Category: Catcher in the Rye

Based on the interactions and presence of secondary characters in the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, Holden’s character can be revealed as inauthentic and immature. The secondary characters in the book hold a small part overall but the effect of the characters reveals parts of Holden’s personality. After Holden gets expelled he goes to meet his history teacher, Mr. Spencer for the last time as a goodbye. As Mr. Spencer was trying to encourage Holden to care for his future Holden ignores him and begins to flatter the teacher with lies in hopes of getting Mr. Spencer off of his back by saying “ how people didn’t appreciate how tough it is being a teacher … the old bull” (Salinger 17). His interaction with Mr. Spencer, who is trying to help him proves his willingness to become inauthentic, to preserve himself is high. He would rather feed someone who cares about him lies just to get himself out of a situation that could potentially cause him to open up as a person and figure his future out. Holden’s fear of growing up and settling a future into adulthood begins to show as he constantly deflects statements and ideas suggested by people. Afterward, Holden seems to regret going to see Mr. Spencer “Boy you can’t imagine how sorry I was getting that I’d stopped by” (Salinger 15). The words were said after Mr. Spencer lectured him about actually trying to make decent marks so his future could be bright. His narrative of what’s happening begins to seem inconsistent because Mr. Spencer’s actions clearly show he cares about Holden and wants to help. The interaction with Mr. Spencer shows he struggles to be authentic because of his constant criticism of others which masks his own inauthenticity.

Another secondary character who reveals a large part of Holden’s personality is Jane. Jane is a girl from his childhood who Holden greatly admires and is the only character whom Holden does not have anything negative to say about. When Holden is told about Jane by his roommate Stradlatter he becomes excited like a child in a candy shop. Holden said, “Jane Gallagher I nearly dropped dead … I used to play checkers with her all the time and she wouldn’t move her kings … she’d line them all up in the back row” (Salinger 40). The second Holden is told about Jane he instantly starts reminiscing the past in his childhood. The readers begin to understand his infatuation isn’t about Jane but rather the idea of her. His memories of Jane are so perfectly idealized because of the perfect representation his mind has created. Then Holden repeatedly states, “ Jane Gallagher I ought to go down and say hello… Stradlatter responds, Why the hell doesn’t you instead of keep saying it. ( Salinger ). His memories of Jane are so perfect that meeting Jane could tarnish the perfect vision he created of her. this represents how stuck in the past Holden is and his ability to constantly romanticize the past but not take action.

Life is a beautiful Journey. You think you have it all figured out and have a plan. You think you have figured out your destination and the road that leads there. You are excited and feel like you know which direction you are heading in, but then suddenly the path changes, the signs change, the wind blows the other way. North is suddenly south and East is West and you are completely lost. All alone in a stranger place, you have never been before. You don’t know what to do. You are suddenly helpless and lonely. This is something many teenagers experience nowadays. This is what Holden experienced. It represents the most crucial stage of life when you are a teenager, dangling between childhood and adulthood. With the support of the study provided by Ph.D. epidemiologist Nicole Valtorta and research paper on teen psychology provided by Jason Fletcher, it can be proved that The catcher in the Rye, a youth novel written by JD Salinger, should be included in the high school curriculum as it helps teenagers relate with problems faced during adolescence and does a wonderful job in displaying some of the mature themes and gives hope to the youth who seem to have lost themselves.

It is important to make teens understand the concept of death. One of the themes Catcher in the Rye deals with is the death of a sibling and family bonding. This is something that many teenagers relate to as mentioned in the study research provided by Valtorta. According to the statistics provided by the National Centre for Health Statistics, 50,000 children die every year in the United States. Holden suffers from the death of his younger brother Allie. One of the misconceptions that many people believe, according to a psychotherapist, Jerry Rothman is that ‘children don’t mourn their sibling’s death. But this belief is false. After the death of a sibling, teens are neglected by their parents. Holden says that “they are also touchy as hell.” (Salinger, 3). He is emotionally vulnerable but he doesn’t have anyone close to conveying his feelings. Also, he isolates himself from the outside world. Holden was not provided with the comfort of his family or friends. “Lacking encouragement from friends and family, those who are lonely may slide into unhealthy habits, (‘Effects of loneliness and isolation, Novotney, 32) ” says Valtorta in her study paper. Holden has also engaged in unhealthy habits such as Smoking and Drinking. Just like Holden, many teenagers feel conflicted and also join into such unhealthy habits for channeling their frustration. The main concept that JD Salinger is trying to display is that like Holden, teens are also lost and they don’t have a real home that they can return to for emotional comfort. So they tend to isolate themselves from the outer world. But further, the book provides hope to these teens when he shows Holden returning to Phoebe. Even though Phoebe is young, she understands him. This gives hope that there is always someone there for you who you can talk with freely.

One of the hidden symbolism in the Catcher in the Rye teaches a very important lesson that Some important memories are worth holding onto. This can be proved through Holden’s visit to the museum. Holden recalls many old memories on his visits to the museum. One of the things about the museum that Holden holds onto is that it has remained the same, “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was.” (Salinger, 157). This symbolizes a sense of holding on to past memories even when everything else has changed. Holden is now older, he has lost his brother Allie, he doesn’t have a very close emotional bonding with his parents, he is more mature, but still, the museum has captured his innocence as a child and the memory has always stayed intact with him. Also, he remembers that he was terrified of the guards who would always make sure that children would never touch the glass or anything valuable for that matter, “Don’t touch anything, children.” (Salinger, 157). But now only does he understand that humans tend to break glasses and destroy things just as they harm innocent childhood memories. Salinger is conveying that some childhood memories and moments are worth holding on to even though you are not the same or things have changed.

