Category: Catcher in the Rye

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.

The Catcher in the Rye is a story written by JD Salinger that takes place in 1951 about a teenager that faces many problems with life. Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old boy who has just been expelled from his fourth school. JD Salinger uses symbolism to convey Holden’s beliefs and how he feels for the reader to furthermore understand what is happening in the story. Throughout the story, Holden faces many challenges that he has to overcome by himself without anyone to talk to. We gradually learn about Holden’s personality from his actions. And the things that he keeps close to himself. The three symbols that best expose Holden’s true identity are: Holden’s Red Hunting Hat, Allie’s Baseball Glove and Holden being the Catcher in The Rye. All of these symbols reveal Holden’s fears of growing up and his transition of developing into a phony adult.

Holden’s Red Hunting Hat is one of the more mentioned symbols in the book, Holden first sees the hat in a window of a sports store “I put on this hat that id bought in New York that morning. It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks” (Salinger 17) the hunting hat represents Holden standing out from everyone in the city which shows Holden’s creativity, self-esteem, and confidence in himself. This shows that Holden wants to stand out from the crowd and be different than everybody else. Holden sees himself as the person who stands out and knows he is different amongst his classmates at pencey prep. But Holden does not want to be different all the time. “I took it (the hat) off before I checked in. I didn’t want to look like a screwball or something” (Salinger, 61). Holden knows he is different but acts like everyone else to fit in at times. Holden wants to be different but a level of different where people will respect him and see him for himself and not for someone else.

Allie’s baseball glove is a major symbol for Holden, the glove represents Holden’s feelings and emotions towards his little brother, the grief over Allie’s death is a major influence on Holden’s personality. Allie’s glove symbolism the weaknesses of people and the love for lost family members. Allie’s baseball glove also has poetry written on it with green ink for Allie to entertain himself while playing as an outfield catcher. Holden keeps the mitt to himself as a reminder of his grief over his brother and reminds Holden of Allie so that he never forgets. “My brother Allie had this left-handed fielder’s mitt. He was left-handed. The descriptive aspect about the glove, though, was that he had poems written all over the fingers and the pocket and everywhere. In green ink. He wrote poems on the glove so that he’d have something to read when he was in the field and nobody was up at-bat.” (Salinger 33) The poems on Allie’s glove show how things come and go just like when Allie passed away, and the family members that keep something to remember you by.

The colour green also symbolizes life, growth, and harmony showing that Allie was a harmonious optimist while Holden is more of a pessimist.

Holden Being the Catcher in the Rye, Holden tells Phoebe that he pictures himself as “The Catcher in the Rye” catching kids as they fall off a cliff with a big mitt. The kids represent innocence and purity. Holden’s initial thought process is to save the kids from growing up to avoid the struggles of life in general. ‘If a body catches a body,’ I said. ‘Anyway, I keep picturing this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids and nobody’s around- nobody big, I mean- except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff– I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. that’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d like to be. I know it’s crazy.’ “ (Salinger 22) Holden knows he can change the world. Holden shows many times throughout the story that he acknowledges himself as an important person to his society and imagines himself as a protector of kids from the stresses of growing up.

JD Salinger uses symbolism to communicate Holden’s ideas and how he feels for the reader to furthermore understand what is happening in the story. Throughout the story, Holden faces many challenges that he has to overcome by himself without anyone to talk to. We have learned how Holden sees the world from his perspective and his different ways of coping with the stresses of the difficult transition from being a teenager to an adult.

Catcher in the Rye focuses its story on young Holden Caulfield on his adventure through his school and New York City during the post-war era of the 1950s. Author J.D. Salinger illustrates Holden’s adventure using dominant literary techniques to help the reader interpret and understand the concept of ‘coming-of-age’ and youth culture in this Bildungsroman. Such literary techniques include J. D. Salinger’s Diction and syntax. Diction is the author’s choice of words describing the events of the story, examples in Catcher in the Rye include Holden’s use of the word phony and other slang. The syntax is the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences. Another literary device is foreshadowing, a warning or an indication for a future event. The third literary technique is tone, which is often sarcastic and judgemental in Cather in the Rye.

