Overview of The Symbols in "The Catcher in The Rye"
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AllHomosexuality Human sexual behavior Sociology Holden Caulfield J. D. Salinger Adolescence
If you are told to explain how Holden is a wonderful rescuer who cannot rescue himself, can you create a compelling introduction? Catcher in the Rye is a unique novel as far as the writing style is concerned. With a second person tone of voice, Holden Caulfield takes us through a story in a stream of
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the conscious form of writing. You should be able to analyze the story and give your findings and standpoints in the conclusion of Catcher in The Rye essay. Let your outline capture the struggles of the teenage boy as he passes through the adolescence stage. For more ideas, ask for samples of essays on Catcher in the Rye. Our papers are 100% original.
Hooking Up with Holden: Exploring Sexuality in "The Catcher in The Rye"
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Catcher in The Rye
6 Pages
“Sex is something I just don’t understand. I swear to God I don’t,” (Salinger, 63). It might take Holden Caulfield nine chapters to admit to this, but his sexual confusion is present from the first pages of J.D. Salinger’s famous novel The Catcher in The...
Suffering, Alienation and Protagonist's Depression
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Catcher in The Rye
2 Pages
Holden Caulfield, the protagonist and narrator of The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, constantly points out flaws in other people but is unable to see his own. Be it positive or negative, he loathes change. Through his general hatred of others and...
"The Catcher in The Rye": How Does Holden’s Past Affect Him
view essay exampleThe past’s absolute effect on humanity serves as the foundation of both crisis and opportunity. Yet, most typically notice the effects of the past when personal sacrifices are made and loss is involved, thus characterizing themselves as victims of the past. Holden Caulfield, who is...
Symbolism in "The Catcher in The Rye" by J.d. Salinger
view essay exampleSymbolism in The Catcher in the Rye The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a unique book. The main character Holden is telling his story from a mental facility about his life and how he got there. Throughout the book, you see Holden’s...
A Psychoanalytical Analysis of Holden Caulfield
view essay exampleHolden Caulfield is a 17-year-old boy who has been temporarily sent to Happy Farms (mental institution) to observe his behavior and recover from some nervous breakdown. Holden himself is the narrator and he tells the readers his story while he is at the Happy Farms....
Holden’s True Personality, Major Growth and Dismal Tone
view essay exampleAverage adolescence is a perpetual wave of emotions and expression; however, when one reads the story of soon-to-be adult Holden, it is an emotional wreck of a roller coaster. The Catcher in the Rye introduces readers with an opportunity to investigate deeper hidden meanings behind...
Overview of J.d. Salinger’s "The Catcher in The Rye"
view essay exampleJ.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher In The Rye, a banned book in most American high schools and libraries which takes place in the late 1940’s taught readers about teen angst and alienation in which Salinger puts bad situations to a good ending. In this piece...
Review of Holden Caulfield Character in "The Catcher in The Rye" by J.d. Salinger
view essay exampleIn JD Salinger’s’ Catcher in the Rye, a teenager named Holden Caulfield has a hard time understanding that everyone has to grow up. Holden did not want children to grow up because he feels that adults are corrupt. This is known when Holden tries to...
J.d. Salinger’s Description of Holden Caulfield’s Life Struggles as Depicted in His Novel
view essay exampleIn The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden Caulfield demonstrates his life struggles between being a “phony” and a good person. The story begins when Holden is watching the football game from the top of the hill at his high...
Use of Different Symbols in "The Catcher in The Rye"
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Catcher in The Rye
2 Pages
Authors use symbolism in their books to explain to the reader what the character is learning or feeling. Throughout the novel, the reader is presented with many different symbols. These symbols are clearly seen by Holden’s constant repetition of their importance. Like, when Holden kept...
The Portrayal of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in The Character of Holden Caulfield
view essay exampleIn Abraham Maslow’s revolutionary paper that was published in 1943, he stated that there was an ascending hierarchy of needs for a person to attain which was key to our understanding of human motivation. Studying only individuals of a high intelligence and character, Maslow realized...
Antisocial Teenagers in "The Catcher in The Rye"
view essay exampleHolden Caulfield is a very interesting character who describes perfectly how an antisocial wannabe is. He not only expresses his disconformity openly, or at least he expresses it to himself, but also he was not afraid of what other people think of him. It is...
The Problematic Question of Ban Put on "The Catcher in The Rye"
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Catcher in The Rye
3 Pages
Thirty-six middle-aged people lean in simultaneously, a collection of ears trained intently on the speaker. He clears his throat before addressing the smattering of adults comprised mostly of teachers, a handful of parents, and an empty-nester townie or two. “The verdict is in,” he announces....