One of the important life lessons is that the world doesn’t revolve around us and it’s important to fail while trying to succeed. Disney is often misunderstood as a kid’s entertainment area with magical worlds and fairytale endings. But with such entertaining magical worlds, some of the family shows made by Disney teach important life lessons. One such show named Girl Meets the World is following through the journey of teenage girl Riley Matthews and her friends, who are exploring the world. One of the famous all-time favorite quotes by Riley reveals the secret of life, “We think we’re the center of the universe. We think everything revolves around us. We depend on the sun for light, for warmth, every morning, every day. When it’s gone, we sleep, trusting that in the morning it will always come back again. (Matthews)” A similar concept is being depicted by Salinger where all kids along with Phoebe are trying to grab gold rings while on a carousel. There is always a fear that the kids might fall and hurt themselves, just like there is a fear that the night may never end and the sun will never rise again. But we still sleep, trusting that the sun will rise upon us the next morning just like the kids will pass through this fall and succeed. Salinger’s basic concept is to say that teenagers should be allowed to try their own things. Even if they might fail, we must trust that these failures would only lead to their success. One can not always clear their paths of failures so they can directly reach success because failing is important. Just like you can not remove the existence of night because you fear that the sun will never rise.

We lose ourselves in books, we find ourselves there too. The Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger, is still a classic. The book still does not fail to captivate the readers even after almost 70 years of its publication. Holden Caulfield is such a strong fictional character made by Salinger that the teenagers lose themselves in his journey. They are experiencing Holden’s journey to figure out life and finding one’s true self. The writing is so true that it seems like reality to teenagers who have lost hope. It inspires them. The life lessons provide aspiration to the youth as it teaches about conservation of innocence and not to lose hope. The pressure and competition are so high on fragile youngsters that they are disheartened easily. But as the book says that it is alright to make our own mistakes and to fail, teenagers should be allowed to make mistakes while they are exploring the world and figuring out life. Because when you rise from your fall, then only can you understand and learn about your surroundings. Then only can you figure out your path to success and learn about the secret of life. Just like after exploring the adult world in New York, Holden was able to realize his mistakes and take the right path to find his true self. And then just like suddenly all directions were changed, now everything falls back in place and one finds their true self. Thus, The Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger, should be included in the high school curriculum.

Young teenagers suffer from isolation and remoteness causing them to have a feeling of anxiety and depression. J.D Salinger and his novel The Catcher in the Rye reflects on Holden and how Holden is affected by the death of his younger brother Alie, it makes Holden feel isolated and lonely. Stephan Chobosky and his novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower reflection Charlie as he was affected by the loss of his best friend Micheal, Charlie is affected by Micheal’s death made him feel similar to Holden. Alienation can develop a feeling of isolation and remoteness, much the same as Holden and Charlie.

Isolation can affect someone from past tragedies that cause people to feel alone and depressed. Holden isolates himself from others after the tragedy of his brother Alie passing away. The Saturday before Christmas vacation begins, Holden stands on the top of Thomson Hill overlooking the football field. Holden watches the game from Thomson Hill and says, “The reason I was standing way up on Thomsen Hill, instead of down at the game, was because I’d just gotten back from New York with the fencing team. I was the goddamn manager of the fencing team. Very big deal” (nnnnn). Holden prefers to watch the game away from everybody else and alone instead of watching with the crowd and watching from up close, Holden isolates himself from others watching the game on the top of a hill. Similarly, in Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie suffers from the death of his best friend Micheal passing away, where he is isolated from others in the school. Charlie has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) where he had to be hospitalized for the summer. Charlie’s past has hurt him in many ways and he is very emotional and says, “Some kids look at me strange in the hallways because I don’t decorate my locker, and I’m the one who beat up Sean and couldn’t stop crying after he did it. I guess I’m pretty emotional” (Chbosky 8). The way people look at Charlie in school affects him because he knows he is different and it hurts him because he fears that people will know him for the weird kid who was hospitalized for the summer and not having any friends, and he is afraid people of what people will think of him. Both Holden and Charlie experience some type of isolation either isolating themselves because of others or being isolated from others affects both of them causing them to feel alone and dealing with hardships.

Remoteness can affect people by a lack of connection with people and relationships causing them to feel lonely. Holden deals with remoteness and how others do not connect with Holden leaving him isolated without anyone. Holden does not feel upset that he is leaving school he says “I was trying to feel some kind of good-bye. I mean I’ve left schools and places I didn’t even know I was leaving them. I hate that. I don’t care if it’s a sad good-bye or a bad good-bye, but when I leave a place I like to know I’m leaving it. If you don’t you feel even worse” (Salinger 2). Holden wants to know he is leaving school because it makes him not worry about school or the people in school and he does not want to have any emotions about leaving. Holden tries to ignore the fact that he won’t have any friends and how he never had close connections with anybody so he tries to not care and let his emotions affect him. Charlie has a similar experience of how he also suffers from remoteness and loneliness. Charlie feels alone because none of his friends are talking to him charlie says “Nobody called me since last night. I don’t blame them. I have spent the whole summer reading hamlet. Bill was right. It was much easier to think of the kid in the play like the other characters I’ve read about so far. It also helped me while I’m trying to figure out what’s wrong with me” (Chbosky 137). Charlie didn’t have anybody to talk to so he decided to call Mary Elisabeth on the phone so he could apologize to her about Friday when Charlie plays a game of truth or dare, Charlie decides to choose dare to avoid having to tell Mary Elizabeth the truth. Patrick says to Charlie “kiss the prettiest girl in the room on the lips” (Salinger 135). Charlie decided to kiss Sam instead of kissing Mary. After the kiss Sam and Mary very angry and upset. After the terrible night, Mary says on the phone to Charlie that it’s too late to apologize and that their relationship was over this makes Charlie more alone from all of his friends since the incident. Holden and Charlie both suffer the feeling of being lonely and not being able to connect with others, keeping them far away from other people because they don’t understand the difficulties they face.

