Catcher in the Rye the Quest for Love - 2431 Words

Catcher In the Rye: The Quest For Love In many novels in J.D. Salingers library of books, there is a recurring theme of the loss of innocence of children, the falling and the confusions of childhood, and many other ideas that apply to the ideas of adolescence and the life of the average teenager growing up. Many of his themes occur in a short period of time in a childs life that affects him/her in a very profound and significannot way. The idea of love is also a major theme that arises in many of his characters and that indicates the character of the individual. He uses love in the context of being a device that is used to protect and to care for people who need protecting and caring. In the novel, Catcher in the Rye, by J. D.†¦show more content†¦That is why he seeks to find adolescents, to catch them from falling into the kind of fake maturity that they are destined for. He seeks children, free of impurities. At Phoebes school, ....I saw something that drove me crazy. Somebodyd written Fuck You on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other kids would see it, and how theyd wonder what the hell it meant, and then finally some dirt kid would tell them-all cockeyed, naturally-what it meant, and how theyd all think about it and maybe even worry about it for a couple of days (Salinger 201). He realizes then, that innocence is a very hard part of ones soul to save. This eventually leads him to his final realizations. Holden has a few aspects and thoughts that help him to appease him slightly of the thirst for love. In childhood he had what he is now seeking- non- phoniness, truth, innocence. He can find it now only in Phoebe and in his dead brother Allies baseball mitt, in a red hunting cap and the tender little nuns (Heiserman and Miller 26). Phoebe is a hope that Holden holds in his heart. Her childish innocence gives him a true and pure outlook that lets him feel secure in her presence. Also, the memories of his long dead brother, Allie, remain in his mind, giving him comfort in the thoughts of the totally innocentShow MoreRelated Cacther In The Rye Essay1147 Words   |  5 Pagespopular and influential writers. His only novel, The Catcher in the Rye, drew such great attention during the fifties and sixties that those years have been called the age of Holden Caulfield (Contemporary Literary Critiscm, Vol. 12). Salinger is a master of contemporary dialect and idiomatic expression. He created in Holden Caulfield a character who became the prototype of alienated adolescence for an entire generation of Americans. The Catcher in the Rye has been banned even recently from a few librariesRead More Catcher in the Rye Essay: Holden - The Misfit Hero2101 Words   |  9 PagesThe Misfit Hero of The Cat cher In The Rye      Ã‚     The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger was published in 1951. A recurring theme in J.D. Salingers stories concerns people who dont fit in with the traditional American Culture. Salingers misfit heroes, unlike the rest of society, are caught in the struggle between a superficial world and a conscious morality (1 Wildermuth). In his attempt to create a new and realistic portrayal of the times, Salinger first, effectively creates Holden CaulfieldRead MoreJ.D. Salinger is Holden Caulfield1666 Words   |  7 Pageswriting abilities. â€Å"Despite his slim body of work and reclusive lifestyle, ‘Salinger’ was one of the more influential twentieth century American writers.† states Biography.com, â€Å"His landmark novel, Catcher in the Rye, set a new course for literature in post World War II America.† The Catcher in the Rye told a story of Holden Caulfield and his struggle to find something pure in a world filled with â€Å"phonies† (Biography). It is arguable that some of Holden’s experiences could be comparitively autobiographicalRead MoreSummary Of The Great Gatsby By F. Salinger904 Words   |  4 PagesWorld War II, was born on January 1, 1919 in New York City. Little is known about his early life except for his education. He attended schools on the upper west side of Manhattan, which would later be the setting of his most famous novel, The Catcher in the Rye. After flunking out of several prep schools, including McBurney’s, his parents sent him to Valley Forge Military Academy. At Valley Forge he maintained average grades and was involved in several clubs and organizations, many of which had toRead MoreThe Catcher in the Rye Essay1442 Words   |  6 PagesThis paper proposes to delineate the characteristics of Holden Caulfield, the adolescent protag onist hero of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and illuminate the reasons as to why this prototype of brooding adolescence, displaying a rather uber-cool style of disaffection, disenchantment and disillusionment became an indispensable figure of interest, in literary circles as well as popular culture. The paper seeks to take issue with the wider dimensions attached to the ‘incapacitation and debilitation’Read MoreEssay on Comparison Great Gatsby and Catcher in the Rye1331 Words   |  6 PagesThe Great Gatsby, Gatsby is a man who can be compared to Holden Caulfield from J.D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield are both caught up in their unattainable dreams and first love and as a result struggle with an obsession of their past. It is a natural tendency for all men and women to dream but sometimes these dreams may be unattainable. In J.D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has a desire to preserve the innocence of children and save them from adulthoodRead More The Catcher Essay2456 Words   |  10 Pagesadolescent struggling with growing up in the novel The Catcher in the Rye, is not aware of these mediums. To him the two worlds seem to be as different as heaven and hell with no purgatory in between. Holden has no positive adult role models, his only concern is preserving innocence and the only people he truly cares about and respects are children. Holden Caulfield fears the transition from child to adult in J. D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye because childhood is so inviting and adulthood isRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald2365 Words   |  10 Pagesprovides insights into the delusions and deterioration of this dream through showing how the strive for nob le goals and great achievements deteriorated into a quest for riches and how distant the dream is from reality. The American Dream has been in the spirit of America since its founding days. In the beginning, the dream simply was the quest for breaking free from class restrictions and acquiring prosperity and stability on a new land. The Founding Fathers declared that people inherently have theRead MoreChris Mccandless s Into The Wild1570 Words   |  7 PagesCaulfield are two boys who both disagree with their current societies and decide to escape to discover their identities. In Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless never seems to regret his decision to leave, while Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye begins appreciating his life more and shortly returns home to his family. After leaving the comfort and security of their homes, Chris McCandless feels finally liberated from society, whereas Holden Caulfield realizes that he is too young andRead More Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God and Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye1019 Words   |  5 Pageseach one of these men contribute to Janie’s quest in different ways. In the beginning, the pear tree symbolizes Janie’s yearning to find within herself the sort of harmony and simplicity that nature embodies. However, that idealized view changes when Janie is forced to marry Logan Killicks, a wealthy and well-respected man whom Janie’s Nanny set her up with. Because Janie does not know anything about love, she believes that even if she does not love Logan yet, she will find it when they marry.