Cather

             In 1951 at a time when social conformity was seen as a mark of good upbringing and morals, J.D. Salinger decided to publish his future-to-be classic: The Catcher and the Rye. With it came profanity, an immoral protagonist, and the generation's first mass encounter with adolescent sexuality. Salinger single-handedly brought about discussions of literary obscenity, censorship and first amendment rights issues. Still many others simultaneously related deeply with Holden Caulfield's position as a socially stunted youth and his critical views of society. Possibly without intending, Salinger would create a lasting American icon to be read about and to be discussed in the decades to come.
             From the start J.D Salinger would incorporate symbolism as an intricate and necessary tool for conveying the full scope of his tale. The narrative begins with its hero isolated from the rest. He detaches himself from Pency's social norm by sitting atop Thomsen Hill while the rest of the school attended a much celebrated football game. This would set the mood for the rest of the novel. Holden perceives himself as one of the few truly good and sincere people in his world and so he exemplifies this by sitting upon this hill, setting himself up above the rest, above and away from the school's phonies and superficial characters. He despises these people and is ironic when nearby is a cannon. He might have noticed this and tells us so as to convey its potential.
             The audience goes on to see that Holden has much difficulty getting along, socially inadequate. Holden is extremely judgmental and overly analytical. Through his whining he often finds humor in his 'obviously' inferior peers. That "sexy bastard Stradlater and the ever rude, hovering Ackley. The most notorious word in Holden's vocabulary is "phony". He applies this term loosely to anyone too typical or conventional; people who mask what they are re...

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Cather. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 12:28, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/20147.html