Holden and Charlie are very similar in many ways. Both of them have experienced the feeling of being alienated from people. It caused them to feel separated from the world around them making them in feeling isolation and remoteness. Holden and Charlie have struggled with the loss of their loved ones and how they had to deal with the tragedy that made them feel alienated.

Techniques are a commonly used by authors and directors to display different messages in a media. Slinger and Fincher use this in the book ‘Catcher in the rye’ and the movie ‘The Social Network’ to give the audience a better understanding on the protagonists, Holden and Mark. These techniques include setting, symbolism and language, these techniques are seen in the book and the movie and show a different side to the protagonists. Setting is used in the book and the movie to symbolize the protagonist emotions and behavior. Symbolism is seen throughout the book by the use of a mit and in the movie as the lights of Facebook turn off. A similar language technique is seen in the book and the movie as it is read quickly which results in the feeling that it is an ‘off the mouth style’. Salinger and Fincher use these techniques amongst others to help portray the protagonist in a different light.

Setting is a common technique that can define a protagonist’s past and present emotions and put their behavior into perspective. The first moments in any media’s purpose is to define the character and inform the audience of the protagonist’s nature and emotions. This is done in the book ‘catcher in the rye’ during the opening scene when Holden is described to be “standing way the hell up on top of Thomsen Hill”, this is rather significant due to the events occurring. Down the hill was the “football game with Saxon Hall”, football for this school was significant and “you were supposed to commit suicide or something if old Pencey didn’t Win”. This is significant as during the biggest game Holden was the only one not watching it, equally him standing on the hill over watching displays his feeling of being an outsider and different. Setting is used in the social network as the time of day was night as the darkness adds a feel on sadness across the frame as the scene is more well lit than Mark. A subtle hint at his feeling of sadness and chaos is that it had just rained, this is hinted at the wet bricks and grass. This feeling of chaos is also displayed when Mark is walking though the city and the ambient sound is full of horns, cars and emergency vehicles. The scene of Holden above the hill displays a felling of being an outsider and different and the night in the social network displays Marks emotions after being dumped. The technique of setting helps to put the character into perspective and give off subtle information regarding his nature.

Symbolism is a key concept in different medias as throughout they are used to show a deeper message that can be hard to pick up. In the book the symbolism of a mitt is used to display Holden’s need to be the catcher in the rye. This phrase, ‘the catcher in the rye’ symbolizes a field of rye at which there is a cliff on the edge, Holden is the catcher in the rye. Holden is “standing on the edge of some crazy cliff” he has to “everybody if they start to go over the cliff”. Holden states that adulthood “looks lazy” and that childhood “looks all right”. In the movie during a dramatic scene when Shaun recently got busted doing cocaine with minors he phones Mark to inform him. As they are speaking the lights in the background surrounding the Facebook logo go dim and out. This is a high form of symbolism as it displays the threat that this event has on the company. The symbolism of the Mitt and the catcher in the rye describes Holdens feelings towards adulthood and his desire for others not to transition into adulthood. In the movie the symbolism of the Facebook lights turning of symbolizes Facebooks future depleting due to the threat of Shaun’s actions.

Language is a key component in all medias that help to give an understanding in the type of text and like the other techniques, the nature of the protagonist. The language in the book is considered to be inappropriate considering the time. Holden uses language such as “asshole”, “damm”, “ass”, “god”, and other profanity’s. This language shows the reader that Holden doesn’t have a filter and speaks his mind, this is shown when he speaks to others by saying “You grab your bags and scoot right on back here again”. In the movie Mark often speaks quickly jumping from train of thought to train of thought, this is seen during his date when he says “we stopped talking about that ages ago”. This is said in question as his date couldn’t keep up with him speaking. This rapid speech by Mark displays that he has a lot to say and speaks his mind. The technique of language in catcher in the rye displays Holdens lack of filter and Marks constant need to talk and Intelligence.

Both J.D. Salinger and David Fincher use similar techniques to tell a story to make the viewer/reader feel attached to the main character in more of a personal way. Some techniques that are present in both The Social Network and The Catcher in the Rye are, setting, language and symbolism.

Setting in a big theme in both movies, it is used to give more information about the main character and the environment that they are in. Scene 2 in The Social Network is set in the streets of Boston in 2004. It is dark as mark walks out of The Scholar Pub. he just had an argument with his girlfriend who then broke up with him. The darkness is used as a sense of mystery as if the viewer doesn’t know what can happen in it. The city looks old, the old buildings in the skyline add to this effect. You can hear sirens and noises from others, these sound effects are used to show how non-stop this city is and how busy everyone always is… but still, mark keeps his head down and makes his way back to his dorm. Mark is running home compared to everyone walking, this shows that he is a bit weird and lonely. But it could also mean that he is eager to get home to write his blog about how “Erica is a bitch”. Whilst running home he gets a lot of stares and judgemental looks from the others. The other people are usually with their friends or in a pair, very often are they walking by themselves, unlike mark. The director purposely put in sound effects of people chatting and going about their day to show that mark is excluded from this. This adds to the fact that he is alone and would make the viewer think that he doesn’t have a lot of friends. A similar theme is present in the catcher in the rye when Holden is often seen isolated and alienated. There are hints that he is telling his story from a hospital where he is recovering from his breakdown, and throughout the story his adventures are consistently focused on making some sort of human connection. Holden self-sabotages constantly. He feels lonely and isolated at school, but one of the first things he tells us is that he’s not going to the football game everyone else is attending. He decides to see people, and then insults them and drives them away. Holden uses alienation to protect himself from mockery and rejection, but his loneliness drives him to keep trying to connect.

