Essay on Catcher in the Rye

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Catcher In The Rye Literary Paragraph

What makes a good character? Depth, a relatable personality, development… All are good things to include when designing a character, no matter how big or small. Many background characters remain flat, drifting in and out of the story, but major characters tend to undergo some sort of revelation or hardship that allows them to change, typically for the better. Holden, the main character of Catcher in the Rye has few, if any, of these traits, which makes him a bad, if not downright awful, character. From beginning to end, Holden is wrapped up in how phony he thinks everyone is. Even his favorite teacher, Mr. Antolini, gets on his nerves. And despite how much Holden praises his sister, he grows short with her. “’She’s a true madman sometimes,’”(165) he says, exasperated with the fact that she is worried about his future. Something so harmless makes him want to give up on her. He can’t develop because he refuses to become close to anyone under the premise that his or her outward appearance and first impression is phony. A phony personality is just one of the excuses Holden uses to keep his distance, however. Throughout the novel we see countless excuses come up for why he can’t go visit so-and-so or why he can’t call up this friend or that friend. Every time Holden does something wrong, he blames it on someone else and shuts down any argument, yet when he spews word vomit at Sally Hayes he claims “there wasn’t any sense in trying to have an intelligent

Catcher In The Rye

Explore the different ways in which madness and loneliness are explained through the use of narrative voice in The Catcher in the Rye and American Psycho. Both Ellis and Salinger use first person narratives. The Catcher in the Rye was set in the late 1940s as opposed to American Psycho which is set in the late 1980s. These different contexts provide very different lifestyles and social pressures for both protagonist’s however, both writers focus on the effects of materialism and prodigality and the…

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Catcher In The Rye

I have never been to New York, but the author J.D. Salinger made me feel if I was with the main character, Holden, in the book the Catcher in the Rye. Holden begins his story in his story at Pencey Prep, a private school in Pennsylvania where Holden has recently been expelled from. Holden decides he has had enough of Pencey Prep and catches a train to New York City, where he plans to stay in a hotel until Wednesday, when his parents expect him to return home for Christmas break. The main character…

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Censorship In The Catcher In The Rye

The Catcher in the Rye the Controversy What is considered censorship? Censorship is considered “the practice of officially examining books, movies, etc., and suppressing unacceptable parts. (Dictionary)” “The Catcher in the Rye,” was often censored and banned from libraries and schools. Each time it was banned it was for a different reason, language, sexual situation, belief in it contributing to the Communist party, and even the use of alcohol. It is one of the most censored books and also one…

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Catcher In The Rye Quest

Chapter 1: In Foster's book, he explains the quest and all of its aspects. The journey that is the quest includes the protagonist and usually spans most of, if not the whole book. A quest consists of five parts, the quester, the destination, a stated purpose, challenges, and a reason for the person to go on the quest. The quester is the person going on the quest. The destination is the end product the character wants to get to, it is not always something physical. A stated purpose is the reason…

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Catcher in the Rye Essay

The Catcher in the Rye “Is The Catcher in the Rye, as a work of literature still relevant for today’s youth?” Name: Sara Sigurdson Course: English A1 Supervisor: Mr. Peter Steadman Word count: 3851 Candidate number: 00136022 Table of Contents Content Page Number Abstract 3 Introduction 4 The Actual Catcher in the Rye 4 The Sexual Matter 5 The Caulfield Family 6 Narrator and Protagonist 8 Role Model 9 Mr. Antolini 10 Targeted Audience 10 Guidance 12…

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The Carousel In The Catcher In The Rye

who haven’t a carousel is a revolving machine with model horses or other animals in which children ride for amusement. In the Catcher in the Rye, the carousel is a symbol of Holden’s acceptance of his loss of innocence and his realization that he will not be able save other children from growing up. In the novel, Holden said that his dream job would to be the catcher in the rye; he thinks that all the children’s parents are ruining their innocence. Rather than recognizing that adulthood terrifies and…

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Essay Catcher and the Rye

Rob Ferrara Ms. Groark English II Honors 26 February 2009 A World of Poor Choices The exciting novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger expresses the free will of choice. Salinger cleverly conveys how decisions can alter a person’s perspective of their peer. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, is a young teenager who has emotional instability and behavioral concerns. Holden acts immaturely extensively throughout the book. Holden invents a world where adulthood is the emblem of superficiality…

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catcher and the rye Essay

Emma Lange 9/16/14 Peruggia C Essay: Catcher and the Rye Profane, sexual, and vulgar content are often cited as reasons for banning a book. J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most controversial books of all time. It is heralded as a classic yet, according to the American Library Association, the Catcher in the Rye was the third most banned book from libraries and schools as recently as 2005. It earned the ranking of nineteenth most challenged books between the years…

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Catcher in the rye essay

Catcher in the Rye In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, many people either relate closely to Holden, or do not relate to Holden at all. People call him a hero, a victim, and in some cases “something else”. Holden is a victim of society, which is a prospect to just about anyone; however, it is easy to tell he is also a strong hero. Throughout the book, he shows compassion to people he cares about –which is not many people – and is willing to save them if needed. To do anything…

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The Catcher in the Rye Essay

The Catcher in the Rye In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger represents childhood as a stressful turn table of mixed emotions. The intense moments of Holden’s life (like in chapter one at the football game, where Holden feels excluded from his entire school as he glares down at everyone in the stadium) are amazing representations of childhood at a glance. Most teenagers go through hell during high school, and Holden Caulfield is a prime example of that. This book was interesting because of Salinger’s…

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