Catcher In The Rye Ending Analysis

Some books are memorable, others are not. Some will leave you reflecting for days, while others are forgotten within hours. What makes some novels go out with a ‘bang’, while others seem to ‘just end’? In most cases, the answer is the ending. The ending of a novel is an extremely important part of a story, as it is the final element to stick in the reader 's mind (of course, character appeal and the story itself are major to the effect of the book too). Authors use many techniques to improve upon their ending. For example; the book The Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger, uses multiple effective techniques to leave the reader content yet longing for answers. Through the use of symbolism in setting and objects, insightful soliloquies, and using foil characters, J.D. Salinger creates a meaningful and memorable ending for the reader to reflect upon. Firstly, it is through repeated symbolism that J.D. Salinger enables the reader to analyse the true meanings of the multiple symbols in the final scene. Excluding the epilogue, the novel ends with Holden watching his sister going round a carrousel. Holden decided to ‘run away and leave society’, however his sister

The ambiguity in the message relates to the Holden’s overall inconsistency with his opinions and personality. Throughout the book, we get the idea that, although he does like meeting his friends, Holden hates, or at least believes he hates, most people (excluding children of course). However, this final sentence implies Holden has in fact ‘started missing everybody’, meaning he is possibly finally growing up and losing his unreasonable hatred of others. On the other hand, it can also be taken into account that Holden actually regrets ever talking to anyone, as the pain of losing them out balances the joy he gets from his relationships. This would mean that throughout the novel Holden hasn 't changed that much after