One of the most significant item/theme in The Catcher In The Rye is Holden’s red hunting hat. Closer to the start of the book he bought the hat, he was in New York and the manager of the fencing team. Holden’s hat represents his individuality and is his way of expressing this, a major Concept. A conflict in the novel is Holden’s need for companionship compared to his need for isolation. This hat epitomizes this conflict, which can be seen by Holden’s actions of hiding the hat when he is around acquaintances and wearing it when alone or amongst strangers. Holden wears the cap that he frankly admits is kind of ridiculous. For Holden it is a sign of his ‘otherness’ and his uniqueness—his isolation from others. Notably, he removes the hat whenever he is meeting someone he wants to connect with; Holden knows full well the hat is part of his protective colouring. In the social network mark wasn’t allowed into any finals club, as well he wasn’t in the row crew. Therefore, he could have felt excluded from his peers. This is also another reason that he made Facebook, it was in a way his own final club that he made, he added a factor of exclusivity, meaning that you’d had to have a “Harvard.edu” email address. Facebook in a way was marks safe place. It was his place to go when he needed to let go and relax.

Holden’s language used throughout the text Isn’t very renowned in the literary critic’s area. Holden’s words, thoughts/comments Are used to broader his personality and create a more likeable/relatable character for the reader to relate to. Holden also comments his hatred toward “phonies”, this is most likely why he frequently confirms a sentence with ‘I really do,’ ‘It really does,’ or ‘if you want to know the truth.’ He also authenticates comments by over eradicating them. An example could be when Holden says, ‘She likes me a lot. I mean she’s quite fond of me.’ (pg. 141) and, ‘He was a very nervous guy- I mean a very nervous guy.’ (pg. 165) In each case, Holden makes a statement then feels as if he needs to reassure himself and others about what he just said. Mark doesn’t tend to speak a lot to people that he is does not know that well. When mark is familiar with the person that he is talking to, he can talk fluently. Mark has an IQ well above others and this makes the way that he goes about life different to the others. David Fincher portrays mark as an intellectual genius who doesn’t fit in but is trying hard to.

The texts both can excite, inform and entertain at the same time and is appealing to both technical and non-technical viewers. The way that David Fincher and J. D. Salinger incorporate setting, language and symbolism into their texts are very similar to each other and this is something that sets them apart from other texts. Both texts use many themes which help connect to the main character in a personal level. Being able to connect to the main character makes you feel more in touch with them, this makes you feel for them if something bad happens or happy for them if something good happens.

The controversial elements that are laced within the The Goat (Who is Sylvia?) and Catcher in the Rye is what allows the texts to transcend the literary sphere and pave a new way of thinking. It is the obscene imagery and vulgar language that many take at face-value, disregarding the prime purpose of its use; to depict a flawed main character who struggles with the social taboos that creates a bounded world for them. Although taboo concepts of bestiality, incest and homosexuality are explored in the texts, their role is to draw attention to how society reacts to those who display unwanted behaviour, and the bigotry they endure for crossing social and moral boundaries. Albee and J.D Salinger force the audience through confronting topics, to test the limits of our tolerance by having a broader outlook and placing ourselves in the character’s situation which are outside of many peoples’ comfort zones.

The delicate topics of sexual promiscuity, bestiality and copulation are emblematic of the disapproved perceptions of homosexuality. Both Holden and Martin’s sexual ambivalence and inability to relate to the universal norm of heterosexual relationships, by far, holds the greatest shock value. Martin’s sensuality and forbidden love with an animal is revealed early in the play, defining him as a “goat fucker” amongst his loved ones. Sarah Crockarell further claims that The Goat “deepens the complexity and ambiguity of queer relationships… [by using] bestiality to mark queer desire” (2013). This perverted and damnable revelation immediately overshadows Billy’s unconventional sexual orientation; allowing Albee to successfully utilise bestiality as an anomaly to make homosexuality appear normalised in the eyes of the audience. However, this doesn’t negate the fact that Billy’s homosexuality is looked down upon as a grotesque and an unnatural act in a heteronormative society. This is prevalent when Martin uses derogatory language towards his gay son, calling him a “fucking faggot” despite being depicted in the play as a “liberal, right-thinking…man”. This evidently captures the “hypocritical reactionary prejudice” (Weitz, 2009) that Martin possesses; where his internalised homophobia stems from society’s rigid constructs of sexuality. This is a clear indication of how arbitrary standards shape one’s social morality. The irony of this homophobic behaviour where Martin is criticising his son’s sexuality despite being labelled perverted due to his bestial desires, is almost comical and a true reflection of society’s hypocrisy. Ross adds to the homophobic sentiment when Martin states that “[Billy’s] sure; loves it, he says” when discussing his son’s sexuality. By responding “Well, of course he loves it; he’s getting laid”, Ross conventionalises Billy’s sexuality by comparing his desires to those of a heterosexual male.

