Roderick J. McDavis

The novel A Separate Peace, written by John Kowles, follows the story of a high school student of Gene Forester. It begins as Gene is revisiting his old high school after graduating and he visits key spots in his life and tells his story along with the tragedies. He was attending Devon’s high school during the start of World War II. As he tells his story he coves over three major themes. The novel occurs in the same time as another novel, Night, which follows the story of a Jewish teenager. The…

The characters in a novel play critical roles in influencing the protagonist and the accompanying themes. J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye follows Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year old boy and his realizations juxtaposing with the world around him. Holden is very nonchalant and has been kicked out numerous schools. This leads him to take a chance and transpire a voyage to New York. These events have allowed Holden to meet a variety of characters that affect his life in various ways and…

The Gilded Age was a time of American economic prowess thanks in large part to the influence of a few tycoons. However, some believe these tycoons were not the so-called “Titans of Industry,” but rather “Robber Barons.” J.P. Morgan, for example, is erroneously considered to be the latter due to his expansive sphere of influence. Nevertheless, J.P. Morgan is truly a “Titan of Industry.” On April 17, 1837, J.P. Morgan was born in Hartford, Connecticut, to parents Junius Spencer Morgan and…

The Theme of Teen Depression in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger This book study will explore the theme of teen depression in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. In Salinger’s novel, the main character, Holden Caulfield, is a teenager that experiences problems with depression. Holden is unable to concentrate and has vey little interest in talking with other people. These behaviors define the some of the psychological traits of depression, which prevent Holden from getting close to…

Kennedy was hated but most would be an understatement. Kennedy was making enemies left and right even before he ran for office. One of them being the cynical, hypocritical and vile J. Edgar Hoover, who openly and passionately voiced his plight of the Kennedy presidency. Hoover was a man born of hypocrisy, the man that fought for conservation of morals and sanctity in the country while having blatant racist beliefs and constant sexual…

Nobody Believed “You will never do it”, my mom said to me. Everyone has goals in their life. Some people go straight to their goals, and they don’t look at hard times. They don’t give up in any situation. Other people give up when they have hard times. They never get what they want. It is better to be a person that goes straight to their goals. I am that person, I had three goals, lose weight, enter to a university and find work that I will love. Everything began when I was 14…

The Catcher in the Rye is a novel written by J.D. Salinger in 1951. It is essentially an indictment and is written in a stream of consciousness in order to obtain empathy from the readers. It is the story of Holden Caulfield, a cynical teenager, who quickly becomes a symbol for rebellion due to his ability to reveal the flaws in our society. Although he is an everyman character, the emphasis of the novel is on the society we live in and the importance of understanding, loving, and educating…

“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…

I. What is a goal? People can more or less define a goal, without even thinking too hard, because the word “goal” is in their mouth, most of the time. What we mean by that is that when it comes to jobs, most people have goals; when it comes to relationships most people have goals; overall, every aspect of our lives revolve around personal goals. But what is a goal objectively? In most dictionaries, it is defined as the object of a person 's ambition or effort; in other words, an aim or a…

Adulthood Holden Caulfield, the main protagonist, in J. D. Salinger contemporary novel “the Catcher in the Rye” has a much more deeper character than what he reveals. Holden is a seventeen-year-old boy who writes down his past journey in New York City when he was sixteen. The readers get a commentary on his thoughts and dialogue throughout his time in New York. The audience therefore has unique insight on Holden’s personality, relationships, and actions. Beginning with an of Holden’s…