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Levels of Meaning in The Catcher in the Rye
Protected by a cocoon of naiveté, Holden Caulfield, the principal character in the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, therapeutically relates his lonely 24 hour stay in downtown New York city, experiencing the "phony" adult world while dealing with the death of his innocent younger brother. Through this well-developed teenage character, JD Salinger, uses simple language and dialogue to outline many of the complex underlying problems haunting adolescents. With a unique beginning and ending, and an original look at our new society, The Catcher in the Rye is understood and appreciated on multiple levels of comprehension. The
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manacles of almost perpetual depression are unlocked when he sees a little boy singing, "if a body catch a body coming through the rye." He criticizes his father, saying he wanted to appear "sharp" with the ratty hat he was wearing, and says neither parent was paying any attention to their son. He feels any adult has been demoralized, but will go to great lengths to come into any contact with a child. His perfect job, the catcher in the rye, prevents children from falling abruptly off the cliff of adulthood. He is greatly saddened by the profanity he sees on the walls of Phoebe's school because he doesn't want any children to worry about its meaning. He realizes that he cannot possibly smudge
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Andres Peña Block 5 Andres Peña Block 5
Catcher in the Rye 1st DraftAfter only two weeks of being published in 1951, Catcher in the Rye reached the n.1 best seller in the New York Times best seller list. By 1960, a teacher from Tulsa, Oklahoma was fired for assigning this book to his students. Starting with this, the book banned status exponentially grew throughout the United States, and other countries like Australia. Now a days it is still a very controversial book though it is more accepted than before. The change of society from the 1950 to the society of the 21 century is reflected in the banned book status of Catcher in the Rye.Catcher in the Rye was definitely a book
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, the author is actually intending his words to cause people to rededicate their lives to the ideals, deeds and objectives that truly contribute to the quality of our lives. For example, a major point of The Catcher in the Rye is how Holden Caulfield's life was bare of meaning or inspiration. Without thinking or reflecting on where his life might be taking him, Caulfield, like most people, found himself just going through the motions of living. If people were to stop and contemplate their existence, most individuals would realize that their lives were leading nowhere but in a circle. For Holden Caulfield, life came to be symbolized by a merry-go-round. The character's words could
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On the Run from Reality You can escape from jail, school, or even from eating your vegetables at home, but how can you escape from reality? In the book Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger creates a main character that tries to escape from reality. This character, Holden Caulfield, sees that most people cope with reality by being phony and making self-destructive choices. Holden, in the other hand, escapes reality by fantasizing about his sex life, random immature things, and his future dream. Holden often tried to escape reality by fantasizing or talking about sexual thoughts. When he experienced loneliness and alienation, he called Carl Luce to have a couple drinks and talk
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Catcher in the Rye
Catcher in the Rye by Jerome Salinger is based on a 16 year old young man. The story
takes place in New York where the main character, a seventeen-year-old Holden Caulfield,has
many friends. He was kicked out ofPencey Prep, along with the two other schools before that, and
is afraid to gohome and tell his parents. He wassupposed to leave Pencey Prep on a Wednesday
and finish out the semester andthen go home during Christmas break. Instead he leaves a few days
earlier and ventures out into New YorkCity
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Catcher in the Rye Why it is a Catch
Some books, such as sleazy Wal-Mart romances, are dead as soon as they hit the shelves. These books are food for landfills, and probably remain in the hearts of only two people: the author and the 60 year old hermit woman who waits, with mossy teeth for her Fabio to swing from the vines of the book's cover (Tarzan call and all) and rescue her from soap operas and loneliness. But, there are books that pop every once in a while that last for generations. These books sit proud in the "classics" section and differ from the Wal-Mart paperbacks in that they have universal themes.
