catcher in the rye/culture of 50s and how they were portrayed in media

A detailed Summary of catcher in the rye/culture of 50s and how they were portrayed in media

Unlike the idyllic image of life in the 1950s depicted in paintings, literature and music of the time period, the 50s were a much graver decade. Commonly, those who did not live through the time, think of the 50s in terms of quaint Norman Rockwell paintings, the upbeat novelty songs of Patti Page and Rosemary Clooney who had hits like "How Much is that Doggy in the Window" and "Come on-a My House". This is exactly the saccharin-sweet attitudes and views of the world that Holden Caulfield in the novel "Catcher In The Rye" by J.D. Salinger despises. What may seem like teenage angst and cynicism is Holden's attempt to show a decidedly different point of view on what goes on around him, as well as on the characters in the book which share archetypes with both real people of the 50s and today.

The 50s were a time of repression. Although the laws of a free America were in existence, an inordinate amount of strict societal controls were placed upon everyday life. People weren't allow to do what they wanted to do, say what they want to say, or express their beliefs. There was tremendous pressure to conform, especially for adolescents, coming from pe

all the way to the Supreme Court. Even "Catcher in the Rye" was controversial when it first came out and was banned in some communities.

All of this paranoia and repression took its toll. By 1957, there were 73 tranquilizers available, marketed by 36 drug companies. Tranquilizers became a popular form of accepted escapism. In 1956 alone, psychiatrists wrote 35 million prescriptions for tranquilizers. That means they wrote one tranquilizer prescription every second. At the time, tranquilizer prescriptions could be refilled indefinitely. The most popular tranquilizer of the time, called meprobomate was developed in the 50s from a chemical similar to antifreeze. Tranquilizers were prescribed to cure anything from nervousness to alcoholism. The 1957 Time (March 11) reported that a woman in Beverly Hills asked her doctor to prescribe tranquilizers for her daughter "who needed them to get through the first week of her honeymoon".

Norman Rockwell was a very popular artist in the 1950s. Mainly, this was because his paintings portrayed an almost surreal wholesome America, which was in most cases just a mirage far different from the life created by the social turbulence of the time. Rockwell's exact opposite both in style and in mainstream acceptance is Jackson Pollack. Pollack was revered in the art community. He was considered a revolutionary. However, in main stream culture, his works were considered a pile of junk that could not even be compared to art. This makes "The Connoisseur" by Norman Rockwell an accurate social commentary. "The Connoisseur" depicts a well-dressed, middle-aged man from behind, scrutinizing Rockwell's imitation of a Pollock-style painting.

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Approximate Word count = 1140
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History