...‘THE CATCHER IN THE RYE’ AND ‘IGBY GOES DOWN’ – NON-CONFORMITY Both J.D Salinger’s 1951 Bildungsroman novel The Catcher in the Rye and Burr Steer’s film Igby Goes Down, demonstrate that regardless of context, the youth will choose not to conform to socially held values. We can see that this is the manifestation of the vulnerability and hesitation experienced as adolescents like us grow up. Ultimately both these texts explore the search for identity and individualism as a cause for non-conformity. The Catcher in the Rye was written during a post war era and a time of drastic social change. However, many of its conservative values remained and most importantly, the notion of youth conformity was held in high regard. On the other hand, Igby Goes Down is set in the 1980s -1990’s American era, a time of expanding multi national corporations, materialism and commercialism. Salinger and Steers utilise the characterisation of their young, sardonic and rebellious protagonists, Holden and Igby to epitomise non-conformity. The composers allude to the recurring theme of isolation and alienation in both texts. As a result of their non-conformity, the protagonists experience rejection and depression as they search for their selfhood. Similarly, the national ethos of the American Dream is explored as a mere fallacy, and both composers portray this through their protagonist’s wealthy backgrounds and opulent upbringings and yet money doesn’t bring them happiness. Salinger, through literary...
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...How is the theme of rejection explored in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Catcher in the Rye? The theme of rejection is explored in many ways in both novels “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain and “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D Salinger. I have chosen to analyse and compare how rejection is portrayed in Chapter 7 pages 85-86 in “Huck Finn” and Chapter 7 pages 54-55” in “Catcher in the rye” as this is the point where both narrators embark on their own journey. Huck leaves pap and fakes his own death in this extract it shows he is rejecting social pressure to conform to authority prompting him to escape whereas in Holden rejects becoming a part of society and rejects the rules of society, leaving him expelled from school and ready to set off on his journey in this extract. Both authors have portrayed the themes of rejection well throughout however in this extract I am going to scrutinize the copious range of literary and linguistic features used and also the context, genre, narrative perspective that exhibit the characters declination towards society. In both novels the genre presented is bildungsroman; both passages are at the point where they make the decision to initiate their journey. In ‘Catcher in the Rye’ Holden comes to an abrupt conclusion to leave Twain expresses this by using an adverbial phrase “But all of a sudden, I changed my mind.” Twain uses inclusive language by using second person narrative, “You know what I mean – I don’t...
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...Throughout history, authors have tried to convey the emotions felt by characters facing the transition from adolescence to adulthood. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger communicates the conflicting emotions present during Holden Caulfield's journey into adulthood, reflected by his cynical attitude towards the adult world and his idealistic perspective of the innocence of youth. One of the prevalent themes of Holden's journey to adulthood is his cynical attitude toward the adult world. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden says, "You ought to go to a boy's school sometime. Try it sometime. It's full of phonies, and all you do is study so that you can learn enough to be smart enough to be able to buy a goddamn Cadillac someday, and you have to keep...
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...Coming of age is a life-long process all humans inevitably go through. This process of maturity can often be examined from fictional characters, such as Scout and Jem from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsb by Scott Fitzgerald. Each of these characters encounters different processes of coming of age. When these characters process of maturation and coming of age are compared, the most relevant coming of age best exhibited by Holden from The Catcher in the Rye, following with Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird and Mr. Gatsby from The Great Gatsby; however, differences in coming of age are apparent in the different time periods of each novel setting, practicality, and present social issues. Holden Caulfield, the main character in The Catcher in the...
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...Society The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of the word individuality is: total character peculiar to and distinguishing an individual from others. The novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, play The Crucible by Arthur Miller and the poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy all have underlying themes of the society influencing a character’s individuality. In each text, each character struggles with the difficulty of the society’s impact on their lives. Through each text we see the struggles and stress “the society” puts upon people. In “Barbie Doll,” the main character struggles with her self image, whereas in Catcher, Holden struggles with the society’s pressure to become materialistic. In The Crucible, every character is under the microscope and pressured to stay in order and not to step out of perfection. If they do not do as told or what is thought to be the correct way to act they will be accused of witchcraft even if innocent. The society has such a large impact on each and every one of these characters, that without a doubt each character has been influenced one way or another. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden faces the pressure of the society alone and struggles with the ability of keeping his individuality from slipping out of his grips. The society in this novel brings upon the pressure of having everything, even if it means really having nothing at all. Holden feels he cannot be himself in the society surrounding him, his school tries to change him, his...
