The Catcher in the Rye is Not a Bildungsroman
The Catcher in The Rye is Not a Bildungsroman
Liselotte Teuthof
Mrs. Brandt
ENG 3U1
May 14/2014 A bildungsroman, also known as a “coming-of-age story”, is a novel that conveys the development of the protagonist. The type of development varies from one definition or example to another, but any significant change in the character for the better is usually accepted as a bildungsroman. Many readers and critics alike have categorized the novel The Catcher in The Rye by J.D. Salinger as a bildungsroman. The novel is about Holden Caulfield, a teenage boy, who is being treated at a mental institution (which is hinted at later in the novel) while he recounts the events leading up to him being placed there. Most simply accept that the novel is in fact a “coming-of-age” story and do not give the topic a second thought, but a classic so popularly read and discussed deserves a thorough analysis. After doing so one might agree that The Catcher in The Rye is in fact NOT a Bildungsroman. It is simply impossible to say it is when you take into account that Holden does not evidently mature from the beginning of the novel through to the finish. Holden 's attitude, maturity, and/or mentality does not develop positively by the end of the novel; therefore, it is not a bildungsroman. “IF YOU REALLY want to hear about it, the first thing you 'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don 't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth” (Salinger 1). From this very first sentence of the novel the reader can already guess that Holden is pessimistic and not a very upbeat character. There are countless examples of his negative, judgemental, and bitter attitude throughout the story. Holden is continuously focusing on the negative side of people
Liselotte Teuthof
Mrs. Brandt
ENG 3U1
May 14/2014 A bildungsroman, also known as a “coming-of-age story”, is a novel that conveys the development of the protagonist. The type of development varies from one definition or example to another, but any significant change in the character for the better is usually accepted as a bildungsroman. Many readers and critics alike have categorized the novel The Catcher in The Rye by J.D. Salinger as a bildungsroman. The novel is about Holden Caulfield, a teenage boy, who is being treated at a mental institution (which is hinted at later in the novel) while he recounts the events leading up to him being placed there. Most simply accept that the novel is in fact a “coming-of-age” story and do not give the topic a second thought, but a classic so popularly read and discussed deserves a thorough analysis. After doing so one might agree that The Catcher in The Rye is in fact NOT a Bildungsroman. It is simply impossible to say it is when you take into account that Holden does not evidently mature from the beginning of the novel through to the finish. Holden 's attitude, maturity, and/or mentality does not develop positively by the end of the novel; therefore, it is not a bildungsroman. “IF YOU REALLY want to hear about it, the first thing you 'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don 't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth” (Salinger 1). From this very first sentence of the novel the reader can already guess that Holden is pessimistic and not a very upbeat character. There are countless examples of his negative, judgemental, and bitter attitude throughout the story. Holden is continuously focusing on the negative side of people
Cited: Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in The Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print.