Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

The Catcher in the Rye

 

            The novel "The Catcher in the Rye" by J, D Salinger talks about a cynical and confused teenager, Holden Caulfield, spending 3 days in New York trying to find his place in society. A theme which is presented effectively in the novel is the causes and effects of alienation and loneliness. It is presented through the main character Holden, the settings of events, and language used.
             The author uses the main character Holden to effectively show the effects of loneliness and alienation. He does this by making Holden a teenager who is having trouble relating to people as his idealism is caught between childhood and the adult world. He has the very mature side of liking honesty and disliking lying and things which are fake or put on just for a show. But he is also quite childish thinking things like he can be "The Catcher in the rye", protect all the kids, in this case their childhood innocence. This made it very hard for him to fit in anywhere, even with peers his own age. This is made worse because Holden as a character really likes attention, therefore leading Holden to desperately trying to find attention or just someone to have a conversation with. This is shown when Holden asks a random taxi drive "would you care to stop on the way and join me for a cocktail?".
             The theme is also presented effectively through the settings of the novel. The author puts Holden in different settings to cause alienation and loneliness. In the beginning of the story, Holden was put into a boarding school where he didn't have anyone to relate to or talk to, because of his idealism. It is shown when Holden talked about how he was standing "way the hell up on top of Thomsen Hill" watching the football game by himself. The settings also helped the reader to understand the effects of alienation and loneliness. This is presented by putting Holden in a park by him self where there is no one he can talk to and take his mind of things and interrupt his thoughts.


Essays Related to The Catcher in the Rye