Brooks Ownby AP Literature 24 March, 2017 The Catcher and the Rye The major theme in the novel the catch and the rye is ‘alienation as a way of self-protection’. Holden, the main character, undergoes estrangement throughout the story, as he appears to distance himself from the surrounding world. He faces distressful situations that expose him to victimization and exclusion by the immediate environment. As a result, he chooses to use alienation as a shield from the harsh reality facing him in his…
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a few themes packed into J.D. Salinger’s novel Catcher In The Rye. These are just a few of many themes in the book: loss of innocence, fear of change, isolation, loss of identity, and immunity to change. Today, we will be focusing mainly on the themes listed above. Throughout the whole book, Holden faces odd new situations while attending, and after being kicked out of, Pencey Prep. Some of these situations change Holden, for better or worse. These situations can be explained by the themes listed…
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Many people can agree that the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger has many themes that can be interpreted several ways. Some people think that the novel has a simple theme of a misunderstood boy who just does not want to grow up. On the other hand, some think that the story deals with more complex themes about life and death, while others believe the theme revolves around Holden’s outlook on masculine success. The one thing that these different themes have in common is that they try to explain…
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of the most fragile parts of the human psyche, it is so pure, but so easily tainted. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the goal of protecting children's innocence against the evils of adulthood is that of the protagonist. This theme of protecting innocence is shown by Holden, a rich but depressed teenage boy in 1940’s New York. Holden has the desire to be the “catcher in the rye”, this causes him to try to protect other children's purity, while he is losing his childhood to being…
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Coming of Age Essay In the novel Catcher in the Rye, author J.D. Salinger captures the essence of maturity. Salinger’s character Holden Caulfield is an immature adolescent who lacks in aspirations. Throughout the novel, readers witness Holden evolve into a mature young man and finally find his true calling. Holden reaches a pivotal moment where he finally matures morally. Holden’s moment of maturity occurred when he realized he wanted to be a catcher in the rye. Salinger’s use of symbolism plays…
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Think about if we never had to grow up, would we have a better life if we could stay young forever? A main theme of the catcher in the rye is the fear of growing up, you can see this through the structure of the book itself, the characterization of Holden, and the dream that he has for himself. The Catcher in the Rye has the structure of a reverse coming of age story, where Holden is venturing around New York because he isn't ready to return home. After Holden was notified that he was being expelled…
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In J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, he explains major themes in his work by telling them through Holden, a sixteen year old boy and his views on his society. The first three chapters hold three major themes shown throughout the whole book; Isolation, Sexual Identity/ Drive, and Adulthood. Isolation was one of the biggest themes in Salinger’s novel; almost every chapter had some aspect of him being alone. The first account of being isolated is on page 24 “It was pretty nice to get…
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J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye is a well-known novel worldwide and has become very popular with adolescent readers. Teenagers are able to relate to the many themes discovered throughout the novel such as depression, teenage confusion, rebellion and loneliness. The main character, Holden Caulfield, is what makes the book so interesting. He is a 16 year-old lonely New-Yorker who protects himself from the adult world with alienation and negativity. American novelist, William Faulkner, states, "When…
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in all of them. That one factor is a theme. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger the main character, Holden Caulfield, is in New York trying to escape his parents until Wednesday. On his trip in New York he encounters many issues and those issues sprout many of the themes in the book. The themes in the book connect to Holden to give the reader a better representation of Holden. In J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, three major themes are innocence, failure, and loneliness…
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Childhood… the beginning of your journey through life. Some want to leave this stage of time immediately and never return, but not Holden Caulfield. In Salinger’s book The Catcher in the Rye Holden Caulfield finds himself running from a life of adulthood and clinging to a life of childhood. This conflict between adulthood and childhood was caused by the death of his brother Allie. Many things can drive a man to madness, death is what drove Holden to it. Holden Caulfield has always been fascinated…
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