J. D. Salinger, the author of Catcher in the Rye, uses syntax and diction to create a sense of vulnerability in the main character. Holden, though a foul-mouthed and angry teenage boy, Salinger shows the reader that this is a shell. Salinger uses simple syntax and diction to help the reader see through this shell and see Holden for who he really is, a vulnerable seventeen-year-old boy who has been through some very difficult situations. Blunt, short sentences, and a lesser developed vocabulary are used by Salinger to illustrate Holden’s weakness. Holden’s less educated way of speaking, including slang, can make him seem vulnerable and quite dim. One example is Holden’s tendency to repeat things, ‘People with red hair are supposed to get mad very easily, but Allie never did, and he had very red hair. I’ll tell you what kind of red hair he had,’ (Pg. 38). The continued use of profanity like ‘crazy Donovan**ch’ and ‘split his good**m throat open’ shows Holden’s inability to control his temper, and therefore makes him seem more vulnerable to the reader. This tendency to hide his true personality behind profanity and strong language shows he has strong insecurities. A trait every share venturing into adulthood.

Foreshadowing is one of the dominant literary techniques in Catcher in the Rye. The novel opens with Holden living in Los Angeles with his brother after being placed in a medical facility. As the novel is in Holden’s point of view he goes on to describe a brief synopsis of his story. : “I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy.” (Pg 3). His use of the word “madman” and the euphemism “run down” suggests the nature of his breakdown without explaining it fully. This gives the reader incentive to speculate about possible reasons for Holden’s hospitalization and allows them to again speculate about the latter half of the book. Having read the book, Holden’s synopsis gives the reader his thoughts of what he went through and whether he has changed because of it. At face value, Holden seems to shrug off the events of last Christmas as if they didn’t affect him. As mentioned before however, Holden doesn’t give anyone much at face value.

The tone of The Catcher in the Rye is often sarcastic and judgmental, yet reveals Holden’s longing for connection and frustration in achieving it. Holden uses sarcasm as a tool to prove his superiority to people he finds less intelligent than him. An example is Holden watching a football game from afar and thinks, “you were supposed to commit suicide or something if old Pencey didn’t win.” In making this darkly comic remark about suicide, Holden expresses superiority over his classmates who care about the game. Despite Holden’s judgment of most people, he also feels sorry for them. A good example of this is Mr. Spencer. Holden’s disgusted by his “ratty bathrobe” and the use of ‘Phony’ words like “Grand” and yet he feels sorry for him. The tone of Holden’s narration also contains nostalgia for his own childhood, a time he romantically associates with innocence and purity. Holden’s nostalgia is ironic, however, as he is not much older than a child himself. Holden’s nostalgic belief that childhood is a static time of warmth and security is also naively immature – in fact, childhood is a time of a drastic change and is not necessarily safe or innocent, as evidenced by the fact that Allie died when he was still a child.

Holden is a character that many readers identify with. This might be because of his tendency to hide his true self from others, using profanity and blunt sentences. Or maybe because of his nature, his nature to pretend that things don’t affect him, like the events of this novel for example. Most likely it is because of his nostalgia for the past, a time which was warm and cozy and was far from the pains of growing up.

There is certainly no denying the fact that J.D. Salinger’s Catcher In The Rye is one of the most impactful books ever written for young adults. It does a very good job highlighting the struggles and pains that adolescents face. Perhaps the two most important themes that exist in the work are that of innocence and insecurity, two painfully familiar concepts that one is going to have to deal with as they enter into adulthood. Furthermore, one can see that both Holden’s red hunting hat and Allie’s baseball mitt are two objects that largely portray these two themes by their very nature and how they exist in the story.

To begin, one should first start with how Holden’s red hunting hat serves as a symbol for his insecurity. There is nothing particularly wrong with Holden, although he does suffer from being an awkward, developing young boy who is still trying to ‘find his way’ in the world. Whether it is the hormones his young body is now feeling, his changing social circumstances, or his inability to cope to the educational system, it is clear that he is simply an insecure young boy. While he would never admit it, it is clear that he’s suffering from the anxiety that most teenagers feel. Also, while everybody has their little coping mechanisms for dealing with negative emotions, it appears that Holden has attached himself to a peculiar little red hat that he’s seemingly fallen in love with. This is clear by the fact that there are numerous situations in the book itself where he puts it on during a moment of distress.

Holden resorts to putting on his classic hunting hat in a moment of anxiety. He’s just returned to his room, and even though he’s all by himself, he puts the hat on once again. ‘… I swung the old peak way around to the back – very corny, I’ll admit, but I like it that way. I looked good in it that way’ (Salinger 18). Others also notice his peculiar fascination with his hunting hat. Even Stradlater, his close friend and also his slight enemy comments on it. Holden states ‘He meant my hunting hat. He’d never seen it before. I was out of my breath anyway; I quit horsing around. I took off my hat and looked at it for about the ninetieth time…’ (41). He has a massive fixation on this particular hat, even though it’s quite likely very unfashionable and he even wears it when nobody is around. This ties into the theme of his overall insecurity, and the fact that he doesn’t always feel too happy with the state of his own life. Then again, this is a relatively normal teen behavior. In fact, this is hardly the only time in the book when he shows too much value of a particular object, with Allie’s baseball mitt having similar significance.

While perhaps the most prominent theme in work is one of insecurity, there is also a theme of innocence, and maybe a grand loss of it in the book as well. Even though Holden seems to be instead in touch with his sexual urges, it seems as if he feels protective over his younger siblings, so that they do not end up like him. Allie is Holden’s younger brother, who unfortunately died as a result of Leukemia. Allie’s baseball mitt has poetry scribbled all over it. While Holden is slowly losing his innocence, the death of Allie represents the complete and total loss of innocence at an extremely early time in one’s life. Allie’s death left a massive impact on him, traumatizing him very greatly. There are various instances in the book where it is revealed just how much Allie’s baseball mitt means to the young Holden.

Allie’s baseball mitt is perhaps one of Holden’s prized possessions. It should come as no surprise, as it is entirely reasonable for one to value the property of someone who has died an untimely death. He is somewhat sensitive in regards to who he shows it to, and who gets to know it even exists. Leading research shows that individuals who prize the possessions of a loved one after their death will often thrive better than those who attempt to ignore such things (“Loved One”). One quote that illustrates this is ‘She was the only one, outside my family, that I ever showed Allie’s baseball mitt to, with all the poems written on it’ (110). Even though Holden’s love affairs were numerous, it still shows that he sincerely trusted Jane, the girl that he allowed to see such a personal aspect of his life. Additionally, when he was required to write about mortality to assist Stradlater, he mentioned the baseball mitt for such things. He states that ‘So what I did, I wrote about my brother Allie’s baseball mitt. It was a very descriptive subject. It was’ (52). One can see that it is a massive inspiration for him even into the present day.

Understanding the things that exist in Catcher in the Rye is no easy task whatsoever. That being said, it doesn’t take much to see that this book is one of many great coming of age works that exists for young adults in the world today. It explores typical teenage themes, such as insecurity and innocence, and Salinger uses Holden’s hunting hat and Allie’s baseball mitt as symbols for a genuine set of circumstances that Holden was facing in his life. Also, choosing these objects as powerful literary objects that would go on to enhance the overall meaning of Catcher In The Rye.

The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, published in 1951, is a story about a teenager who struggles with his transition into the adult world ever since his little brother has died. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the story, journeys all over New York City in an attempt to search for the truth of adulthood and must also deal against the “phoniness” of it too. Throughout the story, Holden tries to hold onto his innocence to prevent himself from transitioning into the adult world. Holden’s choices of isolating himself and his inability to see anything positive in life cause him to become depressed. In the end, Holden ends up being both physically and mentally exhausted and has a breakdown. I believe this story is still relevant to current teenagers today because the themes of the book are still shown in today’s, modern world, especially through social media, as well as the protagonist, Holden, displays several modern-day problems that we, teenagers, must face in our everyday lives. Lastly, this book is still relevant today because it shows how modern society still deals with depression.

The theme of authenticity versus artificiality is one that can be heavily depicted in modern teenager lives through social media. We, the users of social media, can portray ourselves falsely to others by posting things to mislead their judgment on us. Holden’s worldview on life shows this conflict of authenticity versus artificially, which is related to his attitude towards his childhood and his resistance to entering the adult world. Throughout the novel, several examples portray this theme, for instance, Holden’s older brother, D.B., displays this. Holden finds that D.B.’s short stories are very quiet, special, and shows his brother’s expression of his truth without getting anything is returned. However, when D.B. begins to write screenplays for Hollywood, Holden finds that his brother is “being a prostitute” and can’t stand it. He believes that his brother sold himself out for the money and fame. This can be shown in today’s world through social media. Social media is an innovation that allows us to post pictures and videos, as well as tell people how we feel. Although, what social media also allows us to do is to hide behind screens of our phones and make those who view the pictures and videos judge us based off those things. It is a weapon to manipulate other’s perception of us. This artificiality is what makes Holden hate “phonies”. Social media allows people to filter out things they don’t like, enabling them to look more likeable. Holden is just trying is to find stability in a society filled with fake people, just like in our world.

