Free Essays on Catcher in the Rye

"She was ostracizing the hell out of me," Holden says. "Just like the fencing team at Pencey when I left all the goddam foils on the subway." This reference brings you back to the very beginning of the story, the fifth paragraph of the novel, when he talked about the fencing foils. Maybe it's an indication that Holden has come full circle, that he hasn't accomplished anything, that he's right back where he started. There's another full-circle reference later in this chapter, when Holden says he's going to visit a former teacher of his. Its likely that Salinger is trying to direct our attention to the beginning of the story. Phoebe talks to Holden "like a goddam schoolteacher," and he responds as he might to an older person, in a petulant and whining manner. When she asks him why he's being expelled again, he tries to explain what a terrible place Pencey is. The trouble is, his description could fit any school, or almost any group situation that any of us will ever be in. Holden may think he's complaining about Pencey; in fact, he's complaining about the world. Phoebe really becomes the adult character when she presses him to name something he really likes. She won't accept either of the answers he gives, and she presses the issue by asking him what he wants to be. Holden's response contains the source of the book's title. He wants to be the catcher in the rye because he wants to prevent small children from getting hurt.... Free Essays on Catcher in the Rye Free Essays on Catcher in the Rye Catcher in the Rye The American Dream for family will greatly vary between people, as it should. Throughout the novel you can see how Holden’s attitude and relationship vary greatly between family members. This book takes you to every side of the spectrum from friends to enemies. This would not be my typical family dream but to Holden it was, this was all he knew. Holden sees phoniness in the family as he does in society and he flees back toward the innocence of childhood rather than face this reality. In the Catcher in the Rye Holden and His "Phony" Family the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, interacts with many people throughout J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, but probably none have as much impact on him as certain members of his immediate family. The ways Holden acts around or reacts to the various members of his family give the reader a direct view of Holden’s philosophy surrounding each member. How do Holden’s different opinions of his family compare and do his views constitute enough merit to be deemed truth? Holden makes reference to the word "phony" forty-four separate times throughout the novel (Corbett 68-73). Each time he seems to be referring to the subject of this metaphor as someone who discriminates against others, is a hypocrite about something, or has manifestations of conformity (Corbett 71). Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden describes and interacts with various members of his family. The way he talks about or to each gives you some idea of whether he thinks they are "phony" or normal. A few of his accounts make it more obvious than others to discover how he classifies each family member. From the very first page of the novel, Holden begins to refer to his parents as distant and generalizes both his father and mother frequently throughout his chronicle. One example is: "†¦my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything personal about them. They’re quite touchy a... Free Essays on Catcher In The Rye Holden Caulfield narrates The Catcher in the Rye in the first person, describing what he himself sees and experiences, providing his own commentary on the people and events he describes. This was a very effective choice for the telling of the story made by the author, J.D Salinger. Holden Caulfield’s tone varied between disgust, cynicism, bitterness and an immature childish tone, which brought color to the story and contributed to the better understanding of Holden Caulfield himself. Throughout the story many key concepts move the story along. â€Å"Phoniness,† which is probably the most famous phrase from The Catcher in the Rye, is one of Holden’s favorite concepts. Holden expends so much energy searching for phoniness in others, that he never directly observes his own phoniness. For example, on the train to New York he lies to Mrs. Morrow as a prank telling her, that her son Ernest is a model student and is popular, when really Holden hates Ernest. Telling the story in first person benefits the reader by giving an inside look into Holden’s strong emotions that help move the book along. For example, loneliness and longing for an intimate â€Å"adult† relationship was a driving force throughout the story. Most of the novel describes his almost manic quest for companionship as he flits from one meaningless encounter to another. Whenever he would get himself into a situation where he would try ending his loneliness, like the encounter with Sunny, the reader would think Holden mature, but then he would sabotage himself, backing out of the situation with an excuse, showing that immature childish tone. Holden’s narration of the story brought feelings, emotions and experiences only Holden could have described. Holden as the narrator made the story simple to follow and also made let the reader really connect with this hypocritical boy who wasn’t ready to grow up.... Free Essays on Catcher In The Rye Catcher in the Rye Essay Holden’s speech is often sarcastic, negative and dismissive to most people he encounters. Occasionally, we see glimpses of sensitivity, gentleness and compassion in his thoughts and observation of the few people he cares about. The way he speaks gives us a clear insight into his character as we see both anger and contempt, but also his extreme vulnerability and sense of sadness and aloneness. Salinger’s use of Holden’s voice gives us a vivid and immediate sense of who Holden is. We feel as though we are in his head. Throughout this book, Holden is constantly putting others down whether it be in his head or out loud. The way he speaks shows the reader that he doesn’t really want to be telling this story. In the first sentence of the book, he starts out by saying â€Å" f you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that a David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.