The Catcher in the Rye- A study

A detailed Summary of The Catcher in the Rye- A study

It is all Fun and Games until Someone Looses a Rye

Once is a generation, a book is written that transcends reality and humanity .The Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger, combines a unique style, controversial theme, and thought provoking main character in this perceptive study of the human condition. This postwar novel protests against the loss of innocence and hypocrisy of the era and is the definitive coming of age novel. Salinger constructs a shocking reality, populated by 'phonies' and bursting with falsities- a reality that is all too real.

The Catcher in the Rye is the story of a young man's understanding of the world he lives in, and the things he encounters (Lomazoff 3). This work is similar to other famous and influential works of the same nature. For example, Maxwell Geismar sums up the novel as "...an eminently readable and quotable [novel] in its tragicomic narrative of preadolescent revolt. Compact, taut, and colorful, the first half presents in brief compass all then petty horrors, the banalities, the final mediocrity of the American prep school" (Geismar 195). Holden can not understand the purgatory of Pency prep, and futilely escapes from one dark world into darker world of New York City. The second half of th

I figured that I could get a job at a filling station somewhere, putting gas and oil in people's cars. I did not care what kind of job it was, though. Just so people did not know me and I did not know anybody. I thought what I would do was, I would pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes. That way I wouldn't have to have any goddam stupid useless conversation with anybody. If anybody wanted to tell me something, they'd have to write it on a piece of paper and shove it over to me. They'd get bored as hell doing that after a while, and then I'd be through with having conversations for the rest of my life. Everybody'd think I was just a poor deaf-mute bastard and they'd leave me alone . . . I'd cook all my own food, and later on, if I wanted to get married or something, I'd meet this beautiful girl that was also a deaf-mute and we'd get married. She'd come and live in my cabin with me, and if she wanted to say anything to me, she'd have to write it on a piece of paper, like everybody else (Salinger 198).

Is informal and simple, but the deeper meaning are ominous and overwhelming. Salinger's words serve as a record of the teenage vernacular during the postwar era, and his use of language adds immensely to the overall feel and themes.

e novel raises the intriguing questions and incorporates the deeper meaning of the work (Geismar). Holden sits on the cusp of adulthood, tethering dangerously close to his fate and reality and The Catcher in the Rye is the story of his journey into the adult world. In addition, this novel is similar to other famous works of the same nature. Salinger emulates elements of Shakespeare's Hamlet and Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Like Huck Finn, The Catcher in the Rye is the story of a young man's journey into adulthood. Holden journeys into the human condition, Huck likewise seeks out human nature. Huck, like Holden, hates hypocrisy, and fells the need to search for integrity. Similarly, both works start out the same way. Their simple exposition of location and scope draws in the mind, and fastens it securely to the page. Holden's opening speech is merely a modernized and adapted version of Huck's. Holden Caulfield strikes many readers as an urbanized version of Huck Finn (Lomazoff 3). In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, things Price Hamlet cannot control dominate his thoughts and life. Like Holden, Hamlet suffers from a mild form of psychological disturbance. Both men cannot come to terms with morality and mortality. Holden is unsure of what happens after death, and confronts his own mortality, much like his Elizabethan counterpart, after an encounter with a vicious pimp:

Loneliness motivates the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, to break off communication of with society. For example, Charles Kegel argues that Holden Caulfield: "...is in search of the word. His problem is one of communication: as a teenager, he simply cannot get through to the adult world which surrounds him; as a sensitive teenager, he cannot get through others of his own age" (54). Adult communication intimidates and alienates the protagonist. Moreover, Holden expresses his problem with communication indirectly and in a striking and decisive moment, he relays his desire to become a deaf mute:

Salinger accurately captures the informal speech of an average intelligent, educated, northeastern American adolescent by combining diction, and sentence structure in his work (Costello,

Some common words found in the essay are:
Moreover Holden, Finally Holden's, Stradlater Salinger, Catcher Rye, Holden Caulfield, Holden Hamlet, I'd I'd, Nask Burger, Maxwell Geismar, JD Salinger, catcher rye, adult world, holden caulfield, coming age, rye story, catcher rye story, holden feels, coming age novel, similar famous, little kids, write piece, piece paper, write piece paper, rye story man's, tell goddam autobiography,

Approximate Word count = 2287
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels