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Similarities Between Catcher In The Rye And Pleasantville

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In the 1950’s the American economy was booming due to the conclusion of World War II. Economic prosperity transformed family life and people put more emphasis on the individual. Television programs represented how people should live the ideal life. With many changes in culture people began to have a different perspective on life. In the 1998 film, “Pleasantville” directed by Gary Ross and the novel, “The Catcher in the Rye” written by J.D. Salinger both depict teenage culture of the 1950s. These works decribe stories of rebellious tennagers and reveal that in order for a person to identify their true-self, he/she must go through a series of rebellious acts. Holden Caulfield, the main character in the novel “The Catcher in the Rye” realizes his true-self by performing rebellious acts against his parents and society. Holden is kicked out of Pencey Prep because he is failing three of his four subjects. In the book Holden says, “ I knew I wasn’t coming back to Pencey. They kicked me out… I was flunking four subjects and not …show more content…

Betty is rebellious against her husband. She doesn’t prepare dinner for him on time and she does not return home before dark. This is rebellion because women of that era were supposed to stay at home. Her rebellion causes her to experience different thoughts and feelings.With these experiences she turned into a colored person which symbolizes change. Betty find herself more than a stay at home mom and a person worth of value. Jennifer is also rebellious because she doesn’t follow David’s rules in Pleasantville. She messed up Pleasantville by having sex with Skip. She later understands the limitations she has put on her own life. When Skip asks her out, she says that she has to study. Jennifer studying is also rebellion because people in her time were out having parties. This shows her transformation into a person more like the

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In America, we grow up in a society that grooms us to become a successful and happy adult. A society in which people are able to say and do what they want. This freedom that comes with growing up can be too much to handle. As we grow up we start to realize the flaws in our society and the flaws within ourselves. This pressure to remain happy can have various effects.

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780 Words | 4 Pages

I gotta do this for a little while. (They stand on the edge of town) Besides. You think there's like a chance I'm gonna get into college back there?”(Script). Jennifer was trying to change the life she had created back out of the show.

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614 Words | 3 Pages

Pleasantville, directed by Gary Ross, is a year 1998 comedy with effective underlying issues. A universal idea, change is often inevitable, and leads an individual to make decisions about their actions that have widespread consequences. These essential ideas involving change are in Gary Ross ' 1998 film ‘Pleasantville’ by employing film techniques to convey his message. Through considering the developing characterization of the two protagonists, it becomes clear that change can either enrich or hinder an individual 's progress, highlighting its incredible influence in our society.

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1493 Words | 6 Pages

The Catcher in the Rye In the novel The Catcher in the Rye J.D Salinger writes about a teenager struggling to find his place within the existence of the reality of others. Salinger creates shocking events that lay out the foundation of the the main character Holden Caulfield’s life in the novel. Salinger uses Holden’s characteristics throughout the novel such as Holden’s stubbornness to establish a much bigger theme in the book along with many other symbols.

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957 Words | 4 Pages

“I like to watch movies undisturbed and live them with the actors says. ” Soda is 16 going on 17, “Never cracks a book at all and my oldest brother Darrel who we call Darry, works to long and hard to be interested in a story or drawing a picture, so I’m not like them.” The Socs live in the West-side of town. “The jet set, West-side rich kids,” and the Greasers are from the East-side. “We are poorer than the Socs and the middle class.”

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627 Words | 3 Pages

In the story The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger. This story is about a teenager who feels misplaced in life and is unhappy with his surroundings. The main character, Holden Caulfield, hops around from school to school taking us on his adventure from school in Pennsylvania to his house in New York City. If Holden, or a child like him were to attempt this by themselves today they wouldn 't succeed like Holden did. In the story Holden does many crazy things that a teenager wouldn 't be able to do .

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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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1107 Words | 5 Pages

The Catcher in the Rye Thematic Essay Imagine living a lonesome life, full of fear and little hope of better days to come. Imagine the toll this would take on a person’s life and how they develop as a person. For Holden Caulfield, the main character of J.D Salinger’s classic The Catcher in the Rye this, is his reality. Holden is a sixteen year old troubled boy suffering through major mental issues and living a rather a depressing life for a teenager. Throughout the novel he goes through many hardships that only worsen his depression making him feel hatred towards his seemingly hellish world.

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1147 Words | 5 Pages

The “Age of Conformity”, the decade of the 1950s in the United States, was a time when “far out” ideas were punished and societal norms began to form, and teenagers living in this decade were far from exempt of conforming to these overbearing social norms. J.D. Salinger, author of the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, explored the difficulties teenagers faced in the post-World War II era in a captivating story told by a teenage boy named Holden Caulfield. For over 60 years, Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye has been a controversial work that receives criticism from some and praise from others, but leaves no doubt that the story of Holden Caulfield has intrigued readers regardless of their overall opinion of the novel. Salinger poured his own anxiety and PTSD from the war onto the pages, and by doing this, created Holden Caulfield. Holden, unarguably a deeply-troubled teenager, is one of the most relatable characters in literature read by high schooler students today regardless of their mental health state.

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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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1076 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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1035 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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1095 Words | 5 Pages

“I have a feeling that you’re riding for some kind of a terrible, terrible fall. But I don’t honestly know what kind…It may be kind where, at the age of thirty, you sit in some bar hating everybody who comes in looking as if he might have played football in college. Then again, you may pick up just enough education to hate people who say, “It’s a between he and I. ‘ Or you may end up in some business office, throwing paper clips at the nearest stenographer. I just don’t know…

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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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830 Words | 4 Pages

Holden’s Struggle To Find Himself: Throughout the novel, The Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden struggles to find himself and who he truly is in order to be happy. His struggles relate to many things that he does or say in particular. Holden lacks with a social status with women and his family, whether it’s a relationship or being antisocial. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield experiences the complexities and struggles involved with both physical and emotional relationships.

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