Catcher in the Ryes vs Gen X

A detailed Summary of Catcher in the Ryes vs Gen X

Catcher in the Rye and Generation X:

In the novel, Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden, has very definite views on sexuality, aggression, and death. He is ambivalent towards sex, loathsome of aggression, and fearsome of death. It's this triangle of sin that demonstrates the conflict occurring within Holden's inner monologue. In the novel, Generation X, the main character, Andy, is grappling with many of the same problems that Holden faced forty years earlier. Even though the more modern society is different than forty years ago, the same general issues still haunt Andy today, with many parallels to Holden's coming-of-age issues.

With such a dead-end vision of the trap of adulthood and marriage, it isn't very surprising that Holden is scared of being initiated into the most involving form of relationship--sex. In a society where human relationships are affected by marketplace values, like status and appearance, which commodify people, rather than accepting them. Holden is seeking a deeper, more real relationship with someone, probably anyone, who understands him, and will accept him.

Holden doesn't like to see people hurting. He explains when he says that he would like to be "a catcher

Andy also abuses the sexual vocabulary to a large extent, when he uses sexual terms, to describe non-sexual objects. "Watching TV, is a lot like masturbation," which he advocates in the book. He describes a car as, "a syphilitic old Saab." Holden also associates objects with sexuality, like when he uses the word "crumby" to describe a sexual fantasy, and later uses the same word to describe a stomach ache.

The main characters of Catcher in the Rye, and Generation X, have a lot in common. Holden's views on the triangle of sin are often closely mimicked by Andy. Despite being from two markedly different generations, they suffer many of life's timeless realities, like worries about sex, ambivalence, and cynicism. These characters show that these problems though not easily solvable, are facts of life, and it is likely that in another forty years another novel will be written dealing with many of the things that Andy and Holden are all to familiar with.

The connection between sex, death, and aggression all come together near the end of the novel when Holden visits his younger sister phoebe, at her elementary school. Holden sees a sign that someone has put up that says, "Fuck You." This phrase is so important to the novel because it represents, a very aggressive insult, and it is also a work that means having sex. And Holden sees sex, as something men do to women, something aggressive.

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Approximate Word count = 1541
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels