Post 6 - Theme

Does the theme reinforce or oppose popular notions of life? Does it furnish a new insight or refresh or deepen an old one?

One of the main themes of Catcher in the Rye reinforces the popular notion against phoniness in life as the reader sees the superficial world through the eyes of a very judgmental but highly intuitive Holden. He is obsessed with the phoniness he encounters on a daily basis and is convinced that this is what is wrong with the adult world, as he says that adults are inevitably phonies, and what’s worse, they can’t see their own phoniness. Salinger deepens this insight by showing the reader the extent of phoniness in every aspect of American society and the demands it places on the individual to be someone they are not. Holden cynically documents where phoniness exists, and it would appear to be every day, everywhere, in the home, at school, in the streets, bars, movies. According to Holden, falsities are everywhere. Salinger’s ideas deepen an old mentality that individuality is important, and that people should truly be who they are. Normal human values condemn duplicity, and The Catcher in the Rye refreshens this idea to a new audience, and deepens it amongst older generations.

Another theme present in The Catcher in the Rye is the idea that everyone must grow up, but that this process is a struggle. This is a common belief in life, however, Holden proves to be an accentuated and unusual case. He resists change, and fears the maturity that lies in the adult community. He longs for the honesty of children, and is repulsed by adult hypocrisy. Torn between the demands of society, and his wishes, Holden chooses to isolate himself as a form of internal preservation. He wishes to stay in the separated state for the rest of his life, as seen when he describes his dream of being the catcher in the rye. However, Holden is wise enough to understand that this purgatory of sorts cannot last forever, as seen when he states “I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be. I know, it’s crazy” (Salinger, 173). While many adolescents are either excited to become young adults, or are wholeheartedly opposed to it, Holden’s complexities allow him to sit on the fence. He desires the perks of adulthood, but wants it to be coupled with the naivety of childhood. This theme presents a new idea on the concept of growing up. The Catcher in the Rye acknowledges that maturing is a painful and confusing process, and that it does not come naturally for all. At the same time however, it intensifies the notion that growing up in inevitable for all, and though some may try to fight against it, they will eventually be, as Holden would think, corrupted.

Post 5 - Irony

Question: Does the story anywhere utilize irony of situation? Dramatic irony? Verbal irony? What functions do the ironies serve?

Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, author J.D. Salinger utilizes irony. Cosmic irony and situational irony are both presented, all pertaining to Holden. Cosmic irony is created through Holden’s deep desire to resist phoniness, yet the pressures of the world, and the hierarchy of society, force him to subconsciously succumb. This is most evident through Holden’s perpetual lying. Though he advocates individuality and detests the how fake the adult world his, he himself acts in the way he describes adults by creating false personas to nearly everyone he meets. Situational irony is obtained clearly through Holden’s insistence on wearing his large, red hunting hat. His intention is to stand out from the pack, and make a point to be different. However, in the process he is merely conforming to the widely shared ideal of standing out, and being unique.

Irony is also formed through Holden’s need to protect the innocence of children. He himself wishes to stay pure, and believes that all children, untouched by the ways of adults, are truly the only good people in the world. He constantly feels great joy and pleasure when around children, and this is epitomized by his sister Phoebe. At the end of the book, when he is just watching her ride the carousel, he says, “I felt so happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around. I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy, if you want to know the truth” (Salinger, 213). This reflects how Holden strives to maintain this quality within himself, and often thinks that he does posses the integrity of minors. However, this is contradicted on numerous occasions. As previously mentioned, we first see his lack of morals in his incessant lying. He also reflects the mentality of adults in his constant drinking, and through his solicitation of Sunny. Finally, we see Holden’s immaturity in his inability to face adult society.