Throughout the novel, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, displays the everyday struggles of what modern-day teenager must face. Holden’s inability to grow up and enter the adult world is what challenges us today because at this age we must find who we are and find our fit in the world. This can be difficult for us to do because society can be an opinionated environment for us. In Holden’s years of being a teenager so far, he was alone and an outsider ever since his brother, Allie, died. He had trouble fitting in with any group. For example, he states, “…everybody sticks together in these dirty little goddam cliques. The guys that are on the basketball team stick together, the Catholics stick together, the goddam intellectuals stick together, the guys that play bridge stick together. Even the guys that belong to the goddam Book-of-the-Month club stick together”(131). Even though we don’t know where Holden fits in, you can tell that he finds all these groups “phony” and doesn’t belong anywhere. The idea of “belonging” to anywhere is what teenagers and Holden have trouble with. This sense of belonging is what we all strive for, especially Holden.

All through the story, Holden displays the feeling of being depressed and made it seem that everything made him “depressed as hell”. This was influenced by the lack of trust he had with the world and the losses he had experienced in his life. The loss of his younger brother, Allie, was something Holden could not bear, which shaped his worldview. To deal with this loss, the idea of being the catcher in the rye is how Holden endured his pain. If he were to prevent people from growing up, which includes him, the pain that he holds would be numb. A loss can influence one’s reaction or attitude towards life and the decisions we make. So to deal with this pain, people begin to rely on other sources to take this pain away. This applies to us, teenagers, because with the level of maturity we have and the things we are exposed to can put us in danger. Some may use drugs and alcohol to create some sort of dream world like Holden’s to take away the pain. This can be very harmful to us because by doing this we put everything in stake.

In conclusion, the Catcher in the Rye is a story that is still relevant to teenagers today because of the many lessons it shows us. The themes of this story are still shown in our modern lives, the protagonist displays the many struggles that we teenagers deal with, and ultimately, it shows how modern society still deals with depression. Even though the book was written about 65 years ago, and the slang is outdated. It still portrays many of the problems we have in modern society. Regardless of what you may think, I think it is safe to say that The Catcher in the Rye will stay as a force in literature because of the many messages it means to many different people.

J.D. Salinger’s fictional novel, The Catcher in the Rye, illustrates sixteen year-old Holden Caulfield’s coming-of-age and the difficulties that accompany him through it. Salinger expresses the alienation adolescents face when assuming adult responsibilities, challenging their capacity on recognizing their own role. Throughout the novel, Holden’s constant motif is finding opportunities to rescue others, when failing to rescue himself. Common themes relating to Holden’s insufficient upbringing, challenges adapting to emotional woes, and complicated relationship with growing up are made evident through the symbolic examples of the red hunting hat and the ducks in the lagoon.

The ducks in the lagoon at Central Park are symbolic of several factors including Holden’s longing for permanence in life, his lack of adaption to death, and his inability to transition into adulthood. To begin with, Holden’s concern and obsession with the ducks leads him to ask his cab driver if “by any chance, [he] happens to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over”(Salinger 67). An analogical metaphor is drawn between Holden’s experiences with temporary homelessness due to school suspensions and the ducks’ temporary homelessness during each winter’s freeze. Amidst uncertainty and confusion, he finds reassurance in knowing just as the ducks return each year to the pond, he will re-establish his own role in society. Additionally, this inevitable return provides a unique contrast between the things Holden values most and death. Allie’s life largely impacts Holden’s life, and his death subsequently diminishes Holden’s outlook on the world. The return of the ducks serve as a safe haven for Holden’s relationship with them, although he realizes the same will never happen with Allie. Ultimately, these factors represent how Holden is afraid of change, resisting the assumption of adult responsibilities and maturation. The phony personas of adults draw him away form the notion that adulthood is something to be celebrated. Holden feels “One of the biggest reasons [he] left Elkton Hills was because [he] was surrounded by phonies”(Salinger 17). The manifested immaturity becomes all the more prevalent through Holden’s next unique obsession: the red hunting hat.

