J.D. Salinger Essay

A detailed Summary of J.D. Salinger Essay

Salinger's children, as they appear in various novels and short stories, portray the ills of modern society through their innocence and spirituality, their honesty and sometimes, erratic behaviour. They are often as fragile and odd as they are intelligent and endearing, and the obscenities of life tend to overwhelm them at times. My intention is to show how Salinger uses the same technique over and over in his work. That is the use of children with all the innocence and idealism of youth, to depict the falseness of modern society. Through these children and young adults, from Holden and Franny, to little Esme, Ramona and Teddy, along with others, Salinger tells a tale of the human condition that is witty and humourous, but at the same time often tragic.

Holden Cauflield who is the main character in Catcher in the Rye and Franny Glass of Franny and Zooey are similar characters is many ways. They are of a similar age and are very sensitive to what they call the 'phoniness' of the world around them. An example is when Holden goes to a bar called Ernie's which was run by Ernie, some big hotshot piano player. Holden describes him as being, "a terrific snob and he won't hardly even talk to you unless you're a big shot or a cele

Could Salinger have used adults as effectively? I think that his use of the young makes a better impact because of their fresh outlook and the frank innocence of the words they use. Their lack of sophistication gives belief to their distaste for hypocrisy, for isn't sophistication itself a form of hypocrisy?

These are not the only children Salinger used in his work, but they were the ones who most appealed to me, and better yet provided strong characteristics which backed my thesis. He uses the children as his spokespersons to the problems and harsh reality of modern society. I believe that this quote from The Catcher in the Rye is an appropriate summation, and an illustration of the innocence of children, and the fleeting nature of that innocence which Holden brings to light. Perhaps falling off the cliff is symbolic of loss of innocence. "I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around, nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all."

brity," every time he would finish a song, "old Ernie turned around on his stool and gave this very phony, humble bow. Like as if he was a helluva humble guy."

Another one of Salinger's short stories, Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut uses the same technique, but in this case it's the relationship between a daughter and her mother. This relationship is anything but good. Because of a past tragedy Eloise, the mother, has become an ineffectual and cold mother to her young daughter Ramona. Ramona is not really typical of most of Salinger's other children. She is withdrawn, short sighted and given to nose picking...but she is an innocent child, and a victim of her mother's depressing life-style. She is a woman who has known personal disappointment and hasn't been able to rise above it. Her life is false and her pass time is gossip and drinking. We only get a glimpse of the girl she once was at the end of the story, when she staggers into Ramona's bedroom and weeps over her bed. "She picked up Ramona's glasses and, holding them in both hands, pressed them against her cheek. Tea

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Approximate Word count = 1639
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English