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Catcher In The Rye J. D. Salinger Jerome David Salinger was born in New York in 1919, and he was the son of a wealthy cheese importer. He graduated from a military academy and briefly attended two colleges, and after his early literary success, he became a recluse.
He spent most of his time writing, and his novel, Catcher In The Rye, established him as a leading author and is still widely read, especially among adolescents. Plot: The Catcher in the Rye is narrated by Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year-old boy recuperating in a rest home from a nervous breakdown. Holden tells the story of his last day at a school called Peace Prep, and of his following psychological meltdown in New York City. Through this book Caulfield becomes an example of a rebellious and confused adolescent who discerns the phoniness of the adult world. Theme: The theme in The Catcher in the Rye is a perceptive study of one individuals understanding of his human condition. This makes for uncomfortable reading, but for an entertaining and fascinating novel.
Purpose: The purpose of this classic tale is to come to a decision of whether Holden is actually just an insane teenager, or if it is the society which has lost its mind for failing to see the hopelessness of their own lives. Conflict: The major conflict in this novel is man versus self. Psychologically, Holden battles himself. Life continues on around Holden as it always had, with the majority of people ignoring the madman stuff that is happening to him.
And until it begins to encroach on their well-defined social codes, they will have nothing to do with Holden. Progressively throughout the novel the conflict turns to being between the society and the society's attitude to the human condition. Memorable Characters: Holden Caulfield is, of course, the most memorable character. His outlook on life, and his expulsion from school after school make him a character in which one can relate to.
The book only covers a period of four days, but in those four days this character is able to describe a developing nervous breakdown, formed by his bouts of unexplained depression, and generally odd, erratic behavior, prior to his eventual nervous collapse. Other memorable characters are Ackley, Ward Stradlater, and Jane Gallagher. Ackley is memorable because is a good friend of Holden, and he tries to listen to his problems. Ward is Holden? s roommate, and at the beginning of the novel, the two get in a fight, because Ward is dating Jane, a girl Holden very much is a attracted to. Memorable Quotes: ?
Sleep tight, you morons. ? Holden? They Sound so phony when they talk. ? Holden? I?
m crazy. I swear to God I am. ? Holden? What I really felt like was jumping out the window. ? Holden? I was beginning to sort of hate him?
Holden Rhetoric: This entire novel is a paradox. When first presented, it doesn? t seem as if the adult world are a group of? phonies, ?
but when observed more deeply, it makes complete sense. Adults are always putting on a huge facade. They act happy when depressed; nice when they? re really just jerks, and the way they treat their families is completely contrary to the way they treat strangers. Salinger also uses irony, in that Holden is extremely bright and intelligent, yet he struggles with day-to-day questions about why the world is how it is. He has a hard time coping with reality even though he is smart enough to realize that there is nothing that he can do to change how the world is.
Another rhetorical tool Salinger uses is allusion. He refers to the Bible several times to show Holden? s strong? morals? and his?
Christianity? . This is also ironic in that Holden mentions many times that he longs to kill himself or harm another, for it is against Christian belief to murder or to be un Christ-like to another. Recommendation: It is hard to recommend this book to others because of its content and vulgarity; however, it provides an interesting outlook at our society and at how teenagers feel. Therefore, I would recommend this book for the sake of knowledge.
It is understandable why this book was banned after it was first published, but Salinger does an excellent job of getting into the mind of a disturbed youth, so I am pressed to recommend it to all those who hope to help provide a better future for the adolescents of our society. Bibliography Salinger, J. D. Catcher In The Rye.
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