The First Person Narrator in J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in...

In J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the first person narration played a critical role in helping the reader to know and understand the main character, Holden Caulfield. Salinger also uses symbolism to help portray the theme that not everything that glitters is gold. 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 also helps to introduce the reader to many of the symbols strategically placed throughout the novel. He thus provides the reader with not only information of what occurred, but also how he felt about what happened. In the Catcher in the Rye, Holden views the†¦show more content†¦The three days we learn of in the novel find a lost and distressed Holden in the Manhattan area of New York City. We find Holden surrounded by the lights and splendor of the holidays in the big city but, much to Ho lden’s despair he is still unable to find even a moments peace in the city surrounded by the drunks, perverts, morons and screwballs. Holden’s strange convictions towards the world and everyone in it never wavered except during his encounter with Mr. Antolini. After first suspecting Mr. Antolini of being a pervert for patting him on the head while he slept Holden gave it a second thought and begin to think that maybe he just liked patting guys on the head while they slept. This still doesn’t constitute a big change in Holden though because while he agrees it’s a nice change he doesn’t believe it will last very long at all. â€Å"It’s not too bad when the sun’s out, but the sun only comes out when it feels like coming out† Salinger, J. D. Catcher in the rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1991.it is clear that Holden was using the sun to relate to the goodness and decency in the world and his apparent thoughts that the world was still a very evil and immoral place. What does change in Holden during the course of the book is his idea that he can somehow change the world and help it to move out of its corrupt state. Holden is also moved to the eventual realization that not only can he not change the world but he is also unable to hideShow MoreRelatedF. Salinger s The Catcher Of The Rye1121 Words   |  5 PagesOne of the best known novels in English-speaking countries, J.D Salinger’s Catcher In The Rye deals with Holden Caulfield’s past trauma which is the triggering factor in his depression, anxiety and alienation. Holden tells an unnamed person what has happened in the three days prior to his mental breakdown. Through Holden’s relatable characteristics and Salinger’s narrative treatment, the book continues to engage audiences across generations. The way that Salinger writes gives the audience a veryRead MoreThe Catcher in the Rye Essay790 Words   |  4 PagesThe Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J.D. Salinger. It is narrated by Holden Caulfield, a cynical teenager who recently got expelled from his fourth school. Though Holden is the narrator and main character of the story, the focus of Salinger’s tale is not on Caulfield, but of the world in which we live. The Catcher in the Rye is an insatiable account of the realities we face daily seen through the eyes of a bright young man whose visions of the world are painfully truthful, if not a bit jaded. Salinger’sRead More Catcher in the Rye Essay: Holden - The Misfit Hero2101 Words   |  9 PagesThe Misfit Hero of The Catcher In The Rye      Ã‚     The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger was published in 1951. A recurring theme in J.D. Salingers stories concerns people who dont fit in with the traditional American Culture. Salingers misfit heroes, unlike the rest of society, are caught in the struggle between a superficial world and a conscious morality (1 Wildermuth). In his attempt to create a new and realistic portrayal of the times, Salinger first, effectively creates Holden CaulfieldRead MoreCatcher in the Rye4413 Words   |  18 PagesThe Catcher in the Rye â€Å"Is The Catcher in the Rye, as a work of literature still relevant for today’s youth?† Name: Sara Sigurdson Course: English A1 Supervisor: Mr. Peter Steadman Word count: 3851 Candidate number: 00136022 Table of Contents Content Page Number Abstract 3 Introduction 4 The Actual Catcher in the Rye 4 The Sexual Matter 5 The Caulfield Family 6 Narrator and Protagonist 8 Role Model 9 Mr. Antolini 10 Targeted Audience 10 Guidance 12 Read MoreChristopher from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon and Holden from J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye1058 Words   |  5 PagesChristopher from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon and Holden from J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye Holden from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger and Christopher from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon are both two very interesting first person narrators in many different ways. Holden is a 17years old boy having difficulty staying in schools more than 6 months because he doesnt work enough and ChristopherRead MoreThe Characterization Of Bildungsroman In The Catcher In The Rye1400 Words   |  6 PagesDevice). In The Catcher In The Rye, the author creates a successful bildungsroman through the characterization of the novels protagonist, Holden Caulfield. Throughout the novel, Holden uses a jarred voice filled with cynicism and the overall tone is clearly depressing. The conflict between Holden and the values of society(Bildungsroman: A Literary Device) is quite clear as he believes that the world of an adult is filled with pain and disappointment. In The Catcher In The Rye, the methods of characterizationRead MoreThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger1104 Words   |  4 Pages J.D. Salinger has written multiple novels, but his most famous is The Catcher in the Rye. Not only is this novel famous for its literary merit, it is also known as his most banned novel in certain schools. Even though this novel has been banned, J.D. Salinger’s themes and moralistic pur poses serve literary worth. In The Catcher in the Rye, the reader is first introduced to Holden Caulfield, as first person narrator. He is a radically independent adolescent who tosses off judgments at ease unselfconsciouslyRead MoreAmerican Literature And Ways They Cultivate Their Own Methods Of Survival Within Their Societies1484 Words   |  6 Pagescusp of childhood and adulthood, the lonely adolescent navigates through a loss of innocence and disenchantment to come to terms with his own male identity, as well as establish his role in society and find purpose as an adult. J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye follows anti-hero Holden Caulfield through a seemingly innocuous trip in New York City. Throughout his journey, Holden tries desperately to interact with others but often finds himself alienated; in this way, Salinger portrays himRead MoreConflicting Perspectives - Hughes1429 Words   |  6 PagesTogether the works of Ted Hughes, Christine Jeffs and J.D Salinger combine to enhance an understanding of the concept of conflicting perspectives. The audience can see that there is a great deal of ubiquity in relation to Conflicting Perspectives. Ted Hughes’ poetry gives his account of a tumultuous part of his life whilst Christine Jeff’s film portrays a different point of view than that given by Hughes’. It is through looking at Salinger’s novel, that the role of the authorial voice in contrastRead MoreThe Use of Language in J.D. Salingers Catcher in the Rye3182 Words   |  13 PagesThe use of language in J. D. Salingers Catcher in the Rye Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of J.D. Salingers Catcher in the Rye, is an upper-class boy who has gone from one private school to another, searching for -- something. He expresses his frustrations in language highly characteristic of adolescence; his extremely colloquial speech sounds just like that of teenagers today, even though Salingers novel was written in the 1950s. But a particularly striking factor of Holdens narration is