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Catcher In The Rye Archetypes Analysis

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Keegan Good
Mr. Porter
English IV
17 September 2015
Analyzing Archetypes in The Catcher in the Rye
[ROUGH DRAFT]
Archetypes are presented in almost every novel ever written. They assist in providing symbolic and figurative examples to support literary arrangements. The Catcher in the Rye is set in the 1950s. It is narrated by Holden Caulfield, a problematic sixteen-year-old boy. Holden does not specify his whereabouts while he’s telling the story, but he makes it clear that he is undergoing treatment in an insane asylum. The story takes place during the days between the end of the fall quarter and Christmas. He is facing expulsion and decides to drop out of school. During the narration of the story, Holden experiences and uses several types …show more content…

Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, archetypes are shown through situations, colors, nature, symbols, and shapes; these archetypes prove that certain characteristics can be represented symbolically and hold meaning throughout the novel.
In this novel, Holden Caulfield undergoes emotional changes due to situational archetypes including the journey, the initiation, and the battle between good and evil. He begins his journey by being suspended from school, comparable to when the hero is casted away or exiled. The hero, being Holden, casted out and with no one to turn to, decides to go find himself. This mentor mentality symbolizes the hero’s first step in internal realization, redemption, and his journey to discover who he really is. Unlike other novels that contain the hero’s journey, The Catcher in the Rye differentiates because in a sense, Holden is his own mentor, taking things from the outside world and …show more content…

First, water is used in a symbolic nature to represent his passive attitude when he is around his friends. In this environment, Holden is relaxed and not engaged in anything that could change the course of his journey. Surprisingly, he is mainly around water when he is in his dormitory. Second, ice/snow is used to set a cold and barren mood, which is what most of the novel feels like and what weather it takes place in. The reason the author does this is to set the mood and show how the emotions of our hero Holden change throughout the novel while greatly emphasizing one one mood in particular, that being this

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