Universal themes keep the lifeblood pumping in a literary work
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"Do not be mislead by what you see around you, or be influenced by what you see. You live a world which is a playground of illusion, full of false paths, false values and false ideals. But you are not part of that world" (Sai Baba). A world of illusion is an alluring, yet perilous place to enter. It can deceive the mind only to cause damage and distress. Holden Caulfield's life has led to. an atrophy through his struggle of conceiving illusions as reality. In J.D. Salinger's novel, "The Catcher in the Rye", Holden Caulfield battles the constant reminder of his brother, Allie's, death while he roams the streets of New York. Preceding his futile adventures, he is expelled from his
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“Catcher in the Rye”, written by J.D Salinger, is a coming-of-age novel. Narrated by the main character, Holden Caulfield, he recounts the days following his expulsion from his school. This novel feels like the unedited thoughts and feelings of a teenage boy, as Holden narrates as if he is talking directly to readers like me.
I disliked “Catcher in the Rye”. There seems to be no actual, concrete plot to this novel. The novel is essentially a really long flashback of the three days Holden spent in New York. Nothing memorable happens in the novel; I think that the novel is basically an endless repetition of Holden complaining and whining about everyone else. I personally could not bring
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In the book, Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caufield, the main character is a negatively charged person, doesn't want himself or others around him to grow up, and suffers from depression because of his brothers death. This is obviously Holden's way of alienating the entire world and delaying the consequences of facing reality. Alienation is a big theme in Catcher In The Rye, and something that Holden depends on most often.
Holden Caufield is a negatively charged character as expressed on the first page of the book before Holden tells his opinion about his childhood. He says, "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I
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The Morality behind Holden Caulfield an the Catcher in the Rye The book The Catcher in the Rye contains many swear words however the book shows to be very moral shown through the actions of Holden Caulfield. His expressions on sex are moral because he does not want to have sex even when the opportunity arises, showing he has patients and maturity many other men may not have or show. His dignity for others is an act of good morals because he does not want to expose the hurt anybody's feelings. Holden is moral because he demonstrates his respect to all who are religious. The novel illustrates to be highly moral even though it may contain foul language not suitable in society.Holden's
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Catcher in the Rye EssayHolden Caulfield is clearly portrayed as an existentialist as illustrated through his lack of confidence, the distinct ways he isolates himself from the world, and his different personal beliefs.While reading the book "Catcher in The Rye" one could not help but to notice the issue that seems to be the lack of confidence in Holden's life. Very early on in the book, Holden states a few facts that explain what seems to be a jealousy issue towards his brother D.B. "D.B is my brother. He just got a Jaguar… It cost him damn near four thousand bucks. He's got a lot of dough" (Salinger 1). Here, Holden is describing his brother's luxurious lifestyle and how he is
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, and I like doing what I'm doing right now, sitting here with you, and talking and thinking about stuff" (Salinger 171). He opens up to Phoebe because in a way he can relate Phoebe to Allie. This meaning that Phoebe represents the idea of innocence that Holden is trying to hold on to. Also when he visits Phoebe in the apartment, she asks him what he wants to do with his life. Holden responds by saying "I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff-I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in
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write them fo"¦Oh! I remember now, The Catcher in the Rye, yeah that's what it was called. It wasn't bad, but I liked the essay. You had to write a scene from the novel in another person's view of the situation. I thought that I could have fun with that one and put some crazy ideas in it. But anyways I asked Holden to do my English essays for me, he finally said he would, kind of, but it took him a long time to even slightly agree to the situation. He was a weird one all right, when I shaving again, the psycho jumped on me and got me in this choke hold the was weak as hell. I'm too strong for Holden, but he let out this stupid, I mean stupid saying. "Liberate yourself from my
