My Last Duchess

Circles make up an important aspect of life. Famous uses of circles include the broken wheel symbol of Nemesis, the Greek goddess of revenge, and indignation. Pi (π) which also comes from the Greeks, is a mathematical constant of the ratio between a circle’s circumference to it’s diameter. A goddess who represents anger and resent and a never changing number represent more than just mathematics and mythology, it’s also what Holden Caulfield’s life is like. In J.D Stalinger’s novel, the catcher…

Innocence In his novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses the title of the novel to show the innocence of children and Holden’s need to preserve it. The author does this by showing us a song which relates to the title. It is brought up first when a child is singing on the edge of a busy street which, shows the innocence of the child. When Holden becomes aware of the child it makes him happier. When it is first spoken of with Phoebe he thinks of him saving kids from falling off of a rye…

“We have to acknowledge that adolescence is that time of transition where we begin to introduce to children that life isn’t pretty, that there are difficult things, there are hard situations, it’s not fair. Bad things happen to good people,” - Laurie Halse Anderson. The concept of adolescence is a universal phenomenon that includes the transition from a child into a young adult. It is the exact moment where a young individual discovers their newfound values and incorporate those principles onto…

Holden Caulfield Catcher in the Rye, has shown to have a few eccentric tendencies, however Holden has shown to be a fairly normal teenager. Nevertheless, Holden seems to be seen as border lining on insanity due to his tendencies of mass amounts of anxiety and depression, which were strange for the time. Yet, Holden’s understanding of the world and how the world sees him is a factor that is often overlooked. Leads Holden is a normal teenager going through adolescence and is simply misunderstood…

The Loss of Innocence Innocence is an underlying characteristic every human being is born with due to the lack of experience. However, as life goes on, experience is obtained and purity begins to be lost. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a novel about a teenage boy named Holden who has a phobia of losing his virtue. Throughout the novel, Holden strives to prevent his transition into adulthood and maturity, while he may not perceive it. However, he finally accepts the fact that the loss…

How much do you miss your childhood? Holden, from the Catcher in the Rye, is one who deeply misses the simplistics of childhood. He is scared of the real world and of all the people in it. He constantly portrays a child-like manner throughout the book. This manner is due to his simplistic self and lack of comprehending that the real world or adulthood actually exists. Due to his fear of adulthood and all the consequences of it, Holden tries to be the “Catcher in the Rye” and save all children…

In J.D. Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye” the theme of change over time recurs in the novel through the usage of symbols. His anxiety is shaped by the personal burdens he undergoes which then leads him to a slow realization that change is inevitable and he too must progress. Two symbols Salinger uses to display Holden’s hostility and apprehension towards growth are the ducks and the carousel in Central Park. Holden contemplating the location of the ducks demonstrates his progression in overcoming…

about his hat throughout the novel. He wears it in different ways such as "with the peak around to the back and all" (Salinger 27) or "pulled the peak of my hunting hat around to the front and all" (Salinger 34) depending on how he feels about the situation he is in. When he was leaving the museum, he decided to take his, "old hunting hat out of my pocket while I walked in and put it on. I knew I wouldn't meet anybody that knew me, and it was still pretty damp out" (Salinger 122). This shows…

abandons his schooling in able to wander the streets of New York. What will Holden Caulfield discover in New York? How will he assess his morals? Why does he do the things that he do? My SSR novel of choice was The Catcher in the Rye. I've read many books in this quarter, but this classic by JD Salinger truly caught my eye. Even though The Catcher in the Rye is considered an classic, in addition to the novel being quite aged, But it was still…

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is about a teenage boy named Holden, who is depressed and has a fear of things changing in fear of it losing its innocence. J.D. Salinger expresses the theme “Fear of change” by using symbols and Irony. Symbols used in the novel identify the theme of fear of change. For example used in the story is the museum. Holden says, “Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different is you “(Salinger 121). Holden explains that nothing in the museum would…