The “Catcher in the rye” is a relatively controversial novel by J.D Salinger. It is infamous as the writing style and content was‚ and still is‚ considered perverse and obscene. Though seemingly shallow and sophomoric‚ the novel has many covert and overt themes that resonate much within adolescents. Some examples of these themes include: Sex and sexuality‚ coping with death‚ adapting to changing societal expectations (Tolchin)‚ the effects on affluenza‚ as well as apathy and empathy. One extremely
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In the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger‚ Holden Caulfield portrays the second stage of grief‚ which is anger. Anger is when a person is not only angry with others‚ but with themselves. Holden occasionally still tends to show denial‚ but has moved more towards anger. Holden disconnects himself from reality in order to protect himself from grief. "[He] was only thirteen‚ and they were going to have [him] psychoanalyzed and all‚ because [he] broke all the windows in the garage. [He] don’t blame
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and can even end up looking for meaning in harmful ways. People who cannot find in meaning in their life are susceptible to cults and manipulation from others as well as depression. In J.D. Salinger’s novel the catcher in the Rye‚ The main character (Holden) is having difficulty finding the meaning of life. Everyone is bound to spend some time in their life searching for meaning. Holden does not make an effort to do well in school nor does he make an effort to fit in
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Corruption in Society The inherent aversion to corruption in society often inspires individuals to respond to an issue in an isolated way in hopes of minimizing the effects it may have on them as well as other people. In this way‚ J.D Salinger in‚ Catcher in the Rye‚ and John Steinbeck in‚ The Grapes of Wrath‚ each analyze this corruption through the protagonists in their novels as they experience isolation due to a result of society’s corruption. Although both authors entirely address this commentary‚
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Depression‚ the feeling of severe despondency and dejection. Holden Caulfield‚ the protagonist in The Catcher In the Rye‚ is a 16 year old who suffered the loss of his younger brother to cancer. The death of his brother had a profound‚ and overwhelming‚ effect on Holden’s mental and emotional state throughout the entire book. It can be said that Holden may very well be suffering from depression. As the story unfolds‚ the reader begins to understand the root of Holden’s struggles. Although some
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In 19521‚ J.D. Salinger wrote Catcher in the Rye‚ during the time in between the first and second waves of the feminist movement. This movement inspired Salinger to invert the roles of women and show the change between women’s roles in the past and the roles that they will undertake in the future. Salinger changes the jobs of females from someone who submits themselves to male dominance to someone who resists the jobs forced upon them by society. He does so by having older characters that affected
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Catcher in the rye - Theme on Isolation A novel in which a character is shown to be isolated is ‘Catcher in the rye ‘ by JD Salinger.The author portrays the main protagonist‚ Holden Caulfield‚ to be a troubled‚ confused and unreliable individual who struggles through much turmoil. This state eventually climaxes when Holden suffers a physical and emotional collapse caused by his resistance to change‚ the alienation he suffers and to a great extent by the isolation he experiences during the course
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Bibliography: The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
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In the novel The Catcher in the Rye‚ by J.D Salinger‚ the author characterizes Holden as immature in order to show that Holden is struggling to become an adult. This can be proven by Holden’s contradictory nature that appears throughout the book. Holden’s date with Sally is a big example of Holden’s immaturity. When Holden sees Sally after a long time‚ he says that he wanted to marry her right away‚ but this changes very quickly: “The funny part is I felt like marrying her the minute I saw her
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Throughout several works‚ authors tend to focus on aspects such as gender‚ social glass‚ and race. J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is not‚ at first glance‚ a book that discusses gender in depth; however‚ through Holden’s thoughts and discussions with other individuals the reader is able to experience different views that people might have about men and women. Overall‚ gender is a key that defines which conduct and appearances are anticipated by a man or a woman. Holden fears the adult world
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