Category: Catcher in The Rye

In The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger tells the journey from adolescence into maturity for Holden Caulfield. Adolescence is the stage in one’s life in which maturity into adulthood occurs. The story starts off with Holden getting kicked out of the fourth preparatory school he has gone to, Pencey Prep. Instead of waiting…

Adolescence is the period of time following after puberty fully finishes developing within a teenager which a young person transitions from a child into an adult. Catcher in The Rye leads its audience through a narrated story about a teen’s weekend displaying his coming of maturity, or what he believes to be his coming of…

In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the author constructs a nihilistic teenager who lives in a society dominated by phony adults and is trying to deal with both internal and external conflicts. Nihilism is the belief that there is no value to life. Nihilist people are very pessimistic and have…

Throughout the novel, Holden seems to be excluded from and victimized by the world around him. As he says to Mr. Spencer, he feels trapped on “the other side” of life, and he continually attempts to find his way in a world in which he feels he doesn’t belong. As the novel progresses, we begin…

Towards the end of the novel Holden compassionately refers to his sister as ‘old Phoebe’ and it is clear from this affectionate tone he cares about her. Holden is protective of Phoebe’s innocence as he sees himself in her from a time not too long ago. As growing up for Holden has required him to…

The book is about a young character’s growth to maturity, bildungsroman is a novel that deals with the formative years of the main character his psychological development and moral education, it usually ends on a positive note with the hero’s foolish mistakes and painful disappointment over and a life of usefulness ahead, the novel is…

Breakdown and madness is one of the most noteworthy themes explored by J.D Salinger and Sylvia Plath in their confessional, bildungsroman novels “The Catcher in the Rye” (1951) and “The Bell Jar” (1963.) As “The Bell Jar” was heavily influenced by “The Catcher in the Rye” many similarities can be drawn between them, as Robyn…

Introduction to Holden Caulfield’s Character and Background The Catcher in the Rye is a literature classic that follows the story of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old student. He is kicked out of a boarding school and told not to return after Christmas break. He decides to head back to New York City, where he is from,…

Innocence is something people want to keep, especially during or after adolescence. Holden goes through this transition because of losing his brother, Allie, and struggles to accept it. To Holden, losing Allie is a traumatic experience that affects him greatly enough to manipulate his views on adolescence. From this, he makes the effort to save…

J. D. Salinger’s novel, Catcher in the Rye, captures the attention of several readers by featuring Holden Caulfield, a young protagonist struggling through his transition from childhood to adulthood. The demise of his younger brother, Allie, challenges Holden to maintain his innocence by allowing him a path to adulthood. Allie’s death causes Holden to perceive…