This is mirrored to a similar extent in Catcher in the Rye, where Holden’s feeble attempts of sexual promiscuity and internal carnal conflict alludes to the rejected ideologies of sexual intimacy between males. Set within “the closeted gay space of the American 1950s” (Beslagic, 2013) the protagonist Holden Caulfield appears to battle internal conflicts on sexuality and adhering to hetercentric standards. Although it is not explicit that Holden is a homosexual, Catcher in the Rye foregrounds the notions of queerness and reveals the ingrained homophobia through the protagonist’s sexual issues. From a queer perspective, Holden perceiving himself to be a “pervert” who “thinks of very crumby stuff” could insinuate that his thoughts and desires are centred around “homosexuality and other non-normative sexual expressions” (Beslagic, 2013). Whereas Martin is more accepting of his sexual preference and eventually his son’s homosexuality, Holden fears his own lust and conforms to the heteronormative standards. His regulated attitudes towards queer relationships is demonstrated when he states that “Some of the ones [Luce] said were flits were even married, for God’s sake”. The level of disgust and disturbance towards same-sex couples reiterates how the narrator’s way of thinking has been heavily influenced by societal homophobia. Both Martin and Holden are isolated and seek companionship in both texts, however, they act on those feelings in polarising ways. Whilst Martin allows himself to be driven by animal passions and embrace his bestial desires, Holden in stark contrast attempts to further repress his sexual desires with his weak attempts at random sex. From a queer perspective, Holden’s inability to have sex does not stem from his aversion to the act itself, but the gender he ought to have it with. Wanting to “get it over with”, Holden enlists the service of a prostitute but retracts from his plan by lying about his healing “clavichord”. Holden’s conflicted behaviour and panic at the anticipation of sex with the prostitute Sunny, is a clear indication that he feels the pressure to conform and abandon his true desires; his attraction to males. Thus, both texts use controversial approaches to expose the prejudice and ostracization of those with non-hegemonic sexualities.

Albee and J.D Salinger assert that the loss of innocence, although necessary, can contribute to one’s downfall. Although Catcher in the Rye and The Goat demonstrate varying degrees of losing innocence, it is the characters exposure to corruption and moral decay that evidently leads to their undoing. The goat is considered innocent throughout the duration of play and suffers as a result of Martin’s lewd obsession and Stevie’s cruel revenge. Ultimately the goat transforms into the scapegoat, blamed for the sins of Martin destroying his paradisal family. Stevie deems her husband’s secret as the ultimate betrayal: “You have brought me down you goat fucker…you have brought me down, and Christ, I’ll bring you down with me”. Martin’s lust for a goat is what tarnishes Stevie’s morality, and drives her to lose her innocence by slaughtering her husband’s love. The violent imagery of “Stevie dragging a dead goat [with its] throat cut” across the stage and her face “without emotion”, is where all sign of innocence is completely lost. Although Stevie’s actions are abhorrent and confronting for the audience, it can be argued that it was essential for her in order to achieve catharsis and restore some kind of normalcy in her life. The death of Sylvia was a way in which she could break the thread of being a wife to Martin and to destroy the mirror image of herself as she believed that “[Sylvia] loved you…you say. As much as I do”. The sacrificial death of the goat marks the ruin of a marriage and the emotional and moral corruption of a woman who is broken by her husband’s affair. Holden’s loss of innocence “emerges from the physical and psychological turmoil of adolescence” (Griffiths, 2018), which is in stark contrast to the violent ordeal that causes the characters in The Goat to be corrupted. Holden’s idealisation of the innocence of childhood and his determination to latch onto it while on the cusp of adulthood, is a sign of naivety and immaturity. Stevie’s disgust towards her husband’s conduct is a direct parallel to Holden’s sickened attitude towards human behaviour, which is considered a core conflict in the protagonist’s life. Whilst Stevie yearns to tarnish the innocence of those who have wronged her, Holden hopes to protect the other children from losing their innocence and establish a moral order, revealing himself as the catcher in the rye. This is demonstrated when Holden notices the “fuck you” tagged on his sister’s school wall which “drove him crazy”. Although, he has this consuming desire to keep the “real world’s inconsistencies at bay” (Griffiths, 2018), Holden realises that can’t protect others from the trials of adulthood as he soon finds later that those profane words are displayed in another part of the school and the Museum of Natural History – “if you had a million years to do it in, you couldn’t rub out even half the “Fuck you” signs in the world. It’s impossible”. This delusion of saving children from the pitfalls of the adult world is only transient as Holden comes to the consensus that he can’t remain a child. Holden sees through his own fallacy, knowing that can’t stop a world of children from growing up – a battle which he can never win. Seemingly, his transition, which is not only necessary but inevitable, “from the stage of child-like innocence to the devastation of adult isolation” (Griffiths, 2018), depicts him as a tragic figure. Therefore, the characters’ lives in both texts experience devasting ends through death or isolation, as a result of their corrupted mortality.

By transgressing taboos through de-masking political, moral and social concepts which have been built by Western society, The Goat and Catcher in the Rye challenge the audience’s limits of tolerance. Both Albee and J.D Salinger force their audience to re-evaluate their prejudices and system of beliefs by exposing them to what is considered to be shocking and heinous subjects. Rád affirms that the audience’s appalled reaction to the play reinforces Albee’s argument that there is “intolerance and superficiality inherent in society’s attitudes towards any behaviour that [is] outside [the] sanctified rules and norms” (2009). This is demonstrated when the audience were less accepting of the homosexual incest that occurs when Billy gives Martin a “a deep, sobbing sexual kiss”, compared to the bestiality presented in the play. It can be inferred that Martin’s relationship with a goat is considered to be too drastic and outrageous for the audience to believe, and thus not harmful. These perplexing and polarising reactions to subjects that are considered abominable, forces the audience to rethink their prejudices and how we differentiate the boundaries of acceptable behaviour. Moreover, J.D Salinger pushes the limits of his 1950’s audience’s tolerance by depicting the American life in an imperfect and darker context. Whilst Albee’s play was more widely accepted by modern society, Catcher in the Rye received enormous public backlash for tarnishing the idealistic image of American suburbia. Both texts make political and social statements about the unpleasant side of western civilisation and were reprimanded for encouraging various taboo subjects such as sex, incest, bestiality, atheism and other socially unacceptable behaviour. With the historical background of post World War II, Holden represents the alienated youth of that time who repudiated the mainstream values in protest to the hostile reality they were living in. The War inflicted a deep wound within the 1950’s society and was an emotional burden on the vulnerable youth, despite people convincing themselves that they were living in an idealistic period. Those who were opposed to the prosperous and happy American life that was falsely portrayed were scorned, which is why Holden’s inability to adhere to mainstream values sparked controversy. Therefore, Albee and J.D Salinger use techniques of shock-value to challenge the boundaries and values of western society as a way to promote progressive thinking.

