Growing up requires one to go through The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger perfectly portrays how hard it is to overcome the adolescent stage in life. Holden Caulfield, the main character in the novel, can be seen progressively coming to terms with the fact that it is unavoidable to lose one’s innocence. The elementary school, the cliffs, and Phoebe, all demonstrate how the loss of innocence is inevitable. The elementary school is a symbol that the loss of innocence is inevitable…
It Ended with a Sting The infamous bee is known for attacking people with its sharp stinger. The bee does not purposefully try to sting or attack anyone; it will not sting, unless the bee has been aggravated. Catcher in the Rye’s narrator, Holden Caulfield is the epitome of the bee, but in the form of an adolescent boy. Holden, just like the bee, goes on living his life, stinging people one at a time. Holden seems to do the impossible, ruining relationships left and right. He destructs in…
“A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.” Italo Calvino. This quote describes how a classic book will always be relatable and relevant. In the coming-of-age fiction novel, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, a mentally unstable young man, named Holden Caulfield, goes on a journey in New York whilst trying to find himself as well as trying to become an adult. The quote by Italo Calvino relates to the novel as conveyed through the themes because they are…
“Post-Traumatic Stress Injury isn't a disease. It's a wound to the soul that never heals” Tom Glenn. The short story A Perfect day for Bananafish is a story about a war veteran named Seymour who is having a hard time adjusting to his new normal life. Throughout the story, Seymour does things that show he is struggling with PTSD and the loss of his innocence. We can learn that war can change people and they may never be the same. The story starts out with Muriel on the phone with her mother in…
J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye follows Holden Caulfield as he wanders 1950s New York City battling his need to connect to the adult world while wanting to disregard adults as “phony”. The story begins after Holden is expelled from his school, Pencey Academy. That night Holden decides to leave Pencey after he becomes infuriated by his roommate Stradlater’s date with Holden’s former sweetheart, Jane. Holden chooses to remain in Manhattan until his parents receive the news of his expulsion…
In the literary works Hamlet by William Shakespeare and The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, similarities can be found with each protagonists throughout each work. These similarities can be related with how Hamlet and Holden go through mentally challenging events within their lives. Although the two protagonists’ mental struggles are caused by very different factors, they actually demonstrate very similar reactions. Hamlet and Holden notably illustrate the same reaction when a loved one…
Author J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye features Holden Caulfield, a young man who struggles through getting kicked out of multiple private boys schools, society’s expectations, and depression. The lense this book is being analyzed under is psychoanalytic theory. Psychoanalytic theory is the concept of the unconscious part of the human brain contains biological motivators and conditioning from past experiences. The specific part of psychoanalytic theory that is being used is the idea of…
to responsible citizenship. The thousands of criminals I have seen in 40 years of law enforcement have had one thing in common: Every single one was a liar.” J Edgar Hoover was an agent in the FBI for many years before he became the acting Director, this is when the FBI became a big power in the world it was never admired like this before. J Edgar Hoover was the reason for this he set standards that had to…
Harry Potter is one of the many and most well known modern mythology today. It is a series of seven novels written by J.K. Rowling that follows the life of a young orphaned wizard named Harry, who finds out he is a wizard and starts to attend Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The series is a journey of him, along with his friends Ron and Hermione attempting to defeat Lord Voldemort, one of the most powerful and dark wizards of all time. This series is modern mythology because it has…
In Catcher in the Rye, written by J. D. Salinger, Holden, the main character, wants to save children’s innocence. In the book, there are two motifs, the mummies and Holden’s inability to call Jane, which both reveals Holden’s thoughts about retaining innocence. As Holden arrives in New York, Holden attempts to call Jane Gallagher trying to: “take her dancing. I never danced … the whole time I knew her” (175). Holden has no one to spend time with and decides to use his time with Jane Gallagher,…