The inclusion of irony within The Catcher in the Rye serves many functions. They aid in the comprehension of Holden’s character, and enlighten his views of the world. However, the most important function is to portray the irony and contradictions that are present in society. Salinger makes it clear that phoniness is inevitable, just as growing up is. The irony teaches us that sometimes we are forced to do things we don’t want to, and brings to life the unnerving truth that everyone in the world has been sucked into a massive sea of conformity, rebellion and denial.

Post 4 - Setting

Question: What contribution to the story is made by its setting? Is the particular setting essential, or could the story have happened anywhere?

The primary setting in The Catcher in the Rye is New York City. This locale provides insight into the themes and motifs present in the novel, and reflects the inner workings of Holden Caulfield. When one contemplates the traits of N.Y.C. and Holden, it is easy to find many parallels that aid in the understanding of this complex character.

New York is commonly regarded as the most fast paced metropolis in the entire world, and has earned the subtitle “the city that never sleeps.” This mentality is portrayed through Holden’s inability to stay in one place at for long, and through the fact that he rarely garners shut-eye. However, New York is also often associated with a lack of identity. The masses are simply that - groups of faceless, moving bodies who give no regard to their surroundings, or often even to themselves. Holden fights for the exact opposite. He advocates individuality, and the resistance of conformity. He also believes that the adult world is full of phonies, people who will give anything to be likable. This provides a greater struggle in Holden’s coming of age, as he opposes anything to do with adults. Irony is created because of this conflict, in the fact that New York is dominated and run by the adult community. 

Holden’s true loneliness is also mirrored in New York City. Though the urban center is highly populated, the people have become disconnected. The near emptiness of late night streets suits Holden quite well, which creates a delightful prophetic fallacy. It also allows for long walks in which Holden expresses many of his deepest inner thoughts, that, in turn, further a reader’s belief and impression of the protagonist. A major idea that is exposed because of the setting is Holden’s contradictions. He knows so few people in the massive city, and therefore, can get away with consistent lying, and ironically, phoniness. This allows for the thorough comprehension of the fact that Holden has indeed grown up - he just doesn’t know it. At the same time though, it lets him make a strong stand against conformity, especially in his decision to wear his large hunting hat. He ignores normal social ideals, and indicates a lack of approval towards judgement, indicated when he states, “I took my red hunting hat out of my pocket and put it on - I didn’t give a damn how I looked. Even put the earlaps down” (Salinger, 88). Instances like these allow Holden to isolate himself from civilization, and in a sense, become an individual in the endless crowd of New York, and the world.

Personally, I feel that the setting is quite essential to the overall story. Not only does it assist in the comprehension of the themes, motifs, symbols and characters, but it also sets the tone for the overall story. No other city is as suited to act as the backdrop to this unique journey to self discovery, simply because there truly is no place on earth as broad, exciting, confusing, and lonely as the big apple.

Post 3 - Point of View

Question: What advantages has the chosen point of view? Does it furnish any clues as to the purpose of the story?

The Catcher in the Rye is an exceptional example of the first-person narrative style. It is written from the perspective of Holden Caulfield, a rebellious teenager. By choosing to write from the boy’s perspective, Salinger has managed to capitalize on many advantages that come along with the first-person form. The most prominent benefit is that at adds a distinct personal quality to the tale. A reader gets to discover the narrator’s personality in depth, and can therefore form opinions regarding the character. This tends to captivate the reader much quicker than the third-person method, and allows the reader to fully immerse them self in the life of the protagonist. Distinct to The Catcher in the Rye’s point of view is that it permits for the full exploitation of Holden’s emotions. We can understand fully all of Holden’s thoughts, which makes it much easier to identify with the complex individual. Holden has very forceful opinions, and therefore takes a clearly defined stance on issues such as conformity, phoniness, growing up, deceit, alienation, sexuality, life and death. This angst persona makes it easy for students and adults alike to identify with Holden’s interior struggle, and genuinely care about the fate of our now beloved character. The well developed point of view provides many clues as to the purpose of the story. It allows a reader to completely understand the mental anguish that adolescents suffer during the child-to-adult transition, and ultimately, helps teenagers understand themselves, teachers understand their students, and parents understand their children. From the first-person style alone, one would believe that the purpose of the novel is to justify and explain the anxiety felt by teenagers towards becoming a young adult.

