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Catcher In The Rye Merits

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The band Poison once wrote and sang a song titled, “Every rose has its thorn”, and if this school year is a rose, then Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is its thorn. The book features Okonkwo, a self-assured man who treats his family brutally, but is still well respected by his community. J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye is also read sophmore year at Pioneer, and unlike Things Fall Apart, it is a worthwhile book. J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye should stay on Pioneer’s English Ten reading list, while Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart should not. Catcher in the Rye has superior literary merits and a beneficial value to all students and Things Fall Apart has lesser literary merits and does not send a good message to students. Catcher in …show more content…

Holden, in Catcher in the Rye, is an adolescent who is troubled in school and life; he may even be a little depressed, but this all makes him a relatable character to many tenth grade students. Because students can relate to Holden, this makes the book more valuable to students, seeing as they can relate and enjoy to book more. Unlike Catcher in the Rye, Things Fall Apart is not particularly relatable or valuable to students, it evens send the wrong message. The village and culture that Okonkwo, the main character, lives in is extremely misogynistic and accept men beating their wives and children. These men are seen as powerful and respectable. At one point, Okonkwo tries to shoot one of his wives, and at another he beats her severely. Things Fall Apart should not be read in school because it tells young, impressionable people that domestic violence and misogyny are okay. The book is not of value to students and it praises an abusive man. Catcher in the Rye is a book that has value to students and should be read, and Things Fall Apart should not be read because it is not

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Holden Caulfield Setting

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Catcher in the Rye is the recounting of the weekend after the main character gets expelled for the umpteenth time from another uppity private school. The name of the main character, "Holden Caulfield," can be broken down in such a way that it reveals the character in question's tendency to hold onto and protect happier memories and childhood innocence from this big, unfair, scary game we call life, without realizing that he would be stunting the growth of those whom he is protecting. The character's first name, "Holden", can be interpreted as a pun for how he wants to "hold on" to better times. Throughout the story, Holden speaks fondly about his childhood summer memories, talking about when he used to play checkers with Jane Gallagher (p.17), or when he, his younger siblings, Phoebe and Allie, went to the park every Sunday (p. 37) to play, and often brushes the more serious moments he has experienced off, instead of going on a tangent like he usually does (p.21).

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917 Words | 4 Pages

The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger brings us to Holden Caulfield, a young boy going through the transition of childhood to adulthood. Throughout the novel we get to see the journey that Holden is taking and the little symbols that are tied in the novel representing him. Holden has a very interesting perspective about how he preserves the world. He hates change and has this idea that changing into an adult ultimately leads you to becoming a phony and Holden despises phonies. In the novel there are many symbols that expose Holden in ways that he doesn’t want himself to be revealed.

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623 Words | 3 Pages

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1135 Words | 5 Pages

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575 Words | 3 Pages

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Catcher In The Rye Argument

606 Words | 3 Pages

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1571 Words | 7 Pages

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1035 Words | 5 Pages

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The Catcher In The Rye Analysis

1433 Words | 6 Pages

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