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The Catcher in the RyeShutting his eyes and trying to fall asleep was more painful, then breaking every bone inn his body. Sleep is a normal exercise that most humans depend on. Sleep is a vital part of your day and without there is no saying what you might do. Holden demonstrates this all what you might do. Holden desire for alcohol, aggravation, depression and over thinking are all side effects of not sleeping; also known as sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is the act of not sleeping which can almost completely alter you into a different person.Holden is a boy with a trouble passed , after his little brother whom he loved dearly past away from leukemia his parents send him away to
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The catcher in the ryeCharacter listHolden Caulfield: is a sixteen-year-old junior who has just been expelled for academic failure from a school called Pencey Prep.Ackley:Holden's next-door neighbor in his dorm at Pencey Prep. Ackley is a pimply, insecure boy with terrible dental hygiene. He often barges into Holden's room and acts completely oblivious to Holden's hints that he should leave.Stradlater:Holden's roommate at Pencey Prep and he is handsome, self-satisfied, and popular, but Holden calls him a "secret slob," because he appears well groomed, but his toiletries, such as his razor, are disgustingly unclean.Phoebe Caulfield - is Holden's ten-year-old sister, whom he loves dearly
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the Caulfield's garage. This is the bat with which they used to play baseball in a field of rye during the summer. Holden pitched, Alec played catcher.Holden drops out of school and spends the time trying to find his identity and purpose with his older sister, Phoebe, who works at a museum. A dominant symbol during this period is Holden's red hunting cap, which he wears constantly. It is clear that this is symbolic of Holden's quest to hunt for his true calling, as well as his inner conflict between superego and id. Also, it is a reminder of his violent tendencies -- "This is my people shooting hat," he says.In the end, Caulfield discovers that the only way to come to grips with this tragedy is to travel the country telling stories about his life. "It was funny," he says. "I told anybody anything. I didn't miss anybody." Through this he learns who he, Holden Caulfield, truly is, and the meaning of his brother Alec -- the "catcher in the rye."
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The Catcher in the Rye, written by respected author J.D. Salinger, remains a famous novel for teenagers of every background. Many events from Salinger’s early life appear in The Catcher in the Rye as he portrays himself as the main character. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the novel, struggles to figure out his place in the world and seems to be caught between childhood and adulthood, a teenager in today's world. Constantly misunderstood, Holden explains to the readers the many life-scenarios he is currently going through. As he is narrating the story from a psychiatric hospital, he begins to question his life and ever wonders if he will make it in this world. Whether he is figuring
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This paper proposes to delineate the characteristics of Holden Caulfield, the adolescent protagonist hero of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and illuminate the reasons as to why this prototype of brooding adolescence, displaying a rather uber-cool style of disaffection, disenchantment and disillusionment became an indispensable figure of interest, in literary circles as well as popular culture. The paper seeks to take issue with the wider dimensions attached to the ‘incapacitation and debilitation’ Holden is often accused of and address Salinger’s vision behind etching Caulfield precisely the way he is. The paper also wishes to foreground the socio-political implications that
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In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the characters help portray many themes. J.D Saligner creatively infused his work with varying themes. Holden unknowingly magnifies the importance of the themes, of which he is often times oblivious. This novel is sophisticatedly written in a manner that allows us to see all the themes clearly. The themes portrayed in the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger include phoniness, psychological alienation, and futile protection of innocence.
The first theme evident in the novel is phoniness. Holden hates phonies. He cannot fathom them. Everyone around him is quite phony, even his own family. His brother works in Hollywood, as a
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This paper proposes to delineate the characteristics of Holden Caulfield, the adolescent protagonist hero of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and illuminate the reasons as to why this prototype of brooding adolescence, displaying a rather uber-cool style of disaffection, disenchantment and disillusionment became an indispensable figure of interest, in literary circles as well as popular culture. The paper seeks to take issue with the wider dimensions attached to the ‘incapacitation and debilitation’ Holden is often accused and address Salinger’s vision behind etching Caulfield precisely the way he is. The paper also wishes to foreground the socio-political implications that
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to those experiencing what he is, that they are not alone. They are not the only ones going through these circumstances we have come to call Life, and they are certainly not without hope as they seem.