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...4141- 4141--- Cherished and Cursed:Towarda Social History of The Catcher in the Rye STEPHEN J. WHITFIELD THE plot is brief:in 1949 or perhaps 1950, over the course of three days during the Christmas season, a sixteen-yearold takes a picaresque journey to his New YorkCity home from the third private school to expel him. The narratorrecounts his experiences and opinions from a sanitarium in California. A heavy smoker, Holden Caulfield claims to be already six feet, two inches tall and to have wisps of grey hair; and he wonders what happens to the ducks when the ponds freeze in winter. The novel was published on 16 July 1951, sold for $3.00, and was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection. Within two weeks, it had been reprinted five times, the next month three more times-though by the third edition the jacket photographof the author had quietly disappeared. His book stayed on the bestseller list for thirty weeks, though never above fourth place.' Costing 75?, the Bantam paperback edition appeared in 1964. By 1981, when the same edition went for $2.50, sales still held steady, between twenty and thirty thousand copies per month, about a quarter of a million copies annually. In paperback the novel sold over three million copies between 1953 and 1964, climbed even higher by the 1980s, and continues to attract about as many buyers as it did in 1951. The durabilityof The author appreciates the invitationof Professors Marc Lee Raphaeland Robert A. Gross to present an early version...
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...THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. SALINGER I. Content of the Book Holden Caulfield is a very weird and interesting young man who likes to do things on impulse or because as he said 'he got such a bang out of it'. He has a brother, D.B. who is a writer in Hollywood, a little sister named Phoebe and another brother Allie, who has already died before the story even began. In the beginning of the story Holden narrates that he'll be leaving his school, Pencey Prep (a school full of Phonies from Holden’s point of view), because he flunked out in the four out of five subjects he was taking, the only subject he didn't fail was English. Holden tells the readers that he had come back to Agerstown, Pennsylvania though he was traveling with his team for a fencing contest, he lost all of the foils in a New York Subway, and so the match was cancelled instead. Holden even mentioned that on the way home his mates treated him to silence and he found this very amusing. Though there was a football game going on, Holden didn't go down and watch it, instead he went to visit his old history teacher, Mr. Spencer. Mr. Spencer is a very old man who wants to help Caulfield in his studies (since Holden has also been expelled in a few other schools as well) and at some point Mr. Spencer even read out Holden's examination paper and the little note that Holden had written in the end saying that if Mr. Spencer would like to flunk him then he'd be all right with it, Holden explained to the readers that the...
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...Catcher in the Rye • J.d. Salinger • 1919-2010 • He has written several books about young people including Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zoey • Served in WW1 • Has not given an interview since 1980 • Born in NYC to parents Sol and Miriam: father was jewish, mother was catholic • Jerome David salinger • Recognizes as one of the most popular author after 1950. • He by choice stayed out of the public eye • He was a recluse • Published in 1951 • He sold over 65 mllion copies • It was one of the most frequently challenged books in library history because of the sex and vulgar language • Named one of the best novels of the 20th century by Time Magazine • Until 2006, Catcher was one of the most frequently banned books • Mark David Chapman (assassin of John Lennon) and John Hickley Jr. (attempted assassin of President Ronald Reagan) both had copies of the book in their pockets when they were arrested • Tells the story of a teenager expelled from his high school and his journey across NYC in the 1950s • Issues discussed in the book include: School, teacher, music, sex, alcohol, hypocrisy, family and being a teenager. • A story is about Holden Caulfield, the 16 year old protagonist of the novel and his experiences in school and new york city. • Holden Caufield- sketch of an American teenager • Nearly all readers identify with or see some of their friends reflected in different aspects of Holden’s characters • Young readers see in Holden Caulfield...
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...DEAD POETS SOCIETY & CATCHER IN THE RYE MY FAVORITE LINES FROM THE MOVIE Savor words and language; words and ideas can change the world We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute, we read and write poetry because we are members of the human race, and the human race is filled with passion. Poetry, beauty, romance, love -- these are what we stay alive for Let poetry work its magic We didn’t just read poetry, we let it drip from our tongues like honey; spirits soared, women swooned, and gods were created. Language was developed for one endeavor and that is to woo women A man isn’t very tired, he is exhausted; don’t say very sad, say morose We must constantly look at things in a different way When you read, don’t just consider what the author thinks, consider what you think Strive to find your own voice; dare to strike out and find new ground Sometimes the most beautiful poetry can be about simple things – a cat or a flower or rain Poetry can come from anything with the stuff of revelation in it Don’t let your poems be ordinary Say the first thing that pops into your mind even if it’s total gibberish; describe what you see, now give it an action Mr. Keating: I always thought the purpose of education was to teach one to think for himself Mr. Nolan: No John, tradition, discipline, prepare them for college and the rest will take care of itself Will the rest take care of itself? Should teachers be concerned...
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...T he Catcher in the Rye is set around the 1950s and is narrated by a young man named Holden Caulfield. Holden is not specific about his location while he’s telling the story, but he makes it clear that he is undergoing treatment in a mental hospital or sanatorium. The events he narrates take place in the few days between the end of the fall school term and Christmas, when Holden is sixteen years old.As Holden goes out to the lobby, he starts to think about Jane Gallagher and, in a flashback, recounts how he got to know her. They met while spending a summer vacation in Maine, played golf and checkers, and held hands at the movies. One afternoon, during a game of checkers, her stepfather came onto the porch where they were playing, and when he left Jane began to cry. Holden had moved to sit beside her and kissed her all over her face, but she wouldn’t let him kiss her on the mouth. That was the closest they came to “necking.” Holden leaves the Edmont and takes a cab to Ernie’s jazz club in Greenwich Village. Again, he asks the cab driver where the ducks in Central Park go in the winter, and this cabbie is even more irritable than the first one. Holden sits alone at a table in Ernie’s and observes the other patrons with distaste. He runs into Lillian Simmons, one of his older brother’s former girlfriends, who invites him to sit with her and her date. Holden says he has to meet someone, leaves, and walks back to the Edmont. Maurice, the elevator operator at the Edmont, offers to...
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...Sudesh Amyan Mr.Taylor ENG 3U1 05/14/12 Dealing with Change Everybody has a hard time dealing with change. It’s no joke. Some go to the extreme to try and not make things change; others just cannot accept that it happened, while some people choose not to move on from it. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye the main character Holden Caulfield, a troubled young man, is going through a tough time in life where everything is moving so quickly. He cannot accept the fact that he is becoming an adult and needs to start behaving as well as act like one. He constantly wants to be treated like an adult, but never acts like one. The reason for this is because he does not want to let go of his childhood. Dealing with change has been the issue he cannot seem to conquer. There are various images, symbols, and motifs that Salinger used in the novel that helps the reader realize that Holden is going through a tough time in life and cannot handle the fast paced. Overall the main problem with Holden is his trouble with dealing with change. There are many images in the book that Salinger used to make the reader come to a conclusion that Holden is having a hard time dealing with change. The movie theater, the museum, and the carrousel are just a few that were used in the novel. The movie theater is a strong image because basically that is the place where Holden goes to get away from everything. The movie theater is a place where he can escape reality and just relax from the fast paced...