Post 2 - Symbolism

Question: Does the story make use of symbols? If so, do the symbols carry or merely reinforce the meaning of the story?

The Catcher in the Rye makes use of numerous symbols. The most evident and important is Holden’s red hunting hat. This symbol greatly reinforces the idea of individuality, especially when placed in New York City. No one wears large hunting hats in the middle of the city, especially with the flaps down. Holden’s purposeful acknowledgement of not only the presence of the hat, but the fact that he doesn’t care about wearing it, reflects his urge to separate himself from society. However, instead of merely putting the hat on his head, Holden makes a point of mentioning it to the reader, which plays to the irony of his own phoniness. In some sense, his need to wear the hat could be interpreted as a forceful, conscious decision to make himself different. 

Another, more subtle symbol in the story is Holden’s deceased brother Allie. When talking with his sister, Phoebe, she states that Holden doesn’t like anything. Holden simply replies with “I like Allie” (Salinger, 171). Allie becomes a sign of everything that Holden’s highest values - innocence and purity. He becomes the symbol of the ideal person, one that is kind, intelligent, likable, honest and truly genuine. Saligner makes evident that Holden is happiest when he is reminiscing about his times with Allie, and the fact that he is dead provides a justification for Holden’s constant melancholy. This fact also portrays Holden’s feelings about phoniness in society, and brings to life the realization that all young people are corrupted by the adult world.

A main symbol of the story, which resulted in the novel’s title, is the catcher in the rye. The song itself is symbolic of young adulthood, and has a strong sexual undertone. It argues that it is acceptable for adolescents to move into a phase of sexual exploration as a means of growing up. Holden’s interpretation, a catcher in the rye, indicates his desire to stop children from moving on, or “falling” into this whole new world. The symbol also reflects the morality of Holden himself, as he is fully aware of the expectations of the adult world, but still refuses to venture onward. 

These symbols strengthen many ideas and motifs that are present in The Catcher in the Rye, but do not carry them. Ultimately, Holden moves the meaning of the story along. Today, the boy himself is widely regarded as a symbol the teenage angst, and is defining figure surrounding adolescent rites of passage.

Post 1 - Plot

Question: Who is the protagonist of the story? What are the conflicts? Are they physical, intellectual, moral, or emotional? Is the main conflict between sharply differentiated good and evil, or is it more subtle and complex?

The protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger is Holden Caulfield, an angst adolescent. Throughout the novel, Holden is faced with conflict - with his peers, teachers, family and strangers. Some of this dissension is physical, as in the case of Sunny and Maurice, however, the majority of the strife is moral and emotion. The most evident and potent within the story is Holden’s interior moral debate between growing up into the masses of “phonies,” or ardently resisting the conformity in society. Throughout the novel, Holden takes a strong stance against the adult world, however, he tends to show great hypocrisy in his behavior. He condemns being fake, yet he consistently lies, and even enjoys it, as seen when he says, “Once I get started [lying], I can go for hours if I feel like it. No kidding. Hours” (Salinger, 58). It is these inconsistencies that add depth to the character of Holden, and makes his interior struggle far more believable.

The main conflict does take a powerful viewpoint on good and evil, but the outlook is biased by Holden’s personal values. In his mind, the pure, innocent children are good, and the corrupted, contrived adults are evil. This forms the idea of his personal utopia that he describes by saying, “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around - nobody big, I mean - except me . . . 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” (Salinger, 173). It is here we are given a taste of a possible solution to Holden’s conflict, however, at the same time it presents even more complexities to the issue. 

Ultimately, the moral predicament in the The Catcher in the Rye presents a definitive stance on right versus wrong, but with far more complexities intertwined in a subtle manner.