Year 11 English: Essay on Themes in The Catcher in the Rye

This essay provides an analysis of J.D. Salinger's novel, 'The Catcher in the Rye,' focusing on the character of Holden Caulfield and his experiences. The essay delves into the author's perspective on teenagers, examining how societal pressures and lack of care contribute to their struggles, including depression and a sense of alienation. It explores Salinger's life, including his experiences in World War II and how these experiences influenced his writing, reflected in Holden's cynicism. The essay also discusses the themes of change, transition, and the search for identity, as portrayed through Holden's interactions and observations. It highlights the novel's relevance for teenagers, emphasizing its exploration of loneliness, societal views, and the importance of support systems. The essay references relevant literary criticism to support its analysis and concludes by emphasizing the novel's enduring value in the classroom.

Running head: YEAR 11 ENGLISH
YEAR 11 ENGLISH
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Authors note

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The Catcher in the Rye is a book about a troubled teenager who dropped out of school
and goes to Manhattan - trying to find his place in the world; this is a great story that all
teenagers can relate to in some or the other way (Bloom 2014). The Author views on teenagers
and how they are not cared or respected enough and ignored in the society, which has negatively
influenced them, to the point of depression and hatred.
J.D Salinger was born in the year 1919, in New York, where he went to McBurney
School, later he flunked out of school despite of his apparent
intelligence. Then his parents sent him off to a military Academy in
Pennsylvania. J.D Salinger in his early
years was apparently quite a happy young person, who likes to
socialise quite a lot; but when he severed in World War 2 his outlook
on the world has completely changed (French 1963). This is shown in
the novel, Catcher in the rye, as he was writing it when he served in the
war, it is reflected in Holden’s constant cynicism about the world around
him. Interviews with the press about the war clearly shows how deep it has impacted him, saying
how he told his Daughter “You never really get the smell of burning flesh out of your nose
entirely, no matter how long you live” (Salinger 1951). His life was never the same. After the
War, he becomes more and more recluse; but when he was corning at the age of 34, he spent a
lot of time hanging out with the teenagers, buying them food and drink, and play ball games,
drive them around, and listening to music. J.D Salinger clearly had a lot of admiration for
teenagers, which might be the central reason of why he wrote his world-famous book about one
(Light 1959).

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The authors ideology shines through the text clearly; his thoughts on how teenager’s
depression is a core part of their destructive decisions are shown, when Holden is drunk and
leaves the bar. At this moment, he is at a low point. “I was crying and all. I do not know why, but
I was. I guess it was because I was feeling so damn depressed and lonesome”(Rahman 2018). He
then mentions the Ducks in the park, and he did not know where they went. This is talking about
migration of birds, which is alluded to change. Holden throughout the book talks about the birds,
not wanting to accept the fact that the birds leave, and something changes. Anytime a person is
talking to him about change, he reverts to him thinking about the birds at the lake. The frozen
lake itself also becomes a metaphor about it because it is partly frozen and partly not frozen at
the same time, talking about how teenagers are in transitioning phase and they do not have
everything figured out (Roy 2017).
The way that the theme of teenage transitioning has been shown through the main
character Holden Caulfield is very much helpful for other teenagers to relate with. Using a
character who is trying throughout the story to find his place in the world and how the world
truly is. It is an effective way to convey themes about teenagers growing in a fragile part of their
lives (Roberts 2020). The reader can relate to Holden Caulfield, due to being lost in the world
and not know what to do and not being able to figure out how to manage things, which is a very
common human emotion that most teenagers go through. The readers can imprint their own
values on to Holden and are able to relate to the choices he makes and the way he feels. The
lesson that Holden Caulfield imprints on the readers are that it is natural to feel like you do not
belong to anywhere or anybody, and that the whole world is against you; but some people are

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there to support you always. In Holden’s case, it was the teacher Mr Antolini and his little sister
phoebe, who played the role of his supporter in the plot indeed (Roberts 2020).
The reader’s opinion on societal views on teenagers and how they act differently in
different situations is revealed by the book. Throughout the book we look through the eyes of
Holden Caulfield, who is a deeply broken character who uses cynicism to isolate himself from
society, so he does not have to face anybody. This appropriate societal view on the fact that how
teenager are and that they are just rude nature and rebellious because that’s how they are. Holden
uses informal language to make it easier to understand how lonely he is in the world. He uses his
attitude of not caring because he cares too much. This can be seen in the quote “don’t ever tell
anyone anything. If you do, you start missing everyone” (Salinger 2001). This is on the last page
of the book, which contextualises Holden’s action. Holden puts on a facade because of his
negligence from his parents when his brother died. His whole life view was influenced because
of the fact that how his teenage life is such an important part of his personal life experience
(Henry 2017).
This novel’s worth using in a classroom is significant because; the book, even though it
from the 50’s, still most teenagers will find something that they can relate to with the story. Be it
Holden’s outlook towards life, how it is all about isolation and how fake and insensitive the
world is; or his general depressing attitude; most teenagers feel, Holden Caulfield is a relatable
teenage character. This means his struggles affected the readers on a more personal level, since it
is easy to empathise with him. The book draws on human experience, the feeling of loneliness

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and wanting to feel a sense of care and importance, is painfully real to many young people
(Salinger 2001).
Hence, the idea of growing up in a difficult teenage life is represented throughout the
book, which the main audience of this book can relate too. It is signified in Holden’s self-
isolation from his earlier teenage years, due to his parent’s unwillingness to care and leave him
alone with his problems without supporting him. Many teenagers go through this problem. The
notion of not wanting to change is portrayed throughout the book as something negative, which a
lot of younger people should realise. This book is worthy to be taught into a classroom.

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References:
Bloom, H. ed., 2014. JD Salinger's the Catcher in the Rye. Infobase Publishing.
French, W.G., 1963. JD Salinger (Vol. 40). Twayne Publishers.
Henry, B., 2017. Salinger, JD. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature.
Light, J.F., 1959. SALINGER, The Catcher in the Rye. Explicator, 18.
Rahman, D., 2018. Sarcasm as Humor in JD Salinger’s Novel The Catcher in the Rye (Doctoral
dissertation, Adab dan Humaniora).
Roberts, R., 2020. The effect of bereavement on the adolescent psyche in JD Salinger's The
Catcher in the Rye. Literary Cultures, 3(1).
Roy, A., 2017. Surviving childhood: trauma and maturation in JD Salinger's" The catcher in the
Rye", SE Hinton's" The outsiders", and Stephen Chbosky's" The perks of being a wallflower".
Salinger, J.D., 2001. The Catcher in the Rye [1951]. Boston, MA et al.