Essays on J.D. Salinger

This paper proposes to delineate the characteristics of Holden Caulfield, the adolescent protagonist hero of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and illuminate the reasons as to why this prototype of brooding adolescence, displaying a rather uber-cool style of disaffection, disenchantment and disillusionment became an indispensable figure of interest, in literary circles as well as popular culture. The paper seeks to take issue with the wider dimensions attached to the ‘incapacitation and debilitation’ Holden is often accused of and address Salinger’s vision behind etching Caulfield precisely the way he is. The paper also wishes to foreground the ...

Insecurity and Safeguarding Ideal: The Catcher in the Rye

“The Catcher in the Rye”, this inspirational literary work, Jerome David Salinger’s masterpiece, marked the adolescence of many and it continues to fascinate teenagers and adults alike. The adventures of Holden Caulfield, which describe several days in his life, seem to reveal an autobiographic experience, as it vividly describes thoughts, feelings and sensations that could only be felt, not imagined. Salinger’s novel seems a story told to a friend in the dorm, in a sleepless night while secretly sharing cigars, although the smoking is denied within the boys’ dormitory. “Catcher in the Rye” is an expression of the original teenagers, ...

J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most well-known, well-regarded and most controversial books in American literature, and for good reason. Salinger’s tale of disaffected teenager Holden Caulfield, and his quest to belong and find his place in a world he thinks is phony, has been a subject of discussion and debate ever since its publication. In many instances, schools and educational organizations have censored or banned the book due to its lascivious content, its unsympathetic main character, and the general amorality of the book’s surface details. To that end, The Catcher in the ...