Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Catcher in the Rye was first published in 1951. The novel deals with the issues of identity, belonging, connection and alienation. This paper will review five articles written on the novel.
"Holden's Irony in Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye"
This article by Lisa Privitera was published in Explicator in 2008. The article postulates that the irony of Holden Cauldfield is that the harder he tries to keep his family and friends at arm's length, the closer he comes to making unexpected discoveries about them and even himself.
This article points out that Holden has a sensitivity that keeps him from finding his place in the world. This makes the character readily identifiable to many teenagers. The character's perspective on life keeps him from readily making friends. He also wants nothing to do with the "phonies" who inhabit the adult world. And though Holden claims he wants to be left alone, more than anything he wants to make a connection with someone. He attempts to connect with Jane, Sally, and finally a prostitute, each encounter ending in failure.
He has no real friends at Percey. Other than his sister, Phoebe, he has no meaningful relationships with the members of his family. Privitera notes that, "Holden's innocence died with his brother Allie, and lying and avoidance have become the norm in his life, rather than the innocent invincibility of childhood" (p. 204).
According to Privitera the novel is not only the story of a young man's sad spiral into a nervous breakdown, but it is also about a boy who takes the chances his readers do not feel capable of risking. His failure makes him all the more real for these same readers. This had propelled the book into a statement for a generation's attempt to make sense of an ever complex world. Holden becomes the symbol of a tragic hero who dares to flout society's rules, acknowledging that there is nowhere for him to go. The irony of the book is that even though Holden subconsciously longs to be accepted he cannot make a connection. However, he does succeed by making "Salinger the unwilling, erstwhile guru to a generation of displaced teenagers who made Holden an icon of their angst" (p. 205).
"Repetition, Reversal and the Nature of the Self in Two Episodes of J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye"
This article by M. duMais Svogun appeared in the December 2009 issue of English Studies. The article compares two segments of Slinger's novel, chapters 21- 23 in which Holden finally returns home to his family's apartment and has a late night conversation with his younger sister Phoebe and an earlier episode in chapters 13 -- 14 in which Holden has an abortive and violent encounter with a teenaged prostitute named Sunny and her pimp Maurice, who doubles as a hotel elevator operator. Taken together, the author asserts these two episodes "provide some of the most compelling, concentrated evidence in the novel of Salinger's (and Holden's) overriding preoccupation: the confounding nature of individual identity" (p. 695).
Svogun claims that the puzzle of identity, what makes a person phony or real is at best difficult to determine. Holden experiences a number of epiphanies during the course of the novel. He realizes that his fantasy of being the catcher in the rye is unrealistic, and after watching Phoebe ride the carousel admits if children fall off, they fall off.
Nevertheless, Holden still is unable to get a grip in where he fits into society's picture. The author notes that Holden seems to understand that both outward circumstances and one's inborn nature contribute to elements of identity. After seeing his fellow hotel residents engaging in "perverty" behavior he admits that he sometimes thinks of "crumby stuff" he would not mind doing if the opportunity came up. Additionally he speculates as to how Sunny became a prostitute, indicating his awareness of the role fate may play in one's identity development.
Svogun notes that by the end of the story Holden apprehends that the nature of the struggle to discover one's identity is ongoing and indefinite. Holden is asked by "a lot of people" about his plans and intentions, but he responds "How do you know what you are going to do? The answer is you don't" (p. 705).
"Love and Death in Catcher in the Rye"
This essay by Peter Shaw appeared in the Cambridge University Press in 1991. Shaw provides a psychoanalytic interpretation of Holden's social observations and mental state, framing his actions and emotions as a pattern of behavior peculiar to adolescent crisis.
Shaw notes that Holden's mental state is...
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