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Rhetorical Analysis Of Catcher In The Rye

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The tone of The Catcher in the Rye is cynical. Throughout the novel, Holden adamantly refuses to see anything but the worst in all but a few people. He repeatedly attempts to separate himself from the rest of the world, criticizing others’ faults while ignoring his own. Holden condemns his classmates for being crooks, his teachers for not understanding the struggles of being a teenager, and the wealthy for believing money can buy happiness. Regardless of who he interacts with, Holden always sees them as frauds. Despite this, he is still unable to come to terms with his own shortcomings. Salinger wants the reader to understand the dangers of being too cynical as well as being too accepting. The mood of The Catcher in the Rye is morose. Throughout …show more content…

SPEAKER The Catcher in the Rye is told by Holden Caulfield, who is named and involved throughout the work. He speaks in first person, revealing the plot through his own eyes. VII. STRUCTURE The novel is written in chronological order, following the regular sequence of time over the span of a few days. The plot begins with Holden saying goodbye to Pencey Prep after he is expelled, and ends with Holden finally feeling content as he watches Phoebe on the carousel. Throughout the plot, however, logical order is used as Holden digresses into flashbacks with former classmates and his late brother Allie. Also, the motifs of Holden’s lies and his constant loneliness are utilized throughout the work. The book is a paperback, containing 277 pages. The book is divided into twenty-six chapters with an average of ten pages in every chapter. The front cover depicts a carousel horse with a backdrop of New York City. VIII. IMAGERY J. D. Salinger’s writing overflows with its uses of figurative language in order to draw the readers into the plot. Despite the depressing tone, the author’s use of descriptive images carried a youthful narration in an otherwise morose novel. By utilizing a range of imagery, he managed to submerge the reader in the world surrounding Holden

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In every novel around the globe you can find carefully constructed paragraphs, written by the author to send a specific message to the readers. In The catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, one particular section overflows with symbolism, metaphors, and hidden messages. By analyzing the passage’s diction, setting, and selection of detail it is possible discern the less overt statements hidden in the text and reveal the turbulent nature of the main character, Holden Caulfield. The diction of this passage appears to be the key in unraveling Holden’s mood swings.

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As the book starts Holden describes his childhood and how he has been kicked out of several school and once more again from his currently school, giving a sense of irresponsibility and no care in the world. Holden later on mentioned slowly the loss of his brother due to leukemia and how he reacted outrageously by breaking the windows of his garage home. As a reader one would view that behavior as abnormal, but Peter Shaw descried it as a normal behavior for a fictional character in the 1950s and by mentioning that Holden, “is presenting in a somewhat different manner than are the sentimentalized young people in other novels if his period” (par. 3), admitting that Holden was somewhat of an outcast of a character even for its time he is still considered normal. Shaw also challenged the reader’s view of Holden by emphasizing that Holden is not a real person, but a fiction character developed in the 1950s and in fact a mad psychological character is normal and made the reading rather more interesting and acceptable during that time. As readers someone may come across as understanding Holden’s behavior due to a loss and everyone mourns differently and as Shaw said, “ the one period of life in which abnormal behavior is common rather than exceptional” (par.

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The catcher in the rye tells the story of Holden Caufield, a teenage boy who recently got kicked out from his fourth school. Holden decides to leave the school before he is scheduled to and wanders around New York. Holden shows many symptoms of depression throughout the novel such as, disengaging from activities, not doing his school work and having no interests or hobbies. Holden shows little to no change throughout the novel and does not develop as a character. Holden’s flight reaction is something that stays with him throughout the book.

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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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The Catcher in the Rye is a novel that was written by J. D. Salinger in 1951. It was first published by Little, Brown and Company and was originally written for adults, but became popular among teenagers for its teenage main character, who deals with problems a large number of adolescents face in their transition into adulthood. It is not a difficult book to read, especially considering it is only 234 pages. The story revolves around the protagonist, a 16 year old boy named Holden Caulfield, who recently flunked out of a prestigious preparatory school.

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Alienation as Self-Protection in The Catcher in the Rye Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye, there are many themes, motifs and symbols that emerge and develop along with Holden, the protagonist, and the plot. Though the most significant theme is alienation as means for self-protection. In many instances, Holden isolates and alienates himself from his peers and the world in order to protect his morals and his self-imposed superiority. The first evidence of this alienation occurs when Holden speaks to his history teacher, Mr. Spencer. While talking about Mr. Thurmer’s lecture, Holden begins to ponder the “right side”, stating “if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot-shots, then what’s the game about?”

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