Similarities and Differences Between Holden Caulfield and Daniel Isaacson
view essay exampleDaniel Issacson, the narrator of Doctorow’s The Book of Daniel, is perhaps not as beloved and well-known as Holden Caulfield, the voice behind Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. It could be that we can empathize more easily with a misguided teenager than a moody,...
Mental Issues of Holden Caulfield in "The Catcher in The Rye" by J. D. Salinger
view essay exampleDespite the narrative taking place in a time of Holden’s life filled with hormones and the coming of age, those factors are not the root causes of Holden’s seemingly irrational behavior and volatility. Evident in the symbolism throughout the book, Holden’s adherence to traits typically...
The Valuable Lessons on The Journey of Maturity in "The Catcher in The Rye"
view essay example“Maturity comes from experience, not age” (Ziad K. Abdelnour). The coming of age story, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger takes some of life’s most valuable lessons like overcoming adversities and the journey of maturity and wraps them all up into one novel.....
The Real Holden in "The Catcher in The Rye"
view essay exampleCatcher in the Rye, Holden feels isolated partly because he lives in such a confined circle. All his schoolmates are rich, privileged kids with narrow worldviews, but, ironically, he’s also too rich and privileged to connect with anyone who isn’t like him. Holden’s recurring quality...
Holden Caulfield: The Painful Case of Becoming an Adult
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Catcher in The Rye
2 Pages
Perhaps the strongest theme in The Catcher in the Rye is the main character Holden Caulfield’s fascination and even obsession with the ideal of true innocence; a higher innocence from the superficiality and hypocrisy that he views as a plague on American society. Conjoined with...
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information About this Topic
Date
1945-1946 in serial form
1951 as a novel
Author:
J. D. Salinger
Type:
Novel
Genre
Novel, Bildungsroman, Young adult fiction, Coming-of-age story, First-person narrative, Literary realism
Characters
Holden Caulfield, Stradlater, Phoebe Caulfield, Mr. Antolini, Jane Gallagher, Sally Hayes, Mr. Spencer, Allie, Maurice, Sunny
Based on
The title comes from a famous Robert Burns poem called "Comin' Thro the Rye", which is exactly what Holden reflects as a literal rye field left on the edge of a mental cliff.
Symbols/motives
aggression, isolation, growing up, innocence, alienation, lying, deception, relationships, intimacy
Influence
It is believed that the main message of the story is that no single individual can make this world a better place and save everyone. The inner story behind it all is Holden's wishing to protect all the innocent people of our world to compensate for the death of his fallen brother. Another aspect of this story is dealing with alienation and being lost because of not knowing what to do with one's life. It is also a reason why it has been included in high school and college curriculums.
Plot
The novel tells about the life of a sixteen year old Holden Caulfield right after he has been expelled from preparatory school. As Holden is seeking for truth and solutions, he feels lost and confused with his life as he faces the adult world. Coming up with several ideas regarding what must be done, he ends up totally exhausted and broken down.
Interesting facts
The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most taught books in America even though it has not been intended for high school children.
The book is also one of the most banned books in the United States due to profanity and sexually explicit material.
The Millennials, according to 2009 publication in The New York Times, actually hated Holden Caulfield by calling him "weird, whiny, and immature".
This best-selling book is among those that has never been made into a movie. Even such people like Steven Spielberg could not get an agreement.
Salinger's ex-home in Cornish, New Hampshire is now a house for cartoonists and the Centre for Cartoon Studies.
Almost 685 copies of the book are sold daily with the 250,000 copies sold annually.
J.D. Salinger has published only one now.
Quotes
“Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.”
“I am always saying "Glad to've met you" to somebody I'm not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though.”
“The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.”
“That's the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty, even if they're not much to look at, or even if they're sort of stupid, you fall in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are. Girls. Jesus Christ. They can drive you crazy. They really can.”
“Certain things, they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone.”
Why is this topic important
The novel is teaching us several lessons, depending on how a person explores the book and the events that take place. Still, the crucial aspect is the lesson about caring for yourself and finding one's identity before starting to care for others. An example of Holden’s struggles is a journey that shows us how much easy it is to get lost in the world of adults as one learns something. It is also a good example of going against the societal rules and restrictions. This novel can also be seen through the lens of product of war and the challenging times.
Why should this topic be used
It is one of the most frequent college essay topics, especially during your Introductory course regardless of your future major. One of the reasons why this topic is important is dealing with alienation, depression, and making mistakes. It can be used as the comparison of the modern times where we face the same challenge of saving others and trying to make this world a different, better place. It is meant to explore the lessons from doing something wrong and trying to adjust to this society.
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