Catcher In The Rye Literary Analysis

1160 Words5 Pages
Jackie B. Fahey Mr. Lukas English 10 H 5 October 2015 The Catcher in the Rye: Literary Analysis "What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff...That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be." (Salinger 173). The Catcher in the Rye is more than just a title of J.D Salinger’s book. The catcher in the rye is a symbol, as well as a metaphor, which represents Holden’s major conflict in the book. Holden wants to connect with other people on a more mature and adult level but at the same time he wants to reject the phoniness of the adult world. Holden’s major conflict in the novel and his hostile outlook on life stems from the tragedies he has experienced in his life along with other events. The death of Holden’s beloved brother Allie, along with the depraved nurturing of his parents results in Holden becoming physiologically damaged. As well as stuck in a land of his own between childhood and the adult world. The life of Holden Caulfield is characterized by the death, heartbreak, and imperfections of the adult world that he experienced at such young age.…show more content…
The previous quote about the catcher in the rye symbolizes Holden’s necessity to stop kids from losing their innocence and to help them not fall in to the phoniness of the adult world. Holden’s primary virtue and belief throughout the novel is that he wants to be the catcher in the rye. Holden wants to protect kids from losing their innocence, by metaphorically catching them when they fall off the “cliff” into adulthood. Holden needs to understand that in reality this is not an option. Holden wants to help kids by trying to protect them from the adult world. But Holden needs to realize that everyone needs to grow up one day and he cannot protect the children
Show More
Related

  • Catcher In The Rye: A Literary Analysis

    1680 Words  | 7 Pages

    pain on a person. It can change views, morals, or integrity. As demonstrated in the speculative fiction novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the fantasy book Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, and the classic Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, characters come of age when they lose someone important. In Lord of the Flies, a speculative

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of Catcher In The Rye

    747 Words  | 3 Pages

    Holden in a Web The Catcher in the Rye is a novel with many hidden messages for the reader to unravel. The whole novel presents the confrontation between the adult world and the world of adolescence. Holden is an intelligent, sensitive and insecure young man who is faced with the challenge of becoming an adult. Salinger presents him as a teenager who has an absent family, has social and academic problems and who reaches out to those around him to make us realize his needs. Firstly, Salinger

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Perks Of Being A Wallflower By Stephen Chbosky

    4049 Words  | 17 Pages

    the reflection of the real life Chbosky from Charlie. For example, Chbosky has continuously mentioned some books and songs in this novel, which are his personal favorites in real life. As a kid, Chbosky was greatly influenced by the book ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ by J.D. Salinger. The mention and praising of this book when Charlie was reading it in the novel, is an

    Read More

More about Catcher In The Rye Literary Analysis

Open Document