'Holden's quest is an impossible one; it is a quest for the preservation of innocence in a world of phoniness and cruelty'. By close examination of appropriate episodes in the novel, discuss how far you would agree with this statement.
'Holden's quest is an impossible one; it is a quest for the preservation of innocence in a world of phoniness and cruelty'. By close examination of appropriate episodes in the novel, discuss how far you would agree with this statement. On reading 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D Salinger we discover Holden Caulfield's quest to preserve innocence in the world of phoniness and cruelty that surrounds him. However, the various people, places and events that we come across as the story unfolds lead us to doubt the possibility of such a quest. The novel takes the form of a retrospective narrative as Holden, the seventeen year old narrator and protagonist, relates to us from a kind of institution the "madman stuff" that happened to him the previous December. It charts Holden's journey other three significant days in his life, from the elite boarding school Pencey Prep to the urban wilderness of New York City as he resists entry to the adult world which he views as a cold, cruel and corrupt place. His overriding belief is that this world poses a major threat to the purity and virtue of childhood innocence. I will now explore the many ways in which Holden attempts to protect this innocence and evaluate the extent to which he succeeds in his quest. In order to better understand the innocence-threatening world presented to us in the novel, we must first consider its various contextual
FOX HUNTING: A CONSERVATIVE VIEW
The Catcher in the Rye In J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, the first person narration is critical in helping the reader to know and understand the main character, Holden Caulfield. Holden, in his narration, relates a flashback of a significant period of his life, three days and nights on his own in New York City. Through his narration, Holden discloses to the reader his innermost thoughts and feelings. He thus provides the reader not only with information of what occurred, but also how he felt about what happened. Holden's thoughts and ideas reveal many of his character traits. One late Saturday night, four days before the beginning of school vacation, Holden is alone, bored and restless, wondering what to do. He decides to leave Pencey, his school, at once and travels to New York by train. He decides that, once in New York, he will stay in a cheap motel until Wednesday, when he is to return home. His plan shows the reader how very impetuous he is and how he acts on a whim. He is unrealistic, thinking that he has a foolproof plan, even though the extent of his plans are to "take a room in a hotel.., and just take it easy till Wednesday." Holden's excessive thoughts on death are not typical of most adolescents. His near obsession with death might come from having experienced two deaths in his early life. He constantly
Catcher in the Rye Essay. The three main symbolic events which describe Holden's alienation from society are the red hunting hat, the museum and the ducks in the lagoon.
Alienation from the Adult World The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D Salinger is a Bildungsroman about a teenage boy named Holden Caulfield who is having difficulties accepting and blending in with the adult world. Holden throughout the novel encounters awkward situations where he feels left out and alienated prior to the fact which he cannot make any real friends except for Phoebe his younger sister and Jane Gallagher which he now has lost contact to. Holden's incapability of becoming an adult keeps him constantly confused about society in general. Every time Holden has a decent conversation with another adult he constantly feels neglected or insulted. Throughout the novel, the red hunting hat, the museum, and the ducks in the lagoon are three symbolic events which establish Holden's alienation from society. Holden first bought his red hunting hat in the beginning of the novel, just after he had left the fencing team because he had left all the equipment on the subway leading him to feel publicly humiliated. Every time Holden felt lonely or depressed his red hunting hat was what he used for self-protection. Holden likes the red hunting hat "with the peak around to the back" (27) because it makes him unique, and different from everyone else in society. One might recognize this constant use of the red hunting hat when Holden realizes that Jane Gallagher went out with
Creative Piece. Phoebe Cauldfield's Diary Entires
As Literature and Language Jenny Colebourn Phoebe’s Diary – Aged 7, 12, 16 and 21 * Dear Diary, Saturday september 20th 1947 * * I have been at school for 2 weeks and I sit next to a girl named alice in spelling class she is really nice and we are becoming friends!!! * I hate D.B!!! he is so mean because today I went in to his room while he writed was writing a story and he shouted at me to get out. I hate hate hate him!! * * Phoebe Linda Caulfield * * p.s. I went to the zoo today with Holden and mom and we saw the elefants and the sea lions but we had to go home because mom had a headache. I wore my pink dress and black cardegan. * * * * ~ * * * Dear Diary, Friday, July the 18th, 1952 * * Today is Allie’s 17th birthday. We went to the cemetery in Brooklyn and put some white lilies on his grave. Holden read a poem to him from his baseball glove. D.B. came back from Hollywood with Lilian. They’re engaged now but I don’t know how long it will last. Mom fainted from a migraine or something earlier. She’s so dramatic sometimes I CANNOT deal with it. * * Me and Shirley had a sleepover last night and I found out that Alice was talking about me to Emily so we aren’t friends anymore. Everyone’s so goddam annoying. She said Alice doesn’t like me anymore
The Catcher in the Rye
In our lives, there are many different people we meet, and all of them unique in their own way. Each and every person has their own personality, and meeting someone new can be a wonderful experience. An event like no other is meeting the protagonist from the novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield. Encountering him is an experience all on its own, for he is a rare literary character. Holden is a complex character affected by the death of his brother Allie, challenged by bipolar disorder, and burdened by his self-imposed responsibility as the catcher in the rye. The life of Holden Caulfield changed forever the day his brother Allie died of leukemia. He held a special place in his heart for his younger brother, and when Allie died, Holden took a turn for the worse. His reaction to Allie's death is shocking yet understandable during a time of grief and anger. Holden admits to sleeping in the garage the next night. "I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it. I even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer, but my hand was already broken and all." (Salinger 37) Expert analysis claims: "Ashamed of his need- a sixteen year old crying out for emotional support- and unable to accept kindness since in his guilt he feels he doesn't deserve it, Holden is locked into his grief and locked out of family and society."(Miller
The Catcher In The Rye
Many occurrences, either positive or haunting, in one's life force them to mature, but often these experiences produce fear in that adolescent, keeping them from taking the next step into life. J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye details the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, and his confrontations with death, sex, innocence, adults, and the "phoniness" of the world. These experiences mold The Catcher in the Rye into a coming-of-age novel, in which Holden's conflicts with these difficult situations and issues support the concept that Holden matured from an adolescent into an adult. Although the step into adulthood was not simple, but rather a difficult task, Holden's first wary steps into adulthood provide the framework of this prodigious novel. His maturation occurred during his time at various schools, his weekend in New York, and at home. Death presents itself as a prominent theme in the novel, and it helped Holden develop into a mature young adult. The passing of his brother, Allie, struck Holden hard, and he continuously reminisced on his memories of Allie. Holden also spoke to Allie often when he felt emotionally and physically distressed, such as when he decided to move to the sunny west as means to escape life (Unrue 109). Seeing as Allie escaped from the burdens of life, Holden found comfort in him. From Holden's point of view, Allie was immune to the
