Catcher in the Rye Essay

Author’s Background: J. D. Salinger was born on January 1, 1919, in New York City, New York. Jerome David Salinger was born to Sol Salinger and his wife Miriam (J. D. Salinger). Though he was a bright young man, when he attended McBurney School, he ended up flunking out and was soon after sent to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania (J. D. Salinger). After graduating Valley Forge, a couple years later, Salinger finally found the right school, Columbia University, where he met Whit Burnett, who helped him take off in his writing career (J. D. Salinger). After returning to New York, his writings were published in the New Yorker magazine and other publishers. He continued to push forward with his writing career and finally, in 1951, the Catcher in the Rye was published and instantly went worldwide after World War II (American Literature). Though some critics were harsh in their reviews on the novel, it still grew more successful and vaulted Salinger into literary fame. The fame did not suit Salinger, so he remained secluded from the public. His only other published work while he was still alive was a short story called the â€Å"Hapworth. † He later died on January 27, 2010, in Cornish (J. D. Salinger). Impact of Work: Salinger’s work has had an impact on many Americans of the 20th century and today. Their are many opinions on his novel and whether or not it is considered conventional and well-written. Many agree that it is not a well-written novel, while some argue that it is very well-written and easy to connect with because his character, Holden Caulfield, points out much of the negative truth about society. His book was also considered to negatively impact society due to the fact that the man who shot John Lennon considered him to be â€Å"phony,† yet it was controversial. There was and still is an argument whether or not school’s should allow the continuation of reading this novel. Some accept this book and others don’t, but still this piece of literary work is still and will for a long time be both appreciated and neglected by some, it’s just a matter of opinion. Significance of Title: The significance of the title is easily found within he book. It is most obvious when Holden is having a conversation with his sister, Phoebe, and he tells her what he wants to do, which is to become a catcher in the rye. By this he means that in order to protect innocent children from falling over a cliff into the corruptness of the adult or â€Å"phony† world, he must catch them and save them from this stained fate. This idea that he has is crazy, and until this conversation, he did not realize the ridiculousness of his â€Å"plan. It is not until later in the book does he realize that this ambition that he has chased for so long is impossible to reach and that it’s inevitable to protect the youth from being introduced to impurity from society. Theme: One of the main themes that is found in the book is that by using introversion, one can protect oneself, yet can also hurt themselves in the process. Throughout the entire novel, Holden exemplifies this theme because even while trying to be social, Holden seems to shy away from becoming to close to any one person, including his family members. For example, at one point in the book, Phoebe hugged Holden, and he complained that she shows her affection too much. Even from the beginning of the book, it began with Holden’s alienation: while everyone else was at the football game, Holden was alone. Though the reader can see that this is the main reason for the cause of most of Holden’s internal problems, he nor anyone who does in fact associate with him, tries to correct this behavior. Other examples from the book are when he tries to call someone, and he could not even simply do that because his isolation has drove him to feel unwanted and neglected in some sort of way. He sees and criticizes so many of the corrupt people in the world that it drives him to become overwhelmed to simply speak to those he wants to connect with, such as Sally. Though he may not see that his introversion causes his mental and social decay, the reader can see that it may be the one cause for why he is so obsessed with the superficiality of society. Literary Devices: One of the literary devices that Salinger uses quite often is the use of symbolism. One of the symbols that are found in the novel are the ducks that he asks the taxi driver about. The ducks and Holden’s curiosity of them reveals his innocence, but the ducks could possibly represent the fact that there is change in the world, and though Holden does not like change, it can be noted that his curiosity would then lead to discoveries of the world, and some discoveries are likely to be negative and corrupt, while others can be innocent. Another symbol found in the book is the museum displays because they are unchanging and remain the same every time he visits the museum. These play a key role in highlighting the change that Holden goes through because he points out in the book that whenever he visits the displays, even though they have remained the same, Holden is the one that has been changing, and that creates a timidity in him when embracing the adult world. Both of these symbols are meant to highlight Holden’s development as a character, yet to also define the reasons why he is so against change in his life. Important Quotations: â€Å"‘†¦ I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all,’† (173). This quote is important because it gives the title its meaning and gives an explanation as to why Holden thinks the way he does about protecting the innocence of the children. It also exemplifies the oddness of Holden’s thought process and how blind he is to the reality of the world. The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move†¦ Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you,† (121). From the earlier reference about the museum, Holden says this before he goes on his date with Sally, and this shows how much he dislikes change in his life. Yet, it can also be noted that because Holden can conclude that the displays never change, yet whoever goes in the museum does, that he is starting to grasp that change in one’s life is inevitable. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them,† (211). This is also a major turning point in the novel because Holden finally comes to terms with the fact that it is impossible for him to protect children from encountering the impurity of the world and at this point, he then faces reality, and there is an obvious change in his character.