirteen years old.

Holden Caulfield’s story begins on a December Saturday at Pencey Prep School in Pennsylvania, where he 's just been given the ax for failing all his classes except English. As it turns out, getting the ax is a frequent theme in Holden 's past. Before he leaves the school Holden runs to his favorite teacher’s house to say goodbye to him. Back in the dorm, Holden goofs around with Robert Ackley, a pimply and annoying kid. We 're introduced to Holden 's red hunting hat, and we meet his roommate, Stradlater, who is getting ready for a date with Jane Gallagher, an old friend and sort-of romantic interest of Holden 's. Holden is not happy about this impending date, but agrees anyway to write an English composition for Stradlater.

Holden experiences sex in his thoughts but also in certain situations that he eventually backs out of. He encounters a situation with a prostitute named Sunny, instead of Holden actually having a sexually encounter with her he worries about her innocence. Holden is able to detect that she’s young by her word choice and the way she carries herself, when he notices this he decides not to have sex with her and to try his best to perserve her innocence. Holden fails to realizie that the girl’s innocence has already been stolen from her. Love is depicted in the story a lot and hurts Holden; He falls in love with Jane Gallagher but is crushed when he finds out Stradlater took her on a date and most likely took her innocence away from her.

Catcher in the Rye is Holden Caulfield’s recounting of the weekend after he gets expelled from the umpteeth time form another private school. His name can be broken down to reveal his struggle to retain his happier childhood memories and innocence, to grow up, and to protect others from the difficulties of life. His first name, Holden, can be interpreted for how he wants to hold onto better times. “I can't remember exactly what I was doing when I heard his goddam stupid footsteps coming down the corridor… When I really worry about something, I don't just fool around… If you knew Stradlater, you'd have been worried, too…

Holden Caulfield, the main protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, embodies the classic teenager in the process of discovering himself, and how the world works. But, regardless of Holden 's rich, prep school lifestyle, the series of events that have mapped out his life up to this point have utterly affected his emotional well being and perception of the world. Many traumatic events such as the death of holds brother Allie, the death of a class mate, and countless numbers of awkward incidents with adults have all added up to affects Holden 's well-being and detach him from reality.