As expressed, Albee and J.D Salinger’s controversial approach to literature demonstrates how the norms serve as an obstacle for the protagonists and contributes to the loss of their anchored individuality. Through shocking revelations and overstepping boundaries that are considered grotesque, the audience are forced to reconsider their tolerance and acceptance of the human condition, however absurd it may be.

The Catcher in the Rye is a classic novel from 1951 written by J.D Salinger, and happens to be a personal favourite of mine. ‘Lean on Pete’ is a 2010 novel by Willy Vlautin, which I haven’t happened to read yet, however it is also a 2018 film directed by Andrew Haigh and happens to be a masterpiece produced by one of my favourite film studios; A24. I cannot officially say The Catcher in the Rye influenced Lean on Pete; the similarities speak for themselves and intentional or not, both stories seem to be connected

Salinger adamantly refused to adapt his book into any form of film or play; which in my opinion was a good call considering most of the story is comprised of the protagonists inner monologue and apating that into any other medium would be mostly voice-over monologues and would pretty much render the film a visual companion to an audiobook and The actual physical actions he performs and interactions he has with others are either mundane or common – things like riding the subway while the actual interesting events are rare so a visual representation would be much of a film at all really.

While successfully adapting The Catcher in the Rye into a film would be near impossible, I believe Lean on Pete is crafted in a way that expertly translates onto screen many of the elements Salinger found impossible.

Let’s look at the thematic similarities in the stories by starting with the two protagonists of the stories; Holden and Charley. Both characters beginning in different circumstances; Golden living a privileged life in New York while Charley pretty much being his antithesis, they both have3 overlapping fundamental factors:

They’ve both lost a loved one. In flashbacks within The Catcher in the Rye were told that Holden’s little brother, who he quote ‘loved more than anyone,’ had cancer.

We watch Charley lose his father. Holden dons a red hat which is a metaphor for his brothers red hair. Charley wears his father’s hat. The death and alienation surrounding both the characters traumatises them each, leaving them in a state of despair which ultimately leads to mental illness

But the singular fundamental characteristic that connects these two characters is that they are launched into a grotesque world with the desire to protect the innocent and pure. Holden wants to protect the children of the world from the profanity around them and in a way; protect himself from the profanity around him.

And Charley wants to protect Lean on Pete from being mistreated and killed, and, in a way, protect himself from being mistreated and killed; after all, he is a child with no guardian. The world is a terrible place and if he lacks the right resources – he will die.

Now that we’ve established the connections between the protagonist. We can see how Lean on Pete successfully manages to adapt the adaptable aspects of ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ Salinger’s book consists of Holden going places, meeting people and explains how those places and people make him feel. His reaction to these p;aces and people ultimately shape the stories view of the world. Perspective is important here because the books written as though Holden is confiding in us; his audience, personal information no one could get out of him.

This makes an adaptation difficult because without a character for Holden to explain things to, it’s hard to formulate that world view in a natural way. Charley also goes places and meets people. He also has opinions of the world. And the film goes about expressing these opinions in two methods:

The first method uses no words at all but allows actions to progress us though Charley’s psych. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden meets up with a former teacher of his, whom he begins to open up to. This is a moment of hope for Holden because this is the first time he’s been able to genuinely open up to someone and subsequently receive helpful advice.

Holden falls asleep on Antolini’s couch and awakes to his teacher, Mr Antolini stroking his forehead, which Holden interprets as a sexual advance. Holden loses any sense of security he had just gained, and his cynicism about people returns

In Lean on Pete Charley goes from sleeping on the street, to rooming with a friendly man he meets at a ‘homeless food programme’ names Silver, who lives in an RV. Charley gets a job, starts making money, and like Holden opening up to Mr Antolini, Charley feels a sense of security he had been lacking for too long. Then, to parallel Holdens crushed security by being molested, Charley loses his security when Silver robs him and kicks him out of the RV.

Holden talks about how this situation makes him feel; and this is where we see another beat in his personal arch. Charley on the other hand, performs actions, and through this transformation of character – how far he has spiraled. We see another beat in his personal arch.

These two stories accomplish the same feat but through completely different means – each catered better to their specific medium but Lean on Pete doesn’t express all of Charleys actions via wordless actions, It makes use of Holden Caulfield-esk monologuing in the Second of these aforementioned methods

In a Catcher in the Rye movie, Holden would either have to tell these thoughts to another individual which would defeat the purpose of him feeling alone and like he has no one to open up to which is a fundamental part of his character, or, he would have to tell the audience directly, which as I mentioned before, would leave little room for visual stimulation and heavy narration is already tricky enough to pull off successfully

Lean on Pete is able to circumvent these factors with the addition of, get this, Lean on Pete, a horse Charley steals from a stable he starts working at after Pete loses a race and is subsequently sold and left for slaughter.

In this situation, Charley is Holden, and Pete is Holden’s reader – his confident. As Charley and Pete venture through the countryside, Charley talks to Pete about the people he has encountered, and what he thinks of the world – Just as Holden speaks to us about the people he has encountered and what he thinks of the world.

Confiding in a horse is not the same as confiding in a fellow human character as it still allows the film to convey the same sense of lonesomeness; and it’s not quite the same as narrating because it’s still an organic portion of the story being told, and once the story allows Charley to explicitly say what Charlye has needed to say – it kills the horse and relies on the first method for the rest of the film.

In the end, Holden finally finds security in the innocence of his little sister and Charley finally fins security in his aunt. And we get the same sense of closer in both stories but through different methods.