† This passage shows that he feels as if he is being forced to tell the story. His negativity is the first thing you notice about this character when you first start reading this book. On page 42, when he’s fighting with Stradlater, he says, â€Å"I didn’t even answer him. God, how I hated him.† This passage shows that he almost never has anything nice to say to peop le. Another thing that Holden is constantly doing throughout the book is lying. On page 54, when he is talking to the mother on the subway he says,† ‘Rudolf Schmidt,’ I told her. I didn’t feel like giving her my whole life history. Rudolf Schmidt was the name of the janitor of our dorm.† This passage shows that Holden lies for no reason what so ever. Although most of what comes out of Holden’s mouth is negative, ther... Free Essays on Catcher In The Rye Devotion to the Protection of innocence Innocence, Compassion, and some ‘Crazy’ Cliff A novel, which has gained literary recognition worldwide, scrutiny to the point of censorship and has established a following among adolescents, The Catcher in the Rye is in its entirety a unique connotation of the preservation of innocence and the pursuit of compassion. With certain elegance the writer J.D. Salinger, substantiates the growth and perils, which lie between childhood and adulthood. Embellishing the separation between innocence and squalor in the grasps of society. The bridge that lies between these contrasting themes are personified through the novel’s protagonist, Holden Caulfield and his visualization of a cliff, which depicts a dividing point between the evident beginning and end. The connection, which binds this gap in reality, was made clear through a new found compassion, consummating Holden’s place in society through the realization of his surroundings from which he successfully crosses ov er. Focusing on the rebellious and confused truth of adolescents stuck between the innocence of childhood and the crookedness of the adult world, this novel strikes a cord, which most adolescents can relate. The essence of the story The Catcher in the Rye follows the forty-eight hour experience of sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield, told through first person narration. After his expulsion from Pency, a fashionable prep school, the latest in a long line of expulsions, Holden has a few confrontations with his fellow students and leaves shortly after to return to his hometown, New York City. In the heart of New York City, Holden spends the following two days hiding out to rest before confronting his parents with the news. During his adventures in the city he tries to renew some old acquaintances, find his significance in the adult world, and come to grips with the head-aches he has been having lately. Eventually, Holden sneaks home to visit... Free Essays on Catcher in the Rye "She was ostracizing the hell out of me," Holden says. "Just like the fencing team at Pencey when I left all the goddam foils on the subway." This reference brings you back to the very beginning of the story, the fifth paragraph of the novel, when he talked about the fencing foils. Maybe it's an indication that Holden has come full circle, that he hasn't accomplished anything, that he's right back where he started. There's another full-circle reference later in this chapter, when Holden says he's going to visit a former teacher of his. Its likely that Salinger is trying to direct our attention to the beginning of the story. Phoebe talks to Holden "like a goddam schoolteacher," and he responds as he might to an older person, in a petulant and whining manner. When she asks him why he's being expelled again, he tries to explain what a terrible place Pencey is. The trouble is, his description could fit any school, or almost any group situation that any of us will ever be in. Holden may think he's complaining about Pencey; in fact, he's complaining about the world. Phoebe really becomes the adult character when she presses him to name something he really likes. She won't accept either of the answers he gives, and she presses the issue by asking him what he wants to be. Holden's response contains the source of the book's title. He wants to be the catcher in the rye because he wants to prevent small children from getting hurt.... Free Essays on Catcher in the Rye Catcher In The Rye Holden Caulfield is teen angst bull-crap with a pickax. He's sarcastic, nasty, and completely unlikeable. He also doesn't give a crap. He is every teenager caught between the crapy little games of high school ("you're supposed to kill yourself if the football team loses or something") and the fear of adulthood ("going to get an office job and make a lot of money like the rest of the phonies"). The greatness in Holden Caulfield is that what he has to say is better than a million Celestine Prophecies or anything said by Jonathan Livingston Seagull (save for the squawks after you shoot him) or Jesus (save for the apocryphal "hey Peter I can see your house from here"). Holden Caulfield says that life sucks, everyone is a phony, and you'll be inevitably disappointed by everyone that you hold in awe. If you think that this sounds awful, ask yourself one question. When was the last time you found any joy in watching Barney or the Care Bears? It isn't just what he says but the way he says it. He goes through life making dead-on observations that completely shoot the kneecaps out from under the terminally self-righteous. When a successful mortician tells the school to follow his example and pray when things go bad, it is Holden Caulfield who points out that the guy is praying for more people to die. He's depressed by nuns and annoyed by shallow girlfriends, while in love with his platonic friend. Even more interesting is the fact that Caulfield's general pissed off attitude and his hormones are inextricably linked. He practically wants to kill his roommate, Stradlatter, because Stradlatter might have screwed a girl he desires. He guiltily admits to making out with phonies, and in a major confession he confesses to being a virgin. He gets the crap beat out of him by a disgruntled pimp after deciding that he doesn't want a to have sex with a prostitute for the silliest of reasons.(he ju...