It has come to my attention that this book has quite a bit of controversy hidden between the pages. This is not because of a subliminal meaning or direct intent from the author, but by how it is perceived by the beholder. Over the years, “The Catcher in the Rye” has been banned at a number of schools in the United States as well as the world. The claims seem to believe that this book contains too much vulgar language, issues concerning morality and sexuality to be considered adequate for the
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In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger used symbolism throughout the novel. Three major symbols were the ducks, the Museum of Natural History, and Jane Gallagher. They all represent Holden in a way, and Salinger uses these symbols very well.While Holden is wandering around New York City, he asks many people about what happens to the ducks in the pond when it freezes. I think this really symbolizes Holden. He isn't really wondering about the ducks, he is wondering about himself. He wants to know what will happen to him when the weather gets really cold. He wants to know if he will have to go home, because he is really afraid to. This relates to the theme of going home, which is a recurring
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Introduction"The Catcher In The Rye" is an influential story about a boy called Holden Caulfield with a different view on life compared to others such as Stradlator and Ackley. J.D.Salinger created the character Holden who is quite inspiring and saddening at the same time. We see Holden talk about some of the mistakes he has made in life and some of the good times he has had, but in the end he's in some sort of asylum.Plot summaryThe novel is set in a boarding school in Agerstown, Pennsylvania, and then mainly in New York City, in the 1950's, it spans over ten years. There are three main characters in the novel: Holden - The action of the novel is Holden's adventures while un-chaperoned for
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Is the novel "The Catcher In The Rye" relevant to New Zealand teenagers today, Discuss with reference to you're own experience."The Catcher In The Rye" is a study of ones human condition. Holden Caulfield is a teenager struggling to reach maturity. He is growing up in New York and goes through a lot of difficulties a teenager goes through in his teenage life like drinking, smoking, depression and family problems. The problems he has is relevant to New Zealand teenagers of today because a lot of teenagers in New Zealand are heavy drinkers, heavy smokers, they have depression problems and have family problems at home. These are the 4 problems Holden has in his teenage life and usually it
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to trust anyone throughout the novel, with the exception of a few.He does not trust his teachers and parents not because he wants to separate himself from them, but because he cannot understand them. In fact, there is little in the world that he does understand. "The Catcher in the Rye is a "minor" classic, meaning simply that its focus is limited and its ambitions decidedly restricted." (Gale 143) Holden, due to his lack of ambition and trust, understands little. In fact, the only people he trusts and respects are Allie, his deceased brother, and Phoebe, his younger sister. Everyone else is a phony of some sort. Holden uses the word "phony" to identify everything in the
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The Catcher in the RyeThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger was written to demonstrate the nature of society through the unique perspective of sixteen year old teenager Holden. In the story, Holden faced a variety of struggles and challenges as any normal teenagers would through discovering the path between innocent childhood and "phony" adulthood. One of Holden's main issues is his alienation from the world.Throughout the whole novel, Holden isolated himself from others, including the few that he cared about, which are Allie, Phoebe, and Jane. He distanced himself from the surrounding people because of his strong hatred and criticisms towards society. Everything is phony and unlikeable
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The Catcher in the Rye 'The Catcher in the Rye', was written in 1951 by American author J.D. Salinger. I selected this novel for my study because I received it as a gift, and was interested in the controversy surrounding it. Indeed, it is not a "comfortable read", and it was banned in America after its first publication. However, for the purposes of this essay, I will concentrate on how successfully Salinger reveals the main character's complexities. I will examine how Salinger uses monologue, word-choice, structure, and the very behaviour of Holden Caulfield himself; to give us an insight into Holden's character. Salinger's methods are deeply thought provoking, and he even challenges our
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Americans today tend to believe that normalcy is expected, while individuality is often rejected. Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. by J.D. Salinger, the author exposes the reader to the character Holden and his tale of coming of age. Holden wants to keep his life simple with his own individuality by not conforming to what society considers normal. Even though society expects people to behave in a "correct way", personality and individuality play an important role in allowing oneself to learn from the decisions and actions one may make in life.
