Themes Of Catcher In The Rye By J. D. Salinger

The themes Salinger displayed throughout the novel were eloquently woven into the text, and portrayed in a clear and convincing manner. Salinger conveys the theme of innocence, realism, and independence throughout the story which all send a powerful message to the reader. Salinger incorporated the themes in a way where they were felt throughout the story, from the very beginning to the very end. Essentially, the situations and conflicts Holden Caulfield encounters establish a basis for the themes, and serve as a foundation for the rest of the novel.
First, innocence is an important theme because the title itself, Catcher in the Rye is essentially a metaphor for the theme as Holden expresses how he would be at the bottom of the cliff catching …show more content…
First, many of Holden’s actions have little to no connection to each other and are exhibited in a random pattern that have no meaning to the book. For example, much of Holden’s time in New York City consists of him going from one bar to another, with little connection to the story itself. Essentially, this just shows the readers how little cohesion Catcher in the Rye consists of as most of the events within the story are somewhat sporadic. Secondly, a large amount of the story drastically lacks contrast in which many of Holden’s actions and emotions were the same throughout the book. Despite being random, Holden’s actions and emotions were easily detectable and predictable throughout the story due to the similarity between most of them. Even at the beginning of the story, Holden conveyed pessimism towards people and various aspects of the society, which remained evident until Holden achieved a new …show more content…
Phoebe is Holden’s younger sister whom he enjoys the company of and entrust many secrets with. To Holden, Phoebe is more than a little sister, as she is in some ways his best friend. Phoebe is the only person in story with whom Holden actually looks forward to seeing. Additionally, Phoebe is one of the only female characters in the story that Holden doesn’t view as a phony or fake. As her bigger brother, Holden strives to protect Phoebe’s innocence, hence the title Catcher in the Rye. Furthermore, Phoebe shares this same bond with Holden and doesn’t ever want to see something bad happen to him. For example, her attempt to give Holden her Christmas money and her attempt to accompany Holden on his journey to California shows how she will use any means possible in order to help her