Now due to circumstantial aspects of The Catcher in the Rye, these methods could not necessarily be successful when applied to an adaptation – a lot more of that story is set in the past and told through flashbacks than in lean on pete – therefore the chronology in which the events are explained needs to be a lot looser than in which a film allows for and something tells me giving Holden an animal to talk to through his romp in New York that goes into bars and encounters prostitutes – would not work quite as well as Charley’s romp through the countryside.

For what it’s worth – i agree with Silinger, no visual adaptation of his book could possibly translate with complete success with the internal complexity of Holden’s journey – that being said, I believe that Lean on Pete serves as a great example of a film that takes the same factors that are for The Catcher in the Ryue – anadaptable in a visual medium and adapts the perfectly.

I have no idea what Willy Vlautin novel was like, how different yeh movie is, or the thoughts taken when adapting it. But whatever happens, I believe that Lean on Pete is the closest thing were going to get to a Catcher in the Rye movie.

Do people ever influence other people’s lives by doing a certain thing to affect them? Well in the Catcher In The Rye, Allie, Phoebe, and Jane Gallagher, have all affected Holden in someway throughout this book. They have affected him in good and bad ways that have changed him and how he feels. Holden goes through different changes and feelings on his journey because of something someone did or said to him. J. D. Salinger is the author of The Catcher in the Rye, he published it July 16th, 1951 when he was 32 years old. Those 3 people will be explained throughout this story about how they influenced Holden. They have done some certain thing to make Holden the way he is or an action he has done, each of their stories will be told. J.D. uses powerful language and fully expressed feelings to prove that Holden was affected by the influence of those 3 people.

Particularly, Jane Gallagher is the person on Holden’s mind every day throughout his life. This girl was all Holden thought about all day long. He always thought about her and when Stradlater brought her up he wanted to say hi to her, but he could never bring himself to do it. This is because she affected Holden’s feelings on her and he was too nervous to even go near her . As an example, Holden stated about Jane to Stadlater that, “Ballet and all. She used to practice about two hours every day, right in the middle of the hottest weather and all. She was worried she might make her legs lousy- all thick and all. I used to play checkers with her all the time”(31). Holden said this because Stratlater, his roommate, asked him to write a composition for him while he is on a date. Of course, Holden asks who his date is and he tells him it is Jane Gallagher, Holden is very shocked to hear that. Holden ends up going on and on about how he knows Jane and tells Stralater all these stories about her even though he was not interested in hearing them. As Holden was walking, he thought to himself, “all of the sudden, on my way out of the lobby, I got old Jane Gallagher on the brain. I got her on and I couldn’t get her off”(76). Wherever Holden went, Jane was on his mind and whatever he did, he thought of her. He kept wanting to give her a buzz and hang out with her but he never dared to do it. He keeps telling stories about him and Jane all the time, she will not leave his mind. Jane Gallagher has been a big part of Holden’s life, whenever he thinks about a girl it always leads back to Jane.

On the other hand, Holden had a younger brother named Allie, he passed away a while back. Holden was so upset about his death it made him extremely depressed and angered. When Holden found out Allie passed away, he punched out a bunch of windows causing him to break his hand. He did not know how to control his feelings, it took a huge toll over his life. As Holden thought about Allie, he thought to himself, “I slept in the garage the night he died …I’ll admit, but I hardly didn’t even know I was doing it, and you didn’t know Allie”(39). Allie’s death made Holden upset and broken, he didn’t know what to do. Holden didn’t realize the things he was doing that night, he punched out windows and slept on the floor in the garage. He was too depressed to do anything. he couldn’t move or speak, he was broken. Another time Holden thought about Allie, is when he was talking to Phoebe and said, “I know he’s dead! Don’t you think I know that! I can still like him, though can’t I? Just because somebody’s dead, you don’t stop liking them for God’s sake”(171). Phoebe asks Holden what he likes and he said he likes Allie. She says that you can not like a dead person and Holden gets incredibly upset because Allie was so important to him. Holden will always love Allie and be upset about his death, he thinks about him all the time. Allie affects Holden’s everyday life because of his death, he misses all the fun times they had together and he just wants him back.

Furthermore, the person Holden cares about the most is Phoebe, his little sister that means the world to him. Phoebe is a great person in Holden’s eyes and he loves her so much, he thinks she is smart and he would do anything for her. He cares for her a lot and he would do anything to make her happy. When Holden was thinking about her, he says that “you’d like her. I mean if you tell old Phoebe something, she knows exactly what the hell you’re talking about. I mean you can take her anywhere with you”(67). Holden thinks so highly of Phoebe, he thinks she is kind of like a mini adult. She is an astonishingly smart girl that knows everything, she loves to join into conversations even when she does not know what they’re talking about. Holden thinks she is pretty mature for her age because she knows things most kids don’t. Holden was talking to Phoebe and snaps at her saying “you can’t take anything. Because you’re not going. I’m going alone. So shut up”(206). Holden decided he wanted to leave everyone, but he needed to say goodbye to Phoebe before he left. He leaves her a note to meet him so they can talk and she shows up with a suitcase which upsets Holden. He does not want Phoebe to go with him but she refuses to leave him so Holden decides to stay for her. Phoebe affects Holden because her emotions change how Holden feels about things because of how much he cares and respects her.

Overall, powerful language and fully expressed feelings were used by the author to prove Holden was affected by Allie, Phoebe, and Jane. Those 3 people have influenced Holden. Allie made Holden upset and angered when he passed away but later on the thought of him made Holden happy, Phoebe affects Holden’s decisions on things because he cares so deeply about how she feels, and he probably knows she is right because she is so smart. Lastly, Jane has influenced Holden’s every thought on women, he compares girls to her and most of his thoughts are about Jane and how amazing she was. They all have occupied his mind equally throughout his life and certain things. Each one of them has affected him greatly no matter how big or small it was. The things people do or say to other people do influence them in negative or positive ways, it can change what they think of something or affect an action.