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, conformity means the actions that replicate the acts of the majority of people in a
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The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a controversial book from many aspects. There was a public uproar when it was primarily released in 1951, mainly due to the profanity and sexual exploitation within. Salinger was able to construct the text in a unique manner, writing from the perspective of a highly critical, lonely and depressed 17 year old boy, Holden Caulfield, who recounts an incident which occurred one year ago. Holden was expelled from Pencey Prep, a rich and well known prep school with a good reputation. He dropped out due to academic failure but claimed that “he could’ve done the work, he just chose not to apply himself.” Holden decided to give his parents time to digest
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"If you really want to know the truth, I felt sorry for the bastard."(54) This is just one of the colorful lines that is often repeated in J.D. Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye. When the book was first released, it was considered highly controversial for its time. Many people tried to ban the reading of the book in schools. Although The Catcher In The Rye has very colorful dialogue, and deals with crude topics, it still sells over 200,000 copies annually. This is why. Holden Caulfield is the main character in the story. The entire story is a reflection by Holden while he is staying in a mental hospital. His story begins at a private school, called Pencey. Holden has been recently
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Catcher in the Rye, their is a lack of technology due to the setting being in the 1940s. For teenagers now, they can’t go 5 minutes without checking their phones. In a study with 574, 14-17 year old teenagers, 87% of them own and use a cellphone frequently. With those numbers most likely 75 teenagers would be normal with no technology. For the other 499 teens, they would be in trouble! When reading The Catcher in the Rye kids are wondering why he would go see a show, or go ice skating smoke and drink. If this novel had a different date to it most girls would be taking pictures instead. “Perhaps Holden would not have felt quite so alone if he were growing up today. After all, Mr. Salinger was
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phonies. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden's loneliness shines through in the way he frequently reaches out to complete strangers for companionship (strangers he generally dislikes, too, which shows just how desperate he is for company). True to his contradictory nature, he also tries to isolate himself at the same time, for he fears abandonment. Abandonment, as a matter of fact, is at the very root of his issuance with creating connections: he reaches out to people and then immediately proceeds to push them away, for he is terrified of getting hurt by them.
During the 48 hours that Holden spent alone in New York, pity for him can be expected to develop quickly. He’s so
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Somewhere in one's life one must face one's own deepest fears of growing up and is successfully starting one's hero's quest. Holden Caufield, the protagonist in J.D Salinger's . The Catcher In the Rye, is often referred to as a quintessential loner. A teenager filled with fear, a young man constantly getting kicked out of prep schools, Holden is fighting and avoiding his peers by distancing himself from them and the rest of the world. He is a lonely soul that seeks advice and confidence from his one true friend Allie, his dead brother.. While Holden may at first glance seem to be a loner who has been defeated, by life, upon closer inspection one can see he really is a hero who has begun to
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The book The Catcher in the Rye is placed around the 1950s narrated by a young man named ‘Holden Caulfield’ who himself is the protagonist. Holden is not specific about his setting, location, time and other physicality while narrating the story but he makes one thing clear: He is undergoing treatment in a mental hospital or infirmary. The events he narrates comprises of time in between the start of Christmas break and him leaving his school as he is expelled. Holden is sixteen years old. His story commences from Saturday following the end of classes at the Pencey prep school in Agerstown, Pennsylvania. Pencey is Holden’s fourth school; he has already failed out of three others. At Pencey
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Isolation: defined as the act of being separated from other people or things; being alone; solitary. Occasionally it can be brought upon by one’s personal temperament, but often it is caused by being cast out of a heartless society, leaving no one to turn to in even the hardest of times. Jodi Picoult once said that "If you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it’s not because they enjoy solitude. It’s because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them." Holden Caulfield was forced into this exact situation in The Catcher in The Rye. As the story unraveled, many layers were revealed beneath the surface of Holden. As a sixteen year
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In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden demonstrates how dependent he is on Phoebe. Growing up, Holden has always been alone, kicked out schools, does not have anyone to talk to. However, throughout the book he realizes how much Phoebe cares for him, and that he isn't alone because he has her. Holden is dependent on Phoebe because she loves and cares for him, which he doesn't see anyone else doing.
