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Realism Catcher In The Rye

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J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in The Rye recounts the days following protagonist Holden Caulfield’s latest academic failure and expulsion from Pencey Prep, a private boarding school. After a fight with his roommate Stradlater he decides to take an early leave for Christmas break and boards a late night train back home to New York City. During the two day time frame Holden explores the city and interacts with strangers, vague acquaintances, a former girlfriend, teachers, prostitutes, nuns and his younger sister. This coming of age piece of realism literature is an american classic that portrays the dramatic struggles of an angsty and misunderstood adolescent’s search for his place in the world as he grows up. The Catcher in the Rye is basically one long-stretched flashback narrated in past tense first person by protagonist Holden Caulfield, a 16 years old high school junior. One of the fundamental parts of the storytelling is …show more content…

Sally Hayes, pretty, friendly 17 year old girl who goes on a rather unsuccessful date with Holden and “shows of her butt in one of those littles skirts.” Mr. Antolini, a former teacher and family friend who shares valuable advice on life before he creepily pets Holden’s head while he sleeps and is thereafter labeled a potential pervert. Phoebe Caulfield, Holden’s incredibly smart and sympathetic 10 year old sister who he really wants to protect and is one of the very few people who isn’t categorized as a “phony.” This list of characters goes on and on. Unlike most other books, the characters in The Catcher in The Rye tend to appear only once in the story and are thereafter quickly replaced by new encounters or old acquaintances Holden suddenly feels like meeting as he roams around in New York. This unconscious search for new people slowly reveals a renewed understanding of Holden’s rather mystifying

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644 Words | 3 Pages

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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963 Words | 4 Pages

He was unscrupulous...” (Ch. 6, p. 22) With the knowledge of how sexual Stradlater can be, Holden wrangles with his own mind

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771 Words | 4 Pages

The period of transition between adolescence and adulthood can diminish one’s innocence and positive outlook of life. The Catcher in the Rye depicts a seventeen year old boy’s struggle as he deals with the the hopelessness and tragedies of reality. J.D. Salinger weaves together a wistful novel that details the depressing life of Holden Caulfield. Through his creative usage of simple syntax, mundane setting, and relatable diction, Salinger concocts a story so wonderfully written that the reader feels the same heartache and anger that Holden does. Salinger combines the understandable diction with very simple and straightforward syntax.

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1493 Words | 6 Pages

In the paradoxical personality of Holden we discover something much deeper. As Holden makes himself out to be tougher than what he actually is, Salinger introduces stubbornness. Holden’s true nature of gentleness and sensitivity offered throughout the book often brings bedlam into his life, though Salinger brings into

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656 Words | 3 Pages

The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” was about the journey of a adolescent boy finding his way to adulthood. In the book Holden Caulfield was unsuccessful in finding his way to adulthood. Holden’s attitude in the novel throughout his journey was very immature. He also can't accept the fact that innocence can’t be forever protected. Lastly, Holden calls everyone a phony when in reality he is the real phony.

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926 Words | 4 Pages

J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye is a story about a 16-year-old boy, Holden Caulfield. Holden is expelled from Pencey Preparatory School because he flunked four of the subjects he was taking. He realizes Pencey would send a letter home to his parents informing them of what had happened. Holden thinks it would be best for him to stay in hotels in New York City for a couple of days, to allow some of his parent’s anger to dissipate, before finally leaving to go home.

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377 Words | 2 Pages

Leana Kouassi Honors English 10A Mrs. Coleman Period: 5 The Catcher in the Rye essay In the coming of age novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the author, J.D. Salinger, uses symbolism irony, and flashback to develop the theme of growing up from childhood to adulthood. Holden Caulfield, the 17 year old narrator of the novel, is a young boy trying to figure himself out inside the world. Salinger uses symbolism, irony, and flashback to develop Holden’s character and his personality.

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818 Words | 4 Pages

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a novel written from the point of view of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old boy who is learning about the struggle of growing up and finding one’s purpose in the world. He feels it is important to protect children from losing their innocence and becoming “phony” adults. After getting expelled from school Caulfield travels back home to New York for the rest of the week where he encounters multiple life changing events and conflicts. Salinger illustrates the major themes of lost innocence, mortality, and change throughout the book.

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1017 Words | 5 Pages

The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a teenage boy who continues living a life of grief. The novel reveals who Holden is as a person, who is constantly living a life full of destructive thoughts toward the world around him. Holden struggles with his overall behavior and keeping his innocence after the death of his brother Allie; Holden tends to constantly judge people without

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1400 Words | 6 Pages

Purpose: To show how a small change in choice could affect holden’s life The Catcher in the Rye is about Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old boy from New York. The novel starts with Holden, writing in his book, hinting that he is in some sort of mental facility .Even though he comes from a wealthy family,because of his loss of interest in studies,and low grades, he gets expelled from all schools he has studied in .Holden leaves his final school, Pency Prep and decides that he will stay in New York City until his parents learn of his expulsion and “cool down” .Most of the novel is dedicated to Holden’s time in the city, Holden lives in a hotel room for a few days during his stay .Holden then starts meeting with people that he used know, some strangers and goes to places with. From his conversations, he

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1011 Words | 5 Pages

Catcher in the Rye Essay Children are only innocent because of their unbiased and positive outlook on the world. But soon enough, their exposure to reality will dismantle the innocence that they have. There will be a point in their life where their positive attitudes, dreams of doing everything, and wild attitude disappear and are lost forever. As children grow up, they are pushed into a world where stress, anxiety and decisions are prominent and therefore destroy the remnants of their childhood innocence. Taking place in the east coast of the United States, Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger’s novel, Catcher in the Rye, runs away from his problems and finds himself in New York.

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820 Words | 4 Pages

The Catcher in the Rye Throughout time, people have read numerous books and have been portrayed many different scenarios. Within these stories, the author may have various ways as to how they display these ideas to the public and what points they want to be the focus after the story is finished. Even more, an author may intertwine these ideas through the characters in the story.

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789 Words | 4 Pages

Holden Caulfield. A troubled teenager who has experienced tragic events in his life such as the loss of his beloved brother Allie and getting kicked out of school four times for failing a majority of his classes. However, Holden’s biggest fear in The Catcher in the Rye is acknowledging adulthood and growing up. He believes that adults are inevitably “phonies” and as a result they stand as a symbol of everything that's wrong in the world- his world. Slowly, Holden starts to understand the concept of adulthood and has a chance to face his fear of growing up as his sister Phoebe sheds some light in his complicated life.

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344 Words | 2 Pages

Book Summary- The Catcher in the Rye/J. D. Salinger The story is told from the perspective of Holden Caulfield, a 17 year old teenager who describes events that took place one year prior, a few days before Christmas vacation. Holden explains that he has been expelled from his school for failing most of his classes, but can only go back home on in a few days. In his dormitory, Holden find out that Stradlater, his handsome roommate, has gone out with Jane Gallagher, a girl Holden likes.

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628 Words | 3 Pages

The Catcher in the Rye Final Essay (Draft) In J.D. Salinger's fiction book, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden, a teen living in the 1940’s, experiences his teen years in strange and unusual ways. Holden teaches us that everyone experiences frustrations throughout life but can always manage them. Some readers of the novel believe that the book has lost its significance due to the fact that it was written so long ago.

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