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...Iris Berendes-Dean Schaefer English 10A, Pd. 3 15 October 2015 Fearing Maturity Incites Internal Struggles Throughout the generations, all adolescents have had to deal with the internal struggles while coming of age. J.D Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, applies literary devices and language patterns to develop the main character, Holden Caulfield, and his internal struggles and conflicts of maturing into adulthood. Salinger effectively uses Holden’s lies, language of depression, and flashbacks to accurately portray how teenagers often fear growing up, and feel the need to hang onto their innocence. Lying is an effective way for teenagers to hide their emotions and pretend to be someone they’re not, essentially testing the waters of maturity without taking the responsibility. Holden flees Pencey Prep School after being kicked out for failing the majority of his classes, and finds himself on a train sitting next to the mother of one of his classmates, on his way to New York City. Taking a liking to the woman, Holden begins to spin a web of lies. He tells her his name is Rudolf Schmidt and casually adds, “I have to have this operation… It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little brain tumor on the brain… right near the outside”(58). This single lie entertains Holden, as he would rather talk about something that he has never experienced instead of being truthful about himself. He avoids taking on the responsibility of being mature enough to tell the truth about...
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...from several different sources, it becomes hard to learn form the many experiences. This is demonstrated throughout the narrator’s life in J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher In the Rye. It is shown that: poor relations between an individual and their family impacts the individual’s ability to make good decisions. Secondly, when an individual is surrounded by deceiving people, their ability to socialize and network is hindered. Finally, the constant feeling of depression harms an individual well being, both physical and mental. Ultimately, the times of hardship that an individual experiences are shaped by the outside influences of: family, deceptive societies, and mental illnesses. Firstly, the narrator, Holden, his poor relationship with his family prevented him from making decisions that would benefit him. To begin with, Holden was always sent away to a private school during the working year. Naturally, this made him unable to Habibi 2 communicate as frequently with his parents. Although it may have seemed like a good idea to his parents, their absence is what moulded Holden’s conscience. As parents, they are their children’s role models and teachers, their main responsibility was to instill good morals into their children. Their absence caused Holden to be easily influenced by his peers and the pressure of society to do things that are irrational for other people of his age. Furthermore, his parents never knew that he got kicked out...
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...Hardships of growing up Growing up isn’t easy for everyone. With many adolescent teenagers, there is often an underlying pressure to find yourself, all while trying to manage reasonable grades and be apart of extra curriculars. The Catcher in the Rye is a book that many high school students can relate to. The main character Holden Caufield is very similar and relatable to me because we both like to fool around, we both went to private school, and we are both kind. Firstly, like Holden, I generally like to fool around. I always tend to make a joke out of most things and usually do not take things too serious. I like to joke around all the time because I have noticed that people who are always serious don’t have fun. For example, when Holden was joking around with Ackley he says, “Sometimes I horse around quite a lot, just to keep from getting bored. I pulled the old peak of my hunting hat around to the front, then pulled it way down over my eyes that way I couldn’t see a goddam thing. “I think I’m going blind,” I said in this very hoarse voice. You’re nuts. I swear to God, Ackley said. I was only horsing around naturally” (Salinger 21). This shows that Holden likes to joke around all the time. Secondly, Holden went to an all boy private school. We are similar because I did go to a private school but it wasn’t an all boy school. The kids at the private school I went to was just like the kids at Pencey. The food was awful, and when we had parent student lunch they...
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...Escape – Extract 2 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn “It was kind of lazy...”(p26) to “...till he got that chance.” (27) Collins Classics The Catcher in the Rye “The funny thing is though...”(p13) to “...when you think about it.” (p16) Penguin Analyse the extract in detail. Make sure you cover: * The ways in which the writer presents and develops Huck’s character. * The ways in which the writer creates a distinctive narrative voice. * The ways in which the theme of escape is presented. The ways in which any other themes are explored by the writer. * The ways in which the extract is a product of the novel’s social and historical context. In both extracts the theme of escape is explored. In extract 1, Huck is planning to escape from his abusive father and in extract 2 Holden does his best to escape from Mr Spencer’s room. Both extracts are in the first person so that the reader feels the narrator’s discomfort. Both characters feel the need to escape from oppression of some type; Huck from physical abuse at the hands of his alcoholic father and Holden from what he feels is the oppressive, “depressing” atmosphere of Spencer’s room and Pencey in general. In both extracts the reader feels the anxiety of the main character. However, the two characters are quite different. Huck is practical, resourceful and admirably cheerful whereas Holden is portrayed as neurotic and judgemental. We seem to be presented with a hero in Huck and an anti-hero in Holden. Both characters...
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