Throughout Holden's life, he has pushed people away and judges them; however, he is very affectionate about Phoebe. In the novel Holden says, "You never saw a little kid so pretty and smart in your whole life"(67). Throughout the book, Holden always finds people's faults
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Like many novels written The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is laced with powerful symbols. Symbolism is important in a novel because it is used to provide deeper meaning to the writing. The plot and action in a story can be thought of on one level, but the symbolism is used to bring the overall novel to a new level and to enhance the story. Salinger uses certain symbols such as the red hunting hat, the museum, the carousel, and the catcher in the rye to support his story. Each symbol supports a main theme in the novel. The main themes in The Catcher in the Rye are isolation, innocence and mortality. Each symbol is used to support more than one theme in the novel. Each symbol brings
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How Allie Helps Holden be the Catcher The book Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, was a novel filled with many symbols and motifs. The many images that were put into the plot helped the reader understand the book in its entirety and helped convey the numerous views in the world of that time. Two of the most important motifs that were included in the book were: "the fall ", and Holden's brother Allie. I believed that the motif of Allie played a large part in the idea of "the fall", but it didn't receive as much attention as it deserved. Allie was Holden's little brother who was two years younger than Holden. On July 18, 1946, he died in Maine of leukemia. The thing
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Books that contain highly controversial material often are banned or censored in some schools. The novel The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger has been censored in many schools due to its explicit material. This banning is unjust due to the respect for women, the negative aspects of underage drinking and the situations that high school kids can relate to in the novel. To begin with, The Catcher In The Rye should not be banned because of the respect for women like Sunny, Sally and Pheobe. Holden, in chapter 13, has a prostitute named Sunny in his room. After spending a small amount of time with her, he began to feel sorry for her. As he hangs her dress up for her, he ponders
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THE CATCHER IN THE RYE By, J.D. Salinger The Catcher In The Rye, a novel written by J.D. Salinger, is appropriate reading for today's youth although he wrote this book in 1951.It is apparent that this title has a lot to do with the contents of the book. Holden Caulfield, the main character, said at one point, " I mean they're all right if they go around saving innocent guys' lives all the time." He is speaking to the reader, and the idea of saving is the 'catcher'. It is the same as in a baseball game. When a ball comes to the outfield, you must do your best to catch it, and without excuses. In addition, the catcher behind the plate can save the game. Holden Caulfield is the catcher with
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“Catcher in the Rye”, by J.D Salinger, is about a boy named Holden Caulfield. He thinks the adult world is a bunch of “phonies.” The novel contains many key symbols that help develop the novel, and to help show Holden Caulfield’s point of view on the way he sees the world. Three of these key symbols include: Holden Caulfield’s red hunting hat, the ducks in the Central Park lagoon, and The Museum of Natural History.
