Similarities Between Catcher In The Rye And Looking For Alaska

The Catcher in the Rye, is a fascinating masterpiece of American literature. The story revolves around the main character Holden, a teenager who was lived a complicated stage of his life. However the book, consist of peculiar problems and unique thoughts that characterized the plot and the protagonist. It is a very peculiar character because it shows their negativity and depression which is showing how lost he is in life. An aspect which make the book special is the language is ordinary even vulgar and the continue alliteration, that broke any literary scheme.

In the paradoxical personality of Holden we discover something much deeper. As Holden makes himself out to be tougher than what he actually is, Salinger introduces stubbornness. Holden’s true nature of gentleness and sensitivity offered throughout the book often brings bedlam into his life, though Salinger brings into

“The Catcher in the Rye” was written to encourage communities in the 1950’s to think about society and the way it was being portrayed to the teenagers in the area. This book, coming from the inside of Holden Caulfields’ head, gave parents and other adults a good guess about how the societal standards are shaping their teens minds to think. In this book, Holden is kicked out of school for lack of effort, thus being the fourth school he has been kicked out of, Holden decides that he does not want to go straight home to give his family disappointing news once again. Instead, Holden decides to take his time on his way home. He stayed at hotels, went to bars, ordered a prostitute, met new people and caught up with some old friends. Throughout the

The unavoidable transition from childhood to adulthood is often a lonely and difficult time for adolescents. Many teenagers struggle with the balance between being a child, and becoming an adult. In J.D. Salinger 's The Catcher in the Rye, the use of setting reflects Holden’s feelings about the transition from childhood to adulthood. This transition is necessary to becoming a functioning member in society. Throughout the book, Holden explores the realities of adulthood and deals with the challenges that come along with the transition from childhood. Through the different childhood settings, we see Holden regress to states of innocence that he desires most, despite the world forcing Holden to grow up quickly.

Have you ever had so much on your mind but no one to tell it to? The world renowned famous author Jerome David Salinger felt this way too. He used his writing as a way to tell people what was on his mind. More often than not, he based his characters on himself; especially Holden Caulfield from his book Catcher In The Rye, which was an instant bestseller. Holden Caulfield is a depressed, naive teenager who resents the adult world and hypocrisy in “phonies”. He tends to distance himself from other people, despite also wanting connection. There is no coincidence that Holden has a striking resemblance to the author of the book himself. Holden and Salinger relate through their childhood, isolation, violent thoughts, and deep love and fascination of young people.

How would you know you weren’t being a phony? The trouble is, you wouldn’t.” (Salinger, Catcher in the Rye, 92)

In a world filled with contradictions and challenges, the absence of love forces many to attach meaning in anything they can find. The Catcher in the rye is the odyssey of a young boy named Holden Caulfield who faces many challenges, compounded by a childhood that lacked affection and love. Salinger describes Holden’s lifestyle as one that possess many troubles. Throughout the novel it is evident that Holden’s character develops from someone who is detached from the world, to someone who learns to understand why things are the way they are. The absence of love forces Holden to attach to anything or anyone he deems important, and due to that he finds it difficult to express his feelings, and finds it difficult to respond to affection.

Through the novel, Holden seems to be alienated and exploited by the universe around him. He continually attempts to find his way in a world in which he feels he doesn’t belong. An example of this is his loneliness propels him into his date with Sally Hayes, but his need for isolation causes him to insult her and drive her away. He depends upon his alienation, but it destroys him from the inside. This interaction conveys that interactions with other people usually confuse and overwhelm him, and his cynical sense of

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a novel written from the point of view of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old boy who is learning about the struggle of growing up and finding one’s purpose in the world. He feels it is important to protect children from losing their innocence and becoming “phony” adults. After getting expelled from school Caulfield travels back home to New York for the rest of the week where he encounters multiple life changing events and conflicts. Salinger illustrates the major themes of lost innocence, mortality, and change throughout the book.

In The Catcher in the Rye J.D.Salinger depicts a vivid picture of a teenager standing at a crossroads of childhood and adulthood.The story is an overlapping of ideas when truth get mixed with lie,alienation absorbes a solitary teenager,insomnia veils reality with reminiscences and in the middle of it all stands Holden Caulfield,the main character of the book.He shares his perspective of things during few days while he roams the city of New York and looks for a person who would be able to get into his shoes at least for a second.This alienation leads Holden to sleep deprivation,panick attacks and constant state of depression.

Thesis: Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger uses Holden to convey the immature mentality, painfulness of growing up and alienation for protection of typical teenagers.

In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, Holden’s older brother wrote a short story called, “The Secret Goldfish,” which is Holden’s favorite short story by DB. The short story is about a child who buys a goldfish with his own money and because he bought it with his own money, he doesn't want to show anyone the goldfish. Salinger uses “The Secret Goldfish” as symbolism by portraying Holden’s childhood. Because this is Holden’s favorite short story, Salinger is foreshadowing Holden’s immaturity and romance towards childhood. Holden can identify with the main character, or child in the story. Holden believes growing up into adulthood is a bad thing, thus he tries to avoid it. The short story symbolizes Holden’s obsession of innocence

Holden’s unwillingness to grow up is often perplexed by Allie’s death and his own inability to transition into adult hood. As Holden deliberates his admirations with his sister, he states, “I like Allie”, revealing his continuous glorification of his long time dead brother (Salinger 222). Although this exaltation is visualized as an act of adoration towards Allie, in this instance, it can be seen as Holden averting from the outlying truth that he must move on from his parted brother. Accepting Allie’s death correlates with the first step

Firstly, when the author introduces Holden at first, his actions define him as pervert with strong intentions of coition. Through immature mannerisms, Holden proves himself as childish and irresponsible. Eventually he learns to wait until his heart is ready to love again before he can fully commit to having coitus with someone. Secondly, his fear of losing innocence is changing in tolerance as he learns to accept that he is growing up, but can be the kind of grownup who helps others. Holden seems to have an obsession with the thought of saving the little children that he cannot save himself, but he eventually learns that he cannot save every child and has to allow them to receive an opportunity to fall, so they can jump right back up independently. Lastly, he changes from pushing others away into bringing others closer. The protagonist at first is so afraid of loving someone because they could die or become dirty that he stops loving completely. Yet at the end he realizes that everyone he meet throughout his journey shapes him up to become who he is today and he is finally grateful. Overall, Holden Caulfield grows and matures greatly through the story by way of his physical

J. D Salinger´s masterfully created coming-of-age novel,” A Catcher in the Rye " takes place on Pencey Prep School and New York City during the early 1950´s, when the world is just recovering from the physical and psychological damage WWII caused. Holden Caulfield, a failed student at every school he attends, is still trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life. Holden is not only the main character, but he is also the narrator of the story. “A Catcher in the Rye” is not only a timeless classic that will live forever in the memories of whoever reads it, but it is also an incredible representation of the hardships of a common American teenager, an asset that few novels can brag about possessing. One lesson this story exhorts is that when somebody feels too overwhelmed to face change, they isolate themselves and take it out on others.