In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger uses the main character Holden Caulfield to portray the loss of innocence. Holden is a teenage boy who struggles with adulthood and the innocence of being a child. Through Holden's experiences, Salinger shows that the loss of innocence can be painful and difficult, but it is also necessary for personal growth and maturity. Holden's journey towards loss of innocence is shown by several events, such as his expulsion from Pencey Prep School and his roams in New York City. Holden's expulsion from Pencey is a turning point in the novel, as it marks the beginning of his realization that he can no longer hold on to the innocence of childhood.
In the novel “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden acts very immature. He shows this through running away from home as well as Pency Prep, his school, in which he failed most of his classes. Holden changes his mind very quickly, and is incredibly fast to judge. He also shows immaturity by acting like a blind woman on the street. When people come to contact with problems, they face them head-on.
This mentality is constantly expressed in all aspects of his life. When Holden’s sister Phoebe asks what he wants to be, he answers, “You know that song ‘If a body catch a body comin’ through the rye?’... I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. What I have to do, I have to catch anybody if they start to go over the cliff... I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be” (Salinger 174).
One of the main themes in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is rebellion and hiding real emotions from society. This book is set during the early 1950’s, but it still contains important themes that are relevant today. Although Holden Caulfield, the main character and narrator is fiction, he does and says many things that teens would in real life. For example, Holden curses a lot. This is most likely because he wants to feel older, and again, wants to rebel from authority.
As far as catcher in the rye goes I’ll admit that was my 21st anniversary this week I was out of town all week, so I did not get to finish the book. But to me it seems like Holden like most teenagers is trying to find that role model in life some to look up to telling what or how he supposed to act. And he gets all these conflicting images if you will of how things are or the way things should be in the world around them. Like in Chapter 2 where is teacher is kind at gigging him for his failures at Pencey, where he tells him “life’s a Game Boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules.”
Holden Caulfield internally rebels against society, choosing to value his own defiant, unorthodox judgment over the authority figures and institutions in his life. He describes nearly everyone in society as hypocritical and “phony,” and constantly points out people’s flaws. In the environment of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is a social outcast, since he detests the phonies and refuses to engage in their pretentious behavior. Salinger demonstrates these people do not act according to their true personalities, and instead try to change their behavior to conform to social expectations. Furthermore, Holden observes that many continually focus on money and celebrities, leaving no room for any positive emotions or genuine connections.
Teenagers often attempt to find happiness through the acceptance of others, as they believe it will make their life whole. In the novel The Catcher In The Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist and narrator of the novel is a sixteen year old junior who is expelled from his school Pencey Prep for failing 4 out of 5 classes. Holden Caulfield seeks acceptance from the people surrounding him, which affects him both positively and negatively. In the novel The Catcher In The Rye, the main character, Holden Caulfield, seeks acceptance from those around him when he goes home to look for Phoebe, when he goes to his old teacher expecting pity, and when he visits the nuns because he heard what good people they are. The first example of Holden yearning acceptance from the people surrounding him is when he goes home to look for Phoebe, his sister, after his expulsion.
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.
This is exactly what Holden grows to detest whilst attending Pencey, the conformist culture he was forced into, which Holden describes as “corny” (Salinger, 19) or “phony”
Tales of Adolescent Redemption and Social Stigma "Life is a game that one plays according to the rules" (Salinger 12). This quote, from one of Holden Caulfield's professors in The Catcher and the Rye, is meant to give Holden advice for the future. The message is that one must follow the formula of living a successful life to be happy. It can be inferred that the two main characters of this ISP essay are not playing the game of life according to the rules of Holden's professor. Holden has been kicked out of school, and Juno is pregnant, which can be seen as unredeemable qualities due to social stigma.
In the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden was molded into someone with a more hopeful future. He went from a life of sloth and indifference to fighting for children and generously helping save their innocence. Holden first displays the sin of sloth through all aspects of his life, especially in his schooling. He is failing four out of five of his classes. Holden is a high school student and has been expelled of four schools already for academic failure.
When the 18th amendment was passed in 1917, which banned the sale and drinking of alcohol, it was believed to bring only solace to their citizens. Instead crime, especially organized, begun to rise. Infamous mafia bosses such as George “Bugs” Moran, Johnny Torrio and, most importantly, Al Capone. Capone was able to build one of the largest organized crime organizations America had ever seen, and this made him a legend. With the amount of crime he committed in his life he became a legend in American literature because he was an image of a gangster, and writers uses Capone as the prime example for whenever they wrote books about gangs and gangsters.
Holden Caulfield, the main protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, embodies the classic teenager in the process of discovering himself, and how the world works. But, regardless of Holden 's rich, prep school lifestyle, the series of events that have mapped out his life up to this point have utterly affected his emotional well being and perception of the world. Many traumatic events such as the death of holds brother Allie, the death of a class mate, and countless numbers of awkward incidents with adults have all added up to affects Holden 's well-being and detach him from reality. The death of Holden 's younger brother Allie has caused him to confuse his perception of reality and to alienate himself.
From the outset, I have to say that “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger has been one of the most important and influential pieces of literature I have ever read. At its core, the book is a superb coming of age novel which discusses several extremely powerful themes such as the difficulties of growing up, teenage angst and alienation and the superficiality, hypocrisy and pretension of the adult world. These themes resonated deeply with me and were portrayed excellently through the use of powerful symbolism and the creation of highly relatable and likable characters. One such character is Holden Caulfield whom the story both revolves around and is narrated by.
He refuses to give up his childhood and he is anxious to see what the future hold for him. Towards the end of the book, the reader is able to catch glimpses of Holden’s new found maturity. He is starting to understand that growing up is a big responsibility and is finally ready to take on that challenge. Although he has not completely matured, one distinct moment at the end of the book lets the reader know he will reach complete maturity in the near future. In J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye, the author
