When his roommate, Stradlater, returns, Holden demands details about the date and winds up being punched in the nose by Stradlater for being aggressive. Holden returns to his dorm room and later learns that his roommate has gone on a date with his childhood friend, Jane Gallagher. Spencer, tries to make him understand the importance of his future. He arrives and is greeted with familiarity but leaves in irritation as his teacher, Mr. Holden decides to visit his former history teacher. In the form of a flashback, Holden informs the audience that he is failing four out of five of his classes and has been notified that he will be expelled from Pencey Prep. He declines to mention much about his life except that he will tell the audience about the events that unfolded right before his school, Pencey Prep, was due to break for the Christmas holiday. The novel begins as the main character, Holden Caulfield, explains that he has become ill and is in an unspecified medical setting (largely assumed to be a psychiatric facility). Included in the American literary canon, The Catcher in the Rye provides emotional context but also gives a realistic and historical look at post-war America. Being a product of World War II America, many of its themes, dark as they tend to be, touch on timeless issues that will never be something with which people are unable to identify.
It is worth noting that many social movements these days reject the perspectives of Holden Caulfield, however, having a dislike for the individualistic attitude that Caulfield accidentally represents and favoring instead movements rooted in collective consciousness.Īlthough at times The Catcher in the Rye has been banned from being taught in schools due to elements of homosexuality and sexual encounters, it is currently a widely taught book due to its undeniable social reach. It is likely that The Catcher in the Rye will continue to see success as more of the recently deceased author’s writing is posthumously published, giving it broader literary context. This allowed Holden to become a symbol of purity and originality in stark contrast with a dark and increasingly frustrating world. Salinger, many young people struggling to comprehend political and social unrest throughout the decades felt a deep connection to the main character of Holden Caulfield and empathized with the pressures he faced. Although the book was originally intended for adult audiences by author J. The novel was greatly controversial and ended up on countless banned books lists. With counterculture movements growing in the 1950s and 1960s, the themes of alienation and rebellion against a cold and uncaring society took root in many young people’s hearts and minds. The Catcher in the Rye saw great literary success because the novel was able to appeal to readers on an emotional level that was unprecedented. The novel shows a young man’s deeply troubled journey trying to find meaningful connections with other people, who he views as phony and unoriginal. The Catcher in the Rye is an uncomfortably illuminated look at the pains associated with growing up and leaving behind the innocence and comfort of childhood. Literary Significance of Catcher in the Rye Major Symbols: Holden’s red hat, the Central Park lagoon, the displays in the Museum of Natural History, the song “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye”Ĭlimax: Holden sneaks into his parents’ home to talk with his little sister Phoebe, who becomes angry when she finds out he has been expelled from school.
The major conflict that propels the plot forward is Holden’s wrestling with his inner psyche in a search for refuge from the harsh realities of the adult world. He explores this through fights, considering sexual encounters, grand proposals, and meeting with people from his past. Plot: The rise and fall of the novel’s action revolves around Holden searching for a genuine connection. Motifs: Intimacy, loneliness, lying/phoninessĮxposition: Holden has been expelled from Pencey Prep, he feels everyone around him are all phonies, and he decides to go back to New York 3 days early and needs to find a way to kill some time before going back home. Major Thematic Elements: Growing pains, alienation, superficiality of society, idealization of individuality Society can be considered an additional antagonist. Protagonist/Antagonist: Holden Caulfield can be considered both the protagonist as well as the antagonist.