Holden, experiencing a very disappointing moment, tries on a “red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks” (Salinger 17) in a local thrift shop. His vulnerability in a difficult period requires him to mask his shame and insecurities, but also appeals to his desire to distinguish himself from others. This desire directly contrasts the phony society that accepts its traditional roles, provides less room for autonomy, and encourages assimilation. Holden resists conformity and rebels as a result of this. According to literary critic, Timothy Aubry, The Catcher in the Rye “has served as a resonant expression of alienation for several generations of adolescent readers and adults who [consider] themselves at odds with the norms and institutions of American Society” (Aubry 1). Phoebe recognizes the significance the red hunting hat has on Holden when he wears it, accepting his true identity, not just the one he masks. She accepts both his vulnerability and pride that represents his youth by her age, still innocent, but more mature than Caulfield, as he should be.

Throughout this novel, Holden verbally expresses his fear transitioning to adulthood by exposing the hypocrisy of American society. Salinger uses symbolism throughout the novel to signify Caulfield’s regard to society with the red hunting hat’s protection and the ducks in the lagoon for his stagnation. Ultimately, they serve to signify his urge to shield children from the danger of reality and his desire to preserve his youth indefinitely which encourages his mental illnesses that he is unable to move past.

Fitzgerald uses symbolism in The Great Gatsby to express underlying emotions. The first example of his use of symbolism is when Nick and another guest at Gatsby’s party are observing the books in Gatsby’s library. The guest described by Nick as “a stout, middle-aged man, with owl eyed spectacles”(Fitzgerald,45) was trying to observe and learn more about Gatsby by looking through his house. While the man looked through Gatsby’s library, he discovers that surprisingly the books were actual books and that they were not props. He expresses his disbelief to Nick by saying “Absolutely real- have pages and everything. I thought they’d be a nice durable cardboard. Matter of fact they’re absolutely real.”(Fitzgerald, 45). Despite the books turning out to be real and not props, the library was not what it seemed to be. Gatsby’s library gives a false impression that he actually uses it, but upon further inspection it is clear that none of the books have ever been read “ [ . . .] didn’t cut the pages’(Fitzgerald, 46). The fact that the pages of the book are not even cut shows that the books couldn’t have been read and that they have never been used. The library and all of the books it holds turn out to be very meretricious and lacking authenticity. Gatsby tries to put forth a dishonest image of himself to get noticed, specifically by his romantic interst Daisey. The library shows how Gatsby wants himself to be perceived by others, but it does not represent his true self. Another object in the novel that is symbolic for emotion is the green light. The green light is first introduced at the end of chapter one. Nick notices his neighbor standing outside. Gatsby looking out over at the water “( talk about green light quote, then how he chases Daisy which is an unachievable dream, such as Holden chases holding onto his child hood. Both relate to emotion. ).

J.D.Salinger uses symbolism in the Catcher in the Rye to show underlying emotions, specifically chasing an out of reach dream. While both Jay Gatsby and Holden Caufield may be trying to have unattainable dreams, their dreams that they want are different. While Gatsby longs to have Daisey’s love and affection, Holden longs to forever protect innocence in not only himself but in others. This longing for the protection of innocence is clearly illustrated when Holden returns home to his family’s apartment and he is talking to his younger sister Phoebe. Phoebe can sense that Holden is having difficulty finding purpose and so she questions him about what he plans to do with himself. Holden responds by saying:

I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.(Sallinger, 224)

This symbolism pictures Holden as if he is himself the catcher in the rye. This idea of the catcher in the rye is symbolic of preserving innocence in children. The cliff is the possibility of losing innocence, and Holden wants to save the children from falling shows his internal desire to protect not only his innocence but rather of all youth. Holden’s desire to have this pure innocence interferes with his ability to mature and develop into a young adult. He also associates all of these phony characteristics with being an adult. He tries to sometimes rush into adulthood too, this is shown by his premature and heavy consumption of alcohol and his other immature decisions. These actions are quite the opposite of innocent, but are what he seems to think is normal from his surroundings. This issue of struggling to find an appropriate rate to mature is more prevalent now than ever. So much pressure is put onto teens, and sometimes knowing what is right and wrong can be confusing. Holden’s phobia of being phony and his longing of innocence causes him to have difficulty when trying to mature at a proper pace.