J. D. Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye

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The Fall The Catcher in the Rye begins with Holden Caufield, the main protagonist, recounting his life to his therapist and sharing what happened the previous December. His story begins with his expulsion from Pency Prep, and continues through the two days he wandered through the city streets aimlessly before deciding to return home. In the beginning of the story, Holden expresses explicitly to his readers his eternal state of misery and resentment and confusion. He reveals to his reader the depressing madness cycling through his thoughts. Vaguely, Holden uncovers the source of his anguish, showing it involves Allie, his younger brother. Holden was thirteen years old when Allie died of leukemia. Since then, Holden has acquired some unhealthy coping methods to soothe his broken heart. His personality has also been affected transforming him into a stubborn, pessimistic, and nostalgic person. …show more content…
He became stubborn in a sense that he refused to be responsible and grow up. In the story, Holden does not apply himself in anything; he explains his failing grades has gotten him kicked out of four schools. He also spends a great deal of his time dreaming of impossible schemes to escape from reality. When his schemes fail to please him, he opts for losing himself in bars, night clubs, alcoholic beverages, and the idea of sex, which are all ironically adult pleasures. Holden’s hatred towards adulthood mainly revolves around the loss of innocence and integrity coinciding with it. To Holden, Allie represents innocence, and he does not want to give him up. Everyone, included himself, knows it is time for him to grow up, but he is a

J. D. Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye

Sailor 1 Katie Sailor Mrs. Serki English Block E Feb 14 2011 A Meaningful Change Holden Caulfield’s brooding character is known to many readers who have explored the novel the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. If this book is read without thoroughly analyzing its meaning, someone might say it was a comedy with a few dark twists. Truthfully, there are comic scenes that make the reader laugh while reading, but there are many serious moments that lead up to Holden’s breakdown. This novel…

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Relationships In J. D. Salinger's Catcher In The Rye

Catcher in the Rye is a story about relationships. Relationships can be anything from family, romance, or running into a stranger during a night out. After getting kicked out of numerous preparatory schools, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, builds relationships to help cope with his subconscious depression and anxieties. Throughout the novel, Holden has this underlying stress about his life and his future. This may seem rather familiar to teenagers, who mask all the emotions inside, until there…

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Who Is Responsible For The Catcher In The Rye

4. Holden, the protagonist in the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger, tells his sister Phoebe about his dream occupation. Holden wants to "catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff." In his description, the "big field of rye" symbolizes childhood: in the field are "thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big." Holden expresses his desire to preserve the innocence of all the children around him. This is the first time in the novel that Holden directly talks about…

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catcher and the rye Essay

Emma Lange 9/16/14 Peruggia C Essay: Catcher and the Rye Profane, sexual, and vulgar content are often cited as reasons for banning a book. J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most controversial books of all time. It is heralded as a classic yet, according to the American Library Association, the Catcher in the Rye was the third most banned book from libraries and schools as recently as 2005. It earned the ranking of nineteenth most challenged books between the years…

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Rain Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye

the hidden meanings and reasons behind symbols and words that authors use in their text. With each chapter and new subject Foster introduces, lists of examples are provided, but none of the examples are from the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. The Catcher in the Rye is a universally known novel that offers textual evidence that readers can relate to and first hand see the literary examples described by Foster. In this novel, irony and symbolism through the use of seasons and rain prove…

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Essay on Catcher In the Rye vs. Grapes of Wrath

shared disdain for such corruption is analyzed in The Catcher in the Rye and The Grapes of Wrath. Both authors address the corruption; however they do so from different perspectives they come to differing resolutions. Both protagonists in their novels experience isolation as a result of society’s corruption; however, Salinger’s chooses to isolate himself whereas Steinbeck’s experiences isolation inadvertently. J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath share a social…

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Great Expectations Essay

February 21, 2014 Holden vs. Pip J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations both rank in the list of most famous and most read classical novels. Both being bildungsroman and having a young man as the protagonist they share similar coming of age, misfit qualities. In contrast, the attitude given of from Salinger’s Holden is more appealing, rather than Dickens’ Pip. While both are coming of age novels, The Catcher in the Rye is more relevant to teenagers. Holden…

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Adolescence In Catcher In The Rye

The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger reveals that the protagonist, Holden Caulfield suffers from depression due to loss of a family member. The sudden death of Allie cause the erratic behavior…

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Essay on the catcher in the rye

The Catcher in the Rye “The Catcher in the Rye,” a novel by J.D. Salinger introduces love, loneliness, loss of innocence, and the struggles of becoming an adult through a teenage eye. Holden is a very unpredictable character that looks at life with more detail than most. He shows sensitivity with sly symbols throughout the novel and proves his innocent misfit in the world. These symbols teach small and big lessons of life. “The Catcher in the Rye” should not be censored because of its beneficial…

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Catcher in the Rye Essay

The Catcher in the Rye “Is The Catcher in the Rye, as a work of literature still relevant for today’s youth?” Name: Sara Sigurdson Course: English A1 Supervisor: Mr. Peter Steadman Word count: 3851 Candidate number: 00136022 Table of Contents Content Page Number Abstract 3 Introduction 4 The Actual Catcher in the Rye 4 The Sexual Matter 5 The Caulfield Family 6 Narrator and Protagonist 8 Role Model 9 Mr. Antolini 10 Targeted Audience 10 Guidance 12…

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