J D Salinger Essay

Since Jerome David Salinger had troubles growing up, he uses his personal experiences from boarding school to write about a pessimistic teenager who has academic struggles as well as mental struggles. Salinger grew up going to many different prep schools as well as his character Holden Caulfield in the Catcher in the Rye. Holden deals with depression in this book as Salinger himself has dealt with depression induced by the stress from the war. Salinger uses his personal experiences to form his…

In “The Freshest Boy” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Basil Lee’s significant feeling of being ostracized causes him to ameliorate his demeanor with the boys of St. Regis. From the beginning of the story, Basil’s experience at boarding school is dreadful. Basil is “fresh” with his classmates once again, separating himself from the educational community. The realization of this shocks him. After one particular day that he is savagely abashed in, “[Basil] [goes] up to his room and [cries]”; being shunned…

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger consists of numerous characters, but Holden Caulfield and Ward Stradlater are a pair of noticeably contrasting ones. They were roommates at Holden’s old school, Pencey Prep; however, the two characters had a somewhat unstable relationship. Holden and Stradlater differ greatly in their physical aspects. They are almost polar opposites in their personalities. Also, the two characters’ views and their amounts of ambition in life are very unalike from each…

hear about our actions. Our actions influence the behavior of others, even though they are not aware of the effect that our actions have had on them” ( Art Markman) .The action of others is a major concept in the novel, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger. In this novel , a various amount of minor characters emphasize the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character , Holden Caulfield. Jane Gallagher , Phoebe Caulfield , and Allie Caulfield all have an impact on the actions…

naturally and even eagerly exchange their childhood with adulthood. However, some people cannot let go of their pasts and move on towards their futures; they are haunted by the memories of their childhoods. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden’s past events demonstrate that he is aware of the process of maturing, but he chooses to maintain his naïve view on life until events galvanize him to grow up. His past experiences have shaped him into someone who naïvely clings to…

The print medium I have chosen for comparison is J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye; a work that speaks to youth having trouble finding their place and means of survival in the hostile world of adulthood via the psychotherapy (talk therapy between therapist and patient) session of a struggling adolescent named Holden Caulfield. Although, it is almost 67 years old, its import has no generational limitation. Holden’s perspective and outlook on life appears cynical and bitter on the…

"Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules." The quote comes from the novel "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger and takes place in Mr. Spencer's house. Holden is leaving Pencey, but before he does he visits his history teacher Mr. Spencer to say good bye. The meeting lasts longer than expected and Holden finds himself stuck listening to Mr. Spencer lecture him after going over his essay. Mr. Spencer describes to Holden that "life is a game" and is made up of…

what he wants to hear to get it over with. Something Holden does often is shoot “the bull for a while” and he “told [Spencer he] was a real moron, and all that stuff,” even adding “how most people didn’t appreciate how tough it is being a teacher” (Salinger 12). Although this…

In the novel, The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character Holden Caulfield, is a teenager who is rich but suffering from societal problems. Throughout the book, Holden struggles with the idea of children realizing that the world isn’t how they imagined it to be as they grow up. He believes that future generations of kids will grow up as he did, and lose their innocence. Holden has matured throughout the book. He has grown from an immature kid to a mature adult. Holden wanted to…

He is less focused in what he wants to accomplish as a person, and instead wants to save the purity in children. “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 know it's crazy,” (Salinger 51). Esther however, wants to protect both herself and the morals of society. “But when it came right down to it, the skin of my wrist looked so white and defenseless that I couldn't do it. It was as if what I wanted to kill wasn't in that skin…