Poised on the cusp of early adulthood, most of his relationships end on a disappointing note. Holden’s entry into adulthood is not all that pleasant. The novel has become symbolic of disillusioned youth and the despair often entailed by attempts to find and hold on to something worthy and good. Though Holden’s experiences are based on Salinger’s, they also resonate with millions across the world. In another five years Holden’s whole story would be told. The New Yorker was thus able to publish Salinger’s story only when the war ended, after a five-year delay. The character of Holden Caulfield first made his appearance in 1941, in a short story titled “Slight Rebellion off Madison.” However, the Second World War was in progress, and Pearl Harbor was bombed that year. Though the sensitive and rebellious Holden claims to be an atheist, he nonetheless seems to have a better understanding of Jesus than many Christians. The conflict between these two faiths played a significant role in the author’s life, as it indeed does in Holden’s life. There are striking similarities between the author and the fictional Holden nonetheless: both grew up in the city of New York, and their parents practiced different religions (Salinger’s mother was Catholic, and his father was Jewish). However, the author wanted to narrate an experience that would resonate with more people, and the novel accordingly contains fictional events to make it more relatable. It could very well have been the story of J.D. The Catcher in the Rye is a semi-autobiographical novel. He then leaves the school to explore the city of New York. The book describes two days in the life of Holden, who is expelled from Pencey Prep, a private school, after he has a fight with his roommate, Stradlater. It is a world that is unkind to anyone who does not fit in. Based on the author’s own life, the book is about Holden Caulfield, the adolescent protagonist who finds himself at odds in a world of grown-ups, whom he routinely calls “phonies.” The world he encounters is both flawed and utterly devoid of empathy. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye was first published in 1951. Written with the clarity of a boy leaving childhood, it deals with society, love, loss, and expectations without ever falling into the clutch of a cliche.J.D. Salinger's style creates an effect of conversation, it is as though Holden is speaking to you personally, as though you too have seen through the pretences of the American Dream and are growing up unable to see the point of living in, or contributing to, the society around you.
#What genre is the catcher in the rye full#
Lazy in style, full of slang and swear words, it's a novel whose interest and appeal comes from its observations rather than its plot intrigues (in conventional terms, there is hardly any plot at all). Throughout, Holden dissects the 'phony' aspects of society, and the 'phonies' themselves: the headmaster whose affability depends on the wealth of the parents, his roommate who scores with girls using sickly-sweet affection. The story is told by Holden Caulfield, a seventeen-year-old dropout who has just been kicked out of his fourth school. "The Catcher in Rye" is the ultimate novel for disaffected youth, but it's relevant to all ages.
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