Both “A Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger and the film “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” based on the novel of the same name by Stephen Chbosky, deliver an excellent deep dive into the psyche of a mentally ill teenager as they face everyday life. The main characters in both the book and film, Holden Caulfield and Charlie Kelmeckis, share almost identical character traits at points in their stories. Both characters are easily comparable and similar when you look at their lives and struggles with mental illness.

Holden and Charlie both have mental illness that seems to interfere with their everyday lives. Holden’s mental illness seems to stem from the death of his younger brother Aliie. “I was only thirteen, and they were going to have my psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage. I don’t blame them. I really don’t. I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it. I even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer, but my hand was already broken and everything by that time, and I couldn’t do it. It was a very stupid thing to do, I’ll admit, but I hardly didn’t even know I was doing it, and you didn’t know Allie. (5, 7)”. The death of his younger brother has affected him to the point that he talks to the air, pretending Allie is there, when in reality there is nooone. His fits of sadness can sometimes be the reason of him thinking about death or feeling guilt for not going to the funeral. Charlie also had gone through the death of a loved one, his Aunt Helen. Because of this fatal incident, Charlie suffers from PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder because of it. Leading him to see his Aunts Death and have visions of her throughout most of his day. It’s even hinted that Charlie had to spend a bit of time in a mental hospital to recover from this. Both Characters have suffered and therefore been ultimately affected by the death of a close loved one.

Not only do we see them be affected by the death of a loved one, we also see how they are affected by them being abused in their lifetime. As we find out by the end of the movie, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, Charlie as a child was sexually abused, and the strangest part is that it was done by a person who Charlie continued to say he loved the most, his Aunt Helen. This has affected him metally because he had kept the abuse a secret from everyone, both his friends and family, thus filling him with internal conflicts. Holden on the other hand seems to have gone through sexual trauma as well, however he might not admit it as sexual abuse. “That kind of stuff happened to me about twenty times since I was a kid. I can’t stand it” (Salinger, 193). It’s not common for victims of sexual abuse to turn out well, if they don’t get the proper help and therapy they need to release whatever emotions they’re feeling. Sexual abuse only contributes to the growing mental illness of these two characters.

While both characters suffer from some type of mental illness, they both go about it in different ways. Holden from “A Catcher In the Rye” probably doesn’t feel he has any problems. At the time period this book takes place, shedding a light on mental illness was not too common, so while Holden may show warning signs of mental illness to others, they choose to ignore it, instead of getting psychiatric help. “Perks of Being a Wallflower” takes place in a time where widespread knowledge of mental illness and treatments for it were more popular and widely accepted. So Charlie knows he has a mental illness because he’s gone to treatments in the past. He knows he has PTSD because he’s aware of the flashbacks and the illness that causes it. He even tells his brother at dinner that he can “Control it” and “Turn it off” because of his recovery of his mental health. While both characters have similar mental illnesses, the way they go about treating them and over all recovery varies widely.

In Conclusion, Holden and Charlie’s actions and lives based on their mental illness and tragic traumatic events are easily comparable. Both characters have gone through the death of a loved one, which in turn has given them severe PTSD and allows them to have visions of that said loved one. As well as, both characters going through some sort of sexual abuse and trauma which only adds more problems and issues on top of an already building mental illness. Although two different characters in two different time periods, both have almost identical lives, and mental illness and their struggle in life are evident and therefore easily comparable.

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. Holden Caulfied looks at things in such a negative tone throughout the novel, Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has a very negative view on everything besides his little sister, Phoebe, he loves her and cares so much for her. Holden Caulfield grew up with little to no parental guidance. This retarded his mental health devolpment. Being poorly nurtured hurts a person’s mental health and affects a person’s positive perspective on people, the world and a person’s maturity.

Not being properly nurture as an adolescent can affect your mental health. Caulfield starts the book on a negative tone, Caulfield groaned “If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like,” (Salinger 1) Holden Caulfield’s tone of voice is alluding to the fact that he doesn’t like his life. This is only the start of the book and he is already using an idle, sluggish tone talking about himself. Caulfield growing up didn’t really like school even though his parents put him in uppity private schools. Caulfeild ended up dropping out and living a life of his own in New York. Salinger wrote this line because it relates to his life, Salinger lived a very private life in New York and so did Caulfield. Caulfield doesn’t let anyone in because he thinks everyone is a phony and not true to themselves. This ties back into Mental Health because in a sense, Holden Caulfield views the world as half-empty because he has a negative outlook in almost everything in his life.

In addition to the previous statement, having a negative outlook on life can hinder your maturity. Holden is thinking about ‘Well you know the ducks that swim around in it? In the springtime and all? Do you happen to know where they go in the wintertime, by any chance?’ (Salinger 107) Ducks are able to adapt and change during different seasons. Holden Caulfield doesn’t like to change or change itself. Holden Caulfield perspective on everything is what’s making him not fully mature which is going to affect his mental health in the future.

Finally, pessimistic thoughts can lead to a one-sided view of the world. Holden Caulfield rebuked “This fall I think your riding for- it’s a special kind of fall, a horrible kind…The whole arrangements designed for men who, at some time or other in their lives, were looking for something their own environment couldn’t supply them with…So they gave up looking.’ (Salinger 245) was Caulfield’s black and white view makes him believe that when you are an adolescent you are considered innocent, but once you mature you lose all of that innocences. This is portrayed when he doesn’t even think to believe Mr.Antolini about his “fall”, Caulfield thinks that he is just being a phony and lying about what happened.

All in all, when a person has a negative or pessimistic view on the world and in life, it limits the relationships a person can potentially makes and can hinder your maturity. JD Salinger wrote this book as an announcement that the protection of innocence is the key to a good life.