Belonging In J. D. Salinger's The Catcher In The R

Experiences of belonging have the capacity to enrich or challenge the individual

Good morning Miss Griffiths. Individuals encounter adversity or empowerment determined by their interpretation of integration. A person determines their own involvement as affiliations are affected by perceptions of a situation. J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye looks at an adolescent’s experience with acceptance, his sense of identity determining his connection with others. Unwillingness to maintain authentic relationships demonstrates the individual’s relish in being an outcast. Contrastingly, A Time Past by Denise Levertov explores the challenges presented by estrangement from a place of comfort. Her anamnesis elucidates that places impact upon one’s psyche

Salinger explores how interactions can transition depending on an individual’s interpretation. The connection between Holden and Mr Antolini exhibits this shift as their exchange begins positively, represented by Salinger’s use of emotive language in “best teacher”. This juxtaposes Holden’s cynical nature, affirming predilection to this character, furthered by the use of a fractured sentence. Holden’s request is met by “come right over”, elucidating that trust and familiarity is immanent here, reiterated by Salinger’s employment of formal dialogue in the inquiry, “How are you”? By Salinger writing this into an adolescent’s dialogue the formality surpasses Holden’s usual colloquial language, exhibiting maturity. However, Salinger uses a negative connotation to portray the change in the alliance’s construction. “Old Mr Antolini” demonstrates that events transpired resulting in cessation, as Salinger uses this prefix to denote negative relations. By turning antagonistic this interaction illustrates that it takes little for an insecure individual to withdraw from a situation. For an individual combating positive relations to fuel their isolation, this deterioration validates their sense of estrangement, enriching their cynicism thus impacting upon how others perceive them. Salinger portrays connection bearing in mind 1950s American ideals where relations were based on face-to-face

Memories are connected to physical articles that become intangible sites. Levertov explores these connections, highlighting the intricate connection between the two in A Time Past, using motif to elucidate a profound connection to a physical area, “that house brings memories”. The house constantly is depicted as actively accommodating those recollections, linking material and intangible destinations. This interconnectivity is also presented as an extended metaphor, as the repetition of “wooden steps” exhibits the central part within the house that her sense of association is inextricably connected to, directly pertaining to the exchange between Levertov and her husband. Levertov demonstrates this connection further by using personification in “The old steps live only in me”. These stairs transcend objectification and become a living, metaphysical connection to important encounters throughout her life in that house, demonstrated by high modality language. “I love you too” marks an important reciprocated emotion, shaping her inward perceptions giving peace of mind and safety knowing she is loved. However, this comfort dissipates as their connection ends negatively shown through Levertov’s use of punctuation. As “those” lacks a capital letter, it mirrors the speaker’s lost sense of purpose. The speaker is left without an emotional crutch of constant stability resulting in the loss of her