Comin' Through the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye illustrates within its masterful pages the gradual maturation of an immature boy into a self-reliant young man. It is the unorthodox story of seventeen year-old Holden Caulfield, who is growing up in the decadent world of New York. He has thus far been unable to come terms with the fact that eventually, he must grow up, and that the world will never be pure. Holden has profound difficulty in accepting the inevitable, which in turn delays any form of progression towards…

“It’s a people shooting hat”: Motif in The Catcher in the Rye A hat can do many things. It can cover. It can protect. It hides your hair. It keeps one warm, especially in cold weather. It is a symbol of expression. It is rebellious, if worn backwards. This functional object, in the world of Holden’s search for maturity, too acts in many distinct and figurative ways. When Holden Caulfield muses that his red hunting hat is more than just a hunting hat, it is actually a “people shooting hat”, the…

When adolescents are faced with the issue of ‘growing up’ many of them pounce on the opportunity to be labelled as a mature and responsible adult. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield’s refusal to grow up fuels his journey to explore the boundaries between adolescence and adulthood and find a place for himself in a society he detests. Throughout the novel, it is the children and adults whom he encounters, as well as his internal struggles that allow him to understand his…

In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger the main character, Holden Caufield, struggles with many problems which, after being deconstructed, all centralize around a feeling of fear. These problems include his insecurities, his loneliness, and his fear of the adult world and growing up. Holden’s actions and feelings throughout the book can be further understood by being analyzed using a deconstructionist criticism. A deconstructionist criticism uses an investigative look at details found in a…

He hates movies because, though not explicitly mentioned, actors act and, therefore, are phonies. He has a gnawing fear of growing up and leaving childhood behind and deludes himself with saving children from falling off from the ‘rye field’ and into the grasps of adulthood. However, he has little to no agency in this matter because his body and society are constantly telling him to change. He is terrified of change, wishing that everything would ‘stayed right where it was’, just…