The Catcher in the Rye
In results of writing an essay which included, " ...Modern science would still like to know what the secret ingredients were that the Egyptians used when they wrapped up dead people so that their faces would not rot for innumerable centuries...", Holden Caulfield, the main character in the book, failed Pencey Prep, one of a long series of private schools which he attended. He was proud of the fact that he failed every subject except for English. One would find the book The Catcher in the Rye extremely ironic. Salinger used irony to confuse situations. Holden would say one thing, but would do another. Fear adds to the irony of the story, which makes it interesting and enjoyable for the reader. The central theme of the book is Holden's war against phonies and how he deals with them. One of Holden's worst phonies is Pencey Prep. He states, "Pencey is strictly for the birds. They don't do any damn more molding at Pencey than they do at any other school." Holden doesn't understand how Pencey can be so strict, especially after writing that essay. He finds himself to exaggerate and lie more than anyone else at Pencey. To impress parents that come to visit on Sundays, Hold
Throughout the book, a reader would find Holden to be quite insane. In the beginning, a reader would feel bad for him. At the end, one would realize what a jerk Holden was all along. The usage of first person point of view helps the reader immensely in the understanding of Holden's true inner feelings and his thoughts and troubles in different situations. Holden used bad judgment in dealing with his war with phonies by not caring about anything. This book was an odd combination of humor and sadness which would inspire a reader to keep reading. en says that every Saturday the students have steak for dinner. He believes the school does this so often because the parents are more likely to remember the good things at Pencey, like eating steak for example, rather than all of the bad things that go on during the week. As the reader reads the book, he would realize that Holden is the only one that finds Pencey to be so sinister. Pencey was only a phony to Holden because he didn't belong there in the first place. The reader would know shortly after starting the book that the only phony in this story was the character himself, Holden Caulfield. During the four days in which this novel is written, Holden tries to discover who he really is by experimenting with alcohol, smoking, girls, and his use of language, which was a disrespect towards others. After he was kicked out of Pencey, he stayed at a hotel, hired a prostitute (he only talked to her) and was feeling
Some common words found in the essay are:
Holden Caulfield, Pencey Prep, Phoebe Holden, Prep Pencey, Sally Hayes, Holden's Ranging, Sundays Holden, Holden Fear, Rye Salinger, Phoebe Phoebe, catcher rye, pencey prep, writing essay, war phonies, realize jerk, holden caulfield, situations holden,
Approximate Word count = 995
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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