The Catcher Essay - 2456 Words

It is a fact of life that no one can remain young forever. Some teenagers cannot wait to grow up and get out on their own away from childish rules and parental limitations. For other teenagers the thought of the adult world conjures images of negativity and responsibilities such as going to work everyday, dealing with undesirable people, and being part of a stiff society. However, mediums do exist between these two contrasting worlds. Unfortunately, Holden Caulfield, an adolescent struggling with growing up in the novel The Catcher in the Rye, is not aware of these mediums. To him the two worlds seem to be as different as heaven and hell with no purgatory in between. Holden has no positive adult role models, his only concern is preserving†¦show more content†¦He goes on to say that even if lawyers did save innocent people it would not be that they really wanted to help, they would just do it for the attention and hype (Salinger 172). All of these examples show Holden’ s extreme view of the adult world. He does not have what most people would consider rational ideas about growing up. Holden’s first hand experiences reinforce these ideas of an awful adult world. Mr. Antolini is an old teacher of Holden’s and his last hopes of finding an innocent adult role model for him self (Lundquist 31). Mr. Antolini talks to Holden for a long time but finally finishes and Holden falls asleep. He awakes to Mr. Antolini stroking and petting his head. Horrified at this seemingly homosexual advance, Holden’s hope of an adult role model dies and he reverts into childhood, fantasy, and psychosis (Lundquist 33). Holden goes on to say that that kind of thing has happened to him about twenty times since he was a kid and he can’t stand it (Salinger 193). Now, because of his traumatizing experiences, Holden’s view of adults is permanently negative and suspicious. This negative and suspicious attitude towards adults and maturity drives Holden to try to preserve innocence, his own as well as others. One of the themes in the novel is phony versus honest. This closely relates to the theme of children because children are never phony in Holden’s mind. Children are associated with honesty, innocence and sincerity – Holden’s ideals (French 95). TheShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Catcher In The Rye4193 Words   |  17 Pagesthinking he was making a flitty pass at me. I wondered if maybe he just like to pat guys on the head when they’re asleep. I mean how can you tell about that stuff for sure? You can’t.† nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Holden sees himself as being a catcher in the rye. Some time in the future he wants to be the only grown-up with â€Å"all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all.† He’ll stand on the edge of a cliff and catch anybody who starts to fall off the edge of the cliffRead MoreThe Catcher in the Rye900 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the characters help portray many themes. J.D Saligner creatively infused his work with varying themes. Holden unknowingly magnifies the importance of the themes, of which he is often times oblivious. This novel is sophisticatedly written in a manner that allows us to see all the themes clearly. The themes portrayed in the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger include phoniness, psychological alienation, and futile protection of innocenceRead MoreCatcher in the Rye4413 Words   |  18 PagesThe Catcher in the Rye â€Å"Is The Catcher in the Rye, as a work of literature still relevant for today’s youth?† Name: Sara Sigurdson Course: English A1 Supervisor: Mr. Peter Steadman Word count: 3851 Candidate number: 00136022 Table of Contents Content Page Number Abstract 3 Introduction 4 The Actual Catcher in the Rye 4 The Sexual Matter 5 The Caulfield Family 6 Narrator and Protagonist 8 Role Model 9 Mr. Antolini 10 Targeted Audience 10 Guidance 12 Read MoreTheme Of The Catcher In The Rye976 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger there are several different themes portrayed that widely relate to current issues of teenagers and adults alike. While reading the novel several different themes were revealed creating a deep and meaningful story line. Three themes viewed within the novel are; the phoniness of the adult world, alienation as a form of self-protection, and the painfulness of growing up. Each of these themes have large significance in character and plot developmentRead MoreThe Catcher in the Rye500 Words   |  2 PagesIn the novel The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist Holden Caulfield has strange behavioral tendencies. The main character, Holden, suffers from mental illness after suffering from everything he has gone through. His mental illness is triggered from depression after his brother, Allie, had passed away. Depression can be caused by many different things including a loss or death, which is what Holden goes through in â€Å"Catcher in the Rye,† a novel written by J.D Salinger. The protagonist;Read MoreThe Catcher in the Rye Essay1442 Words   |  6 PagesThis paper proposes to delineate the characteristics of Holden Caulfield, the adolescent protagonist hero of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and illuminate the reasons as to why this prototype of brooding adolescence, displaying a rather uber-cool style of disaffection, disenchantment and disillusionment became an indispensable figure of interest, in literary circles as well as popular culture. The paper seeks to take issue with the wider dimensions attached to the ‘incapacitation and debilitation’Read MoreThe Themes of The Catcher in the Rye840 Words   |  3 PagesConsidered one of the best novels of the 20th century, The Catcher in the Rye has affected readers around the globe since its publication in 1951. Its contemporary critics, however, gave the novel mixed reviews. Compared to the ideals of 1950s America, Holden Caulfield, the emotionally immature, extremely judgmental, teen-aged main character of â€Å"Catcher,† embodies the antithesis. Holden was an affront to the new social order, which demanded conformity and propagated the â€Å"father knows best† mentalityRead MoreDishonesty In Catcher In The Rye1184 Words   |  5 PagesRhetorical Analysis: J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye â€Å"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!†. This line from a poem by Walter Scott, born in the late eighteenth-century, highlights that dishonesty is a gift that keeps on giving. Several decades later, J.D. Salinger published his book Catcher in the Rye, which stars sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield as he wanders around New York City after leaving school early. Holden is a self-confessed liar, and throughout theRead More catcher in the rye Essay1061 Words   |  5 Pages Hello, is Salinger There? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;J. D. Salinger’s only published full-length novel, The Catcher in the Rye, has become one of the most enduring classics of American literature. The novel’s story is told in retrospect by the main character, Holden Caulfield, while staying in a psychiatric hospital in California. This is a coming of age tale that is wrought with irony. Holden Caulfield, Mr. Antolini, and Phoebe are the main symbols of irony. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;TheRead MoreCatcher and the Rye Essay1382 Words   |  6 PagesRob Ferrara Ms. Groark English II Honors 26 February 2009 A World of Poor Choices The exciting novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger expresses the free will of choice. Salinger cleverly conveys how decisions can alter a person’s perspective of their peer. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, is a young teenager who has emotional instability and behavioral concerns. Holden acts immaturely extensively throughout the book. Holden invents a world where adulthood is the emblem of superficiality