The Catcher in the Rye Study Guide
Agerstown, Pennsylvania,1949(United States)
For an offspring of a wealthy Family, Jerome David Salinger didn’t go through a very typical career path. He went to many colleges, but didn’t finish any of them. After that he chose for a military career and combined it with his writing talent. He managed to stir the trouble with his works that are still being mentioned in the context of literature censorship and ethics.
“The Catcher in the Rye” is his only novel that even after being recognized by Times as one of the great book heritage doesn’t have a univocal opinion about it from world critics. The writer continues to explore the motives of the novel in his later stories, which turned out to be more appreciated then.
The background of the book is set against the post World War II society that has suffered emotionally, nevertheless, the economy is on the rise and life goes on. The main character, Holden Caulfield, is seeking mental help at the hospital. The life he is used to is falling apart, but he doesn’t seem to regret it. He is impatient with life, yet he has time to wonder about things we all let go unnoticed (such as where the ducks from the park lake hide for the cold times).
A writer in the army managed to describe to the very detail the tendency of a young generation to separate themselves from others, to live the life according to their own internal compass, to have the right not to fit into the established norms. In the society that has very little tolerance for differences and aberrations, having a choice to fail is not an option even when you live in the free world.
Just like any great book that has lived through the literature memory for centuries, “Catcher in the Rye” was condemned at first. No wonder why – with teen’s sexuality, social violence, rough language and abnormal behavior it is easy to be turned off by the book. But at the same time it’s hard to put it down – the book is definitely great and worth reading.
Author: Craig Brown
New Essays
Essay Prompt: The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most controversial texts taught in schools. It has been questioned as to its relevance for teenagers due to its mature subject matter and provocative narrator. Draw on evidence from resources used in class, class discussion, and reading the novel...
In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J. D Salinger, violence is used to develop the main character, Holden. To convey a sarcastic tone and to refer to the theme, which is the protection of innocence, throughout the book. Salinger’s use of violence in the novel helps the reader understand...
Paper Symbolism plays a big role in the novel “The Catcher in the Rye”. Salinger made placed many of them throughout the novel, but there are 3 big ones that very important to Holden’s character. Holden is a very difficult character to examine, he shows different sides of his...
The Catcher in the Rye In J. D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden Caulfield, struggles to find his place in life. As an adolescent, he finds no good left in the adult world that soon will face him. Throughout his struggles, he realizes that people are nothing more than...