One of the most important and recognizable symbols in the novel is Holden Caulfield’s red hunting hat. It symbolizes his uniqueness. The way he wears the hat gives off an impression that he wants to be very different from everyone around him. He
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Bookreport: Catcher in the Rye 1. the author Jerome D. Salinger was born on the 1 january 1919 in New York City.He published 4 books but his debut story turned into a classic.Catcher in the Rye. After attending school in NYC and a millitary academy J.D Salinger went to the Columbia University without graduation.J.D Salinger became a writer after joining Worldwar II Catcher in the Rye was published in 1951. He was divorced in 1967, and has 2 grown up children.2. the book.Even though Catcher in the Rye was published in 1951 it's an ageless story which is still understood by todays youth. The central theme of the narration is something we all can relate to: the methamorphosis of the being.The
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Catcher in the Rye essay Where do we belong in society? Do we know the purpose of our existence? Holden Caulfield is a young boy in Catcher in the Rye who doesn't know his purpose in life. When he believes he has found his purpose, it turns out to be unrealistic. Holden takes a long journey to find himself and ends up institutionalized, telling his story there. Holden does not belong institutionalized. Holden exhibits normal teenage behaviors, is merely looking for attention, and is trying to be someone better. Holden is a normal teenager who exhibits normal teenage behaviors.His actions could appear to be obscene, crazy, and dumb to many people, but he is a teenager
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Introduction"The Catcher In The Rye" is an influential story about a boy called Holden Caulfield with a different view on life compared to others such as Stradlator and Ackley. J.D.Salinger created the character Holden who is quite inspiring and saddening at the same time. We see Holden talk about some of the mistakes he has made in life and some of the good times he has had, but in the end he's in some sort of asylum.Plot summaryThe novel is set in a boarding school in Agerstown, Pennsylvania, and then mainly in New York City, in the 1950's, it spans over ten years. There are three main characters in the novel: Holden - The action of the novel is Holden's adventures while un-chaperoned for
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Catcher in the Rye chapters 1-18 Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger has intrigued me. I love the way the author writes. It is like Holden is talking right to me, telling me all the things that have happened to him. Salinger does leave a little to my imagination. I am always guessing what Holden is really feeling or thinking. Holden's outlook and perspective on life are displayed on each page and I can hardly ever put the book down. There are many aspects of this book that I truly enjoy.The complex character of Holden Caulfield is what I love the most about this book. He is very unpredictable and spontaneous. I never know what he is going to do next. He is truly a free spirit with a lot of
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The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a roller coaster ride through the mind of an angry, frustrated and confused teenager named Holden Caulfield. After getting expelled from Pencey, Holden takes a trip to New York City where Holden keeps asking the cab drivers where all the ducks in the lagoon near the Central Park South go in the winter. This lagoon and the animals in it are constantly are used by J.D. Salinger to show Holden's rejection for adulthood.Holden's curiosity about the ducks in Central Park relates to his own adulthood insecurities. Just as the ducks face the hard times of winter, Holden is at the peak of his teen-aged years, just about to go on to the hard times of
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704 words - 3 pages
A classic American novel can be classified as one that is relatable, and immortal. Teenagers experience many problems, such as getting bullied, suffering from depression, and from having stress, which provide a connection for them on many different levels when they absorb the message from the novel. To this day, many classic novels are widely enjoyed although they were established in a different time. Therefore, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is considered to be a classic American novel because it is immortal. Salinger was able to create a classic novel by conjuring up a protagonist who suffered from problems with depression, which allowed readers from any generation to connect and
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1853 words - 7 pages
Grow up! Adolescence occurs in everyone's life and it is a part of growing up. It involves many hardships, frustrating situation and severe punishments in some cases. It is a very crucial stage in one's life and it is something that everyone should endure. This is the time where one learns from experience and tries different things. One may experience things such as drugs, sex or even abuse. These situations help to encourage adolescents to make the correct decisions in life and mature to become a better person. J.D. Salinger is a well-renown writer; he has written books such as Nine Stories, Franny and Zooey and a classic, The Catcher in the Rye. The main theme in J.D. Salinger's The
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2058 words - 8 pages
The Catcher in the Rye Main Character Holden Caulfield is the main character in 'The Catcher in the Rye'. Like most people, Holden's mind wanders, and that's what I found the most interesting about him. He's sixteen years old, and he just got kicked out of another boarding school: Pencey Prep. He's tall, and skinny and he's not broad-shouldered. He's got a crewcut. His dad's a corporate lawyer and he is pretty rich. Holden really is a nice guy, but he's rally insecure and keeps proving himself to the reader that he doesn't have many principles by drinking and smoking pretty heavy. In this book he smokes three packs of cigarettes in two days and has a lot of alcoholic drinks. He even goes on
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