J.D. Salinger Essay
Salinger's children, as they appear in various novels and short stories, portray the ills of modern society through their innocence and spirituality, their honesty and sometimes, erratic behaviour. They are often as fragile and odd as they are intelligent and endearing, and the obscenities of life tend to overwhelm them at times. My intention is to show how Salinger uses the same technique over and over in his work. That is the use of children with all the innocence and idealism of youth, to depict the falseness of modern society. Through these children and young adults, from Holden and Franny, to little Esme, Ramona and Teddy, along with others, Salinger tells a tale of the human condition that is witty and humourous, but at the same time often tragic.Holden Cauflield who is the main character in Catcher in the Rye and Franny Glass of Franny and Zooey are similar characters is many ways. They are of a similar age and are very sensitive to what they call the 'phoniness' of the world around them. An example is when Holden goes to a bar called Ernie's which was run by Ernie, some big hotshot piano player. Holden describes him as being, "a terrific snob and he won't hardly even talk to you unless you're a big shot or a cele
We only get a glimpse of the girl she once was at the end of the story, when she staggers into Ramona's bedroom and weeps over her bed. They don't do any damn more molding at Pencey than they do at any other school. Her parting words to the Sergeant are " I hope you return from the war with your faculties intact". 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. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. In Franny's case it's her self-centred boy friend, Lane, who likes nothing better than to talk about himself, and in Holden's case the traditions and hypocrisy of elite private schools and New England society. This relationship is anything but good. When asked to sit down she says "Thank you. It is this interaction with the young girl that gives us our only insight into Seymour's character. His school motto was "Since1888 we have been molding boys into splendid, clear thinking young men. Throughout the story she is the only one he talks to except the lady in the elevator just before he dies. He believes that you live again and again, reincarnated until your soul is finally mature enough to die.
Common topics in this essay:
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Wally Campbell,
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Catcher Rye,
Franny Zooey,
,
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