The Last Session

Holden on to Innocence (Formalist Approach) Through his emotional roller coaster across Manhattan, Holden Caulfield insists on obtaining something that is impossible: the ability to preserve innocence. From the start of the novel, J.D. Salinger straps us in and keeps us gripping on to the bars by revealing detail after detail of Holden’s life, allowing us to better understand his unwillingness to desert the comfort of innocence and conform to adulthood. For example, while speaking to his younger…

The Truth: Behind Gunnar Kaufman’s Eyes Paul Beatty’s hilarious and humorous apprising of Gunnar Kaufman in The White Boy Shuffle is about an inopportune surfer bum who moved from the house that he grew up in, in Santa Monica, to a town called Hillside in West Los Angeles. Throughout his life, Gunnar was only surrounded by people who were dependent on him and who tried to control him. So he does not take charge of his life and because of this, Gunnar is heavily affected by mental stress…

final wish. “He heard a harsh laugh behind him, and turning round saw the old King looking at him with a malicious expression. "Well, my friend! You don't seem to have managed so wonderfully with your first two wishes, do you? What will you do with the last? Turn yourself into a swan? Or turn Leita back into a girl?" "I shall do neither," said Mr. Peters calmly. "Human beings and swans are better in their own shapes (Aiken,3)". Surely, the most significant evidence that demonstrates the theme…

In J.D Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is the main character and he could be classified as being depressed. For several reasons being, Caulfield shows signs of being depressed. He is doing poorly in school, he abuses the use of cigarettes, and doesn’t ever feel like anyone can ever live up to his expectations. “As many as 8.3 percent of teens suffer depression for at least a year at a time, compared to about 5.3 percent of the general population.” (“Teen”). In the…

Society’s stigma around mental illnesses can often add to a person’s problems and struggles. In the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden is struggling with the loss of his brother. It is apparent to the reader that Holden has some form of a mental illness, but not apparent to the people in Holden’s life. The stigma is often based around societies assumption that people with mental illnesses are violent or unstable. In one article in states that “people are twice…

Parents often find themselves frustrated and lost when they fail to understand the actions of their children, but try their best to adapt to new situations. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, the protagonist, Christopher Boone is a fifteen year-old autistic boy living in a dysfunctional family. Ed Boone and Judy Boone, the father and mother to Christopher, are estranged, with Ed being the primary caregiver to Chris. Ed faces many difficulties in raising his son…

In J.D. Salinger's book, “Catcher and The Rye” the main character, Holden is a young man who has already had much to deal with in his life. After dropping out of his boarding school, he travels back home and begins to spiral into a breakdown. Holden’s infatuation with protecting childhood innocence stems from the loss of his brother, Allie. Not being able to fulfill his wants to keep everyone around him “innocent” contributes to his eventual breakdown. Holden becomes obsessed with protecting…

“Greasy Lake” by T Coraghenssan Boyle is a short story about three male teenagers from suburban families that try their hand in the life of being bad and macho men. The young men are influenced by the cultural revolution that was going on in the United States during the 1960’s that created an impression that an ideal man is one who is bad, aggressive, irrational and masculine. The mass media played a major role in influencing the teenagers to put on the mask of being ‘bad.’ The mass media…

Part of being a teenager is trying to identify themselves and figure out where they belong in life. J.D Salinger, the author of the novel Catcher in the Rye, introduces a character who a conflicted teenage boy that is trying to figure out his identity and where he stands in the world. After being kicked out of his fourth private school, Pencey Prep School, Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the novel, takes a 48-hour trip to New York in order to avoid confronting his parents until Wednesday,…

“Aria” by Richard Rodriguez is an essay that shows the readers a part of life that many have never experienced. Rodriguez uses this essay to show how he fights through his childhood tounderstand English. He faces society while forfeiting his happy home life trying to become a typical English-speaking student.He establishes a connection with the audience through his personal experience as a child. He uses imagery and narration to clarify his opposition to bilingual education .Rodriguez also uses…