The Catcher in The Rye
In J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, the first person narration is critical in helping the reader to know and understand the main character, Holden Caulfield. Holden, in his narration, relates a flashback of a significant period of his life, three days and nights on his own in New York City. Through his narration, Holden discloses to the reader his innermost thoughts and feelings. He thus provides the reader not only with information of what occurred, but also how he felt about what happened. Holden's thoughts and ideas reveal many of his character traits. One late Saturday night, four days before the beginning of school vacation, Holden is alone, bored and restless, wondering what to do. He decides to leave Pencey, his school, at once and travels to New York by train. He decides that, once in New York, he will stay in a cheap motel until Wednesday, when he is to return home. His plan shows the reader how very impetuous he is and how he acts on a whim. He is unrealistic, thinking that he has a foolproof plan, even though the extent of his plans are to "take a room in a hotel.., and just take it easy till Wednesday."
Holden's preoccupation with death can be seen in his contemplation of a dead classmate, James Castle. It would not have been possible to feel Holden's feelings or understand his thoughts nearly as well had the book been written in third person. Unfortunately, in Holden's case, he seems to expect the worst, believing that the result of getting close to people is pain. He got this image from his misinterpretation of a line from the Robert Burns poem, " if a body catch a body comin' through the rye. Holden is candid, spontaneous, analytical, thoughtful, and sensitive, as evidenced by his narration. The mitt has additional meaning and significance for Holden because Allie had written poetry, which Holden reads, on the baseball mitt. " When situations are described, in person or in a book, they are influenced by the one who describes them, and by his or her perceptions and experiences. Like most adolescents, feelings about people and relationships are often on his mind. He is unimpressed with people who try to look good in other's eyes. " Although insulting, his seemingly negative feelings show that Holden is a thinking and analyzing, outspoken individual who values honesty and sincerity. In order to hold on to his brother and to minimize the pain of his loss, Holden brings Allie's baseball mitt along with him where ever he goes. He constantly calls people phonies, even his brother, D. Therefore, since it is obvious that Holden is bright, the reason for his flunking out of school would seem to be from a lack of interest. His fondness for children can be inferred when he tells her that, at some time in the future, he wants to be the only grown-up with "all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all.
Common topics in this essay:
James Castle,
York City,
Robert Burns,
Unfortunately Holden's,
Holden Allie,
Catcher Rye,
Caulfield Holden,
Word Count,
holden's feelings,
feelings people,
edge cliff,
baseball mitt,
catcher rye,
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Acceptance Essays
