Identity Crises in The Catcher in The Rye and The Awakening Many of the world’s literary characters face struggles or crises of identity, either due to societal pressures or because of their personal lives. Holden Caulfield and Edna Pontellier, from the Catcher in the Rye and The Awakening, respectively, are not exceptions to this common … Read more
The protagonist in a novel is the main character. Readers can feel sympathy or have a lack of sympathy for the protagonist in the novel. In the novel, The Catcher In the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Salinger creates an unsympathetic protagonist named Holden Caulfield. Readers are unsympathetic toward Holden because he grasped onto Allie’s … Read more
Often times, who one surrounds themselves with, even for a short period of time affect a person’s life for years to come. In Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger captures the story of Holden Caulfield, who throughout his travels to New York, is compelled by his thoughts of characters who are never introduced … Read more
The first-person narrative book, “the catcher in the rye” is a fiction novel that was written by J. D. Salinger and published in July 16, 1951 but takes place in the late 1940’s after the Second World War. The book’s publication in 1951 came at the dawn of the age of the teenager; “A new … Read more
Ed Lin’s Waylaid is narrated by a twelve year old Chinese American boy who is on the brink of adolescence. The protagonist struggles to grow up as he helps his parents run a sleazy motel on the New Jersey Coast while catering to a variety of different men throughout the season such as old men … Read more
Throughout life we adapt and change depending on societal norms, our environment, and many other aspects that influence us. Adolescence is a critical time in our lives, where we are first introduced to the real world and prepare ourselves for the future. Whether it be a teen who joins a new group of friends to … Read more
Holden Caufield, the protagonist of J. D. Salinger’s iconic coming of age novel, cycles through various emotional states towards people, places, items, and events throughout the story. However, most of his feelings can be categorized under the umbrellas of either contentment or dissatisfaction. For most of the novel, he exists in a state of deep … Read more
The song “All I Want” by Kodaline refers to Holden’s feelings toward Phoebe near the end of the book. For example, when Holden is delusional, he thinks he is going to die of pneumonia and says, “… so finally what I figured I’d do, I figured I’d better sneak home and see her, in case … Read more
Insanity is a state of mind that prevents normal perception, behaviour, or social interaction. It is when one does something out of the ordinary; yet feels as though it is justified. These perspectives of insanity are likewise portrayed in literature. “The Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger examines the behaviour and relationships of … Read more
Innocence, Compassion, and some Crazy’ Cliff A novel, which has gained literary recognition worldwide, scrutiny to the point of censorship and has established a following among adolescents, The Catcher in the Rye is in its entirety a unique connotation of the preservation of innocence and the pursuit of compassion. With certain elegance the writer J. … Read more
In the novel The Catcher In The Rye we read about a sixteen year old boy named Holden Caulfield. The story starts off telling us about how he gets kicked out of a preppy High School and uses his parents money to move to New York. Throughout the story we see Holden expressing different types … Read more
The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, interacts with many people throughout J. D. Salingers novel The Catcher in the Rye, but probably none have as much impact on him as certain members of his immediate family. The ways Holden acts around or reacts to the various members of his family give the reader a direct view of … Read more
Margaret Atwood once described the thinking man as on who resists, believes survival is a necessity, is isolated and alienated, and who is aware of the elements that make ones psyche and physical being disappear. Atwoods “thinking person” is exhibited in Holden Caulfield through the use of character, plot, & symbolism. To begin with, the … Read more
The Catcher in the Rye can be strongly considered as one of the greatest novels of all time and Holden Caufield distinguishes himself as one of the greatest and most diverse characters. His moral system and his sense of justice force him to detect horrifying flaws in the society in which he lives. However, this … Read more
Holden Caulfield’s monologue in The Catcher in the Rye is an examination of one boy’s struggle of entering into adulthood. He is a classic screw up with no goals, just as Stradlater, his roommate at Percey, states; “you don’t do one damn thing the way you’re supposed to” (Salinger 41). It is really Holden’s avoidance … Read more