Catcher in the Rye Perspectives

¶ … joining a conversation about a topic and now you review all those opinions and add original ideas to the conversation. Literary research paper on one particular text (the catcher in the rye) that includes at least 4 outside sources and ONLY one can be Internet-only. Spend a large portion of the paper presenting your research findings (the multiple perspectives associated with the text). Think of informing readers of all those other voices that have already joined the conversation. After presenting the viewpoints, add own ideas about the text and show how it fits into the larger discussion. You might agree or disagree with some of the sources or you might add to an already established argument, but you must add something new to the conversation. Also use some academic sources from databases as means of research. The paper needs: a specific, focused, and clearly written thesis statement, support for thesis, MLA documentation, and organizational strategy.

J.D. Salinger

Death: 1/27/2010

Age 91

Introduction

"Don't ever tell anybody anything," J.D. Salinger wrote in the closing lines of "The Catcher in the Rye." "If you do, you start missing everybody" (Ulin,2010).

Oh, to try and decipher such ambiguity may, in due course, drive impartial objectivity and stir maturity from even the world's greatest skeptic! Then again, it could also negate everything and drive one to crawl back into that cave of self-preservation. Self-effacement is more like it. No matter, but we can still bet that Caulfield will promise that he "felt sorry as hell for" any confusion he may have caused.

Holden Caulfield, what a difficult sixteen-year-old to comprehend. Or is he? He definitely fits the psychological profile of a typical sixteen-year-old, so maybe he holds far more similarities that he'd ever imagine. For one, estrangement and self-imposed isolation are his methods of contending with and avoiding difficulties, even if they are imagined difficulties. Looking into his habits of self-alienation and social-alienation, even his safeguard employed by such cynicism, he develops an artificial sense of superiority. Let's nitpick into what motivates such self-imposed self-annihilation...

Body

With his crude language and his pathetic attitude, and his "red hunting hat" mentioned repeatedly, he is multi-dimensional. That pessimism and complete lack of interest is a disguise, the front he holds up in order to avoid judgement or otherwise alleviate himself from obligations. Though he does continually push across the image of an outsider secretly wanting in, Caulfield does sincerely don this hat to preserve or declare his sense of individuality. Therefore, this repeatedly mentioned hat, especially in the eye of strangers, does back his obvious desire to isolate himself rather than submissively blend-in. That red hunting hat speaks great amounts.

When I was all set to go, when I had my bags and all, I stood for a while next to the stairs and took a last look down that goddam corridor. I was sort of crying. I don't know why. I

put my red hunting hat on, and turned the peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then I yelled at the top of my goddam voice, "Sleep tight, ya morons!" I'll bet I woke up every bastard on the whole floor. Then I got the hell out. Some stupid guy had thrown peanut shells all over the stairs, and I damn near broke my crazy neck

(Salinger, chapter 7).

In concern to this book's setting, New York throughout the 1940s, this perfectly captures both the setting or location during the time this story takes place: "...no book has ever captured a city better than Catcher in the Rye captured New York in the forties" (Gopnik, 2010). With such a vivid description of this densely populated, and optimistic city on the east coast during a time of growth and construction itself after the Great Depression of the 1930's, this element leaves a reader to focus in on the lead character here. Plus, elements such as his age and his "red hunting hat" demonstrate that he will direly hold on to that sense of self. However, his demand to defend and preserve that sense of self is hat excludes him from the world, prevents him from interacting, and therefore makes him feel both left out and victimized.

Readers can see that Holden Caulfield's alienation is the cause of most of his pain. He is his own restraint and self-absorbed sense is what blinds him. At times, he has an inflated sense of superiority, but more often than not he feels unwanted and unwelcome.

On the other hand, the title quote in this book demonstrates his compassion and that he is concerned for the well-being of others. He tells Phoebe, a girl that he has known for quite a while, that he would like to see himself as a "catcher in the rye" so he can catch the children before they ran too close to the edge. By wanting to watch over and secure the safety of innocence of children while they play, this shows quite a bit of depth to his character.

Caulfield also demonstrates the humane ability to connect in an effort at finding comfort and solace when he declares to Mr. Spencer in chapter two. Caulfield describes that he feels "trapped on the other side of life," implying that he feels left out and abnormally disregarded, unlike the others, even the phony people. The focus here is on the connection to Mr. Spencer. Together with this connection with Phoebe, these exhibit his want to reach out and disregard that defensive wall.

Therefore, he cannot be labeled one way or another, as an entirely reclusive and self-alienating person, or as a person doing what he can to please the masses. Actually, he favors the first more than the latter, but not entirely. This is proof that he is a rounded teen. By no means is he lively, proficient, or even close to fully capable of anything; he is merely coming-of-age.