The Catcher in the Rye Essay

“Grow up” We’ve all heard it before. Maybe it was your parents or siblings who muttered it under their breath with dissatisfaction. You hated hearing it, but deep down you knew they were right. Holden, the main character, in J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye fortifies the idea of preserving innocence throughout the novel. In an age where kids are trying their hardest to grow up as fast as they can, I agree with Holden. I think it is important to always have that childlike side to you, no…

novel display a healthy maturing process. “Catcher in the Rye,” the title of the novel, holds a great amount of significance as to what Salinger believes the process of growing up entails. The poem from which the novel receives its name, “Comin thro’ the rye,” features a girl laboriously walking through a wet rye field; this introduction represents the struggle of maturing. As the poem progresses, however, the girl meets another person coming through the rye, kisses that individual, and thus…

J.D. Salinger’s controversial novel The Catcher in the Rye, was first published in 1951 and was originally published for adults. As popularity grew for the book so did his audience and Salinger’s novel soon became popular with teenagers. The story is a three day narration of events that happen to Holden Caulfield beginning at his boarding school Pencey Prep and ending in a hospital in California. Holden is a troubled youth who struggles to find his place in the world and is having a hard time…

The Catcher In The Rye: Why Ban Such A Great Book? Bad words, explicit content, a kid who is being viewed as a bad influence. These things all correlate to the concern surrounding the book The Catcher In The Rye. According to the About Banned and Challenged Books Article, “A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials.” The article also tells us, “Books are usually challenged with the…

D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden learns to accept the loss of innocence in him and in the children in his life by developing and growing in the phony world of adults. Throughout the novel, Holden always detects phoniness in the adults in his life but never in the children in his life. In chapter…

J. D. Salinger’s continuous references to falling symbolize a more corrupt fall Holden fears ― adulthood. Throughout the story, Holden tries to prevent this ruinous incline, but ultimately he cannot avoid it forever. He seems to stumble right before events that introduce him to the adult world. For example, before leaving Pencey Prep, Holden “damn near [falls] on [his] head” (Salinger 46) in Ackley’s room, and as he answers the door for Sunny, he “[falls] over [his suitcase]” (93). Leaving a…

Catcher in the Rye Theme Analysis The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger follows Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year old boy who was just flunked out of Pencey Prep, around New York City. The reader learns about his deep hatred for adults because they are all phonies and his love of kids because they remind him of innocence and make him “less depressed”. Throughout the book, Holden is secluded and desperate for some kind of connection, and can only seem to connect with little kids. Salinger uses…

The Catcher in the Rye contains underage smoking, drinking, sexual references, and a negative perception of people and their actions, but it should stay in high school curriculum in order for students to analyze the deeper meanings behind his thought and behaviors, to analyze the author’s unique writing style, and to be exposed to the realities of depression. One may perceive Holden; the protagonist, constant smoking, drinking, and sexual tendencies as a suggestion of approval towards underage…

In the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger revolves around a teenage boy named Holden, who goes on a trip home after he gets expelled from school only to realize what is truly important to him. In the book How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster explains in detail how every work of literature is similar and that they all mean something. In The Catcher in the Rye Holden goes on a quest to realize that his family is important to him, and it shows the events that happen…

1. The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, July 1951, late 1940’s early 1950’s. 2. Holden Caulfield (Main Character/Narrator): Protagonist, manager of the fencing team, kicked out of school (after Christmas break), heavy smoker, has t.b., attended 4 schools, has a large crush on Jane Gallagher Stradlater: Holden’s roommate, vain, and playboy Phoebe Caulfield: Ten-year-old sister, smart, affectionate Mr. Antolini: Only trusted adult in Holden’s life, wealthy, and acts inappropriately toward Holden…