Center distance education"Eidos"
Finding the meaning of life in the story "The Catcher in the Rye" by Jerome Salinger
Subject, type of work: Literature, research
Leaders:
After living in Vienna for ten months, Salinger returned to America, to Ursinus College. But already in the middle of the year, having lost interest in studying, he transferred to Columbia University. At this time, Salinger continued to write.
The first story was published when Salinger was twenty-one years old. For two years he wrote for the Saturday Evening Post, Esquire, Mademoiselle and many other publications. Then he sailed to the West Indies on the liner Kungsholm, where he organized leisure activities for tourists, while still writing for magazines and university collections. At twenty-three he joined the army and served for two years. Army life the writer did not like it, because he wanted to devote himself entirely to literature.
Salinger began work on his most famous story, The Catcher in the Rye, in 1941 and finished it in the summer of 1951. The story was awarded the Book of the Month club even before it was published as a separate edition.
This work reveals inner world nervous, vulnerable teenager. Asked whether the book was in any way autobiographical, Mr. Salinger replied: “In some ways, yes, I was very relieved when I finished it. My childhood was very similar to the childhood of the hero of the book, and it was a great relief to talk about this people."
In 1997, Salinger moved to New England and even bought a house in Corniche. He planned to travel to Europe and Indonesia. In London he wanted to pursue cinema. Based on one of his stories, the film "My Foolish Heart" was made in Connecticut.
About seventy-five percent of his works are written about young people under twenty-one years of age, of which forty percent are about children under twelve years of age.
Almost every one of Salinger's stories is devoted to the problem of transition from the world of the child, the world of authenticity, sincere feelings– into the adult world – a world of strict boundaries imposed on the style of behavior, thoughts, and inner world; or a comparison of these two worlds. It is very difficult to get used to frames; they cripple and kill everything natural and living. Children, capacitors of happiness in naturalness and chaos, in each of the stories question the “need” and once and for all determined, stereotypical correctness of adult behavior. It is quite natural for an adult to write about an adult world that he understands, whose certainty, sealed once and for all with the wax seals of time and experience, he has studied so well. Can an adult who has forgotten how things should be done correctly, how things should be, be considered normal? He is either pretending, imitating a child for an incomprehensible purpose - but it is impossible not to notice the falsehood - or he is unhealthy, incorrect, inadequate to the world around him, the reality that has established its laws for him.
According to Salinger's poetics, the mysterious person is the one who does not understand the relativity of everything in the world, does not understand the precariousness of what is called immutable. This is exactly what the hero of the story “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden Caulfield, talks about. All his actions, manners, the flow of his thoughts reveal a child in him. And, at the same time, he became, as it were, a stereotype of a teenager, having absorbed the disgusting and vulgar qualities of an adult. Holden is not stupid and selfless, strives for independence, sees a picture of his future in front of him. His reluctance to return home and think about what is connected with him is very noticeable. He is afraid of excessive parental control and moralizing. Therefore, after yet another expulsion from school, this time from Pansy High School for poor academic performance, he goes in search of adventure in the world of adults, categorically rejecting the idea of returning to his native land.
Adults, in his understanding, are hopeless vulgarities and fools; he ridicules them, criticizes them in every possible way, but he himself does not disdain so-called adult games. He irresistibly attracts attention and sympathy, matured, but not an adult. He has an undying desire to experience everything, he is passionate about searching for new experiences, but this search always runs into an almost insurmountable obstacle from the adults around him. It is difficult for Holden Caulfield to step over himself and all that he calls personal moral standards, but he is not particularly worried about this, because this is the only thing that distinguishes him from the faceless gray crowd in the harsh world of materialism.
Holden does not take his friends seriously; they are just another object of ridicule for him. He likes to piss them off and offend them, because he realizes their worthlessness in his life. However, you should not imagine him as a pompous, cold-blooded snob; after all, there are people in his life for whom he feels warm, bright and sublime feelings. This is Jane Gallagher, a childhood friend. He imagined her as a completely different girl, different from everyone else, perhaps her peculiarity in Holden’s eyes was explained by the fact that Jane was that ray of light stretching from the world of genuine sincerity, kindness - from the world of childhood. Holden desperately defended her honor, not allowing anyone to destroy her image, which remained with him since childhood. Throughout his time in New York, after he left Pansy's school, Holden never found the courage to call her...
The second most important person in Caulfield's life was his younger sister Phoebe, whom he admired in his heart, loving her to the point of frantic fanaticism. She was the only one who understood the complex soul of Holden Caulfield, she could explain even the most complex things so simply that it became funny that you yourself had puzzled over it for so long before turning to Phoebe. And oddly enough, it was Phoebe who forced Holden to commit, perhaps, one of the most important steps in his life. A step towards reconciliation with parents. She opened his eyes to what is truly valuable in life, pointed out the path that he was looking for, but for some reason always avoided the right one...
Holden simply could not disobey the person he trusted as much as himself...
One of the most controversial authors, Salinger disguises his feelings, which gives his works a huge amount of imagination. Any detail is significant; to miss it means not to understand. After all, the main thing is not to analyze the actions of the hero, not to see some indicative trait in his character, the main thing is to understand why the author awarded his hero with everything he has.
This especially affects Salinger’s work, and the most important advantage of any of his works is not its innovation, not the language in which it is written, not ideals and not artistic expression, the main thing is that they contain part of the author himself. And if this is indeed the case, then all of the above makes no sense. It makes sense to think about this!
The title of this work is inextricably linked in the mind modern society with the theme of growing up, becoming a person, finding oneself. Analysis of “The Catcher in the Rye” means returning to adolescence for the sake of understanding the main character, his psychology, the subtleties and versatility of his maturing, just emerging nature.
For my own, albeit not as long as I would like, creative path Salinger managed to establish himself not only as a very mysterious, wayward and freedom-loving person. The fact that the author of “The Catcher in the Rye” (an analysis of the work will be presented in this article) was a real psychologist, sensitive to every facet of the human soul, does not require any additional explanation.
What does the novel mean to the world?
The twentieth century, so rich in literary masterpieces in general, managed to give the world this stunning novel about growing up in the world of American reality. The analysis of “The Catcher in the Rye” should perhaps begin by determining its significance for world culture.
Having just appeared on the shelves of bookstores, the novel managed to cause a real sensation among readers of all ages due to its deep psychology, relevance and complete correspondence with the spirit of the times. The work has been translated into almost all languages of the world and even now does not lose its popularity, remaining a bestseller in the most different corners globe. Analysis of "The Catcher in the Rye" as one of greatest works American literature twentieth century is included in the compulsory curriculum of schools and higher educational institutions.
Through the prism of an accomplished personality
Narration in this work is told on behalf of a seventeen-year-old boy, Holden Caulfield, before whom the world opens into a new future, adult life. The reader sees surrounding reality through the prism of his developing, maturing personality, which is just embarking on the road to the future, saying goodbye to childhood. The world embodied in this book is unstable, multifaceted and kaleidoscopic, like Holden’s consciousness itself, constantly falling from one extreme to another. This is a story told from the perspective of a person who does not accept lies in any of its manifestations, but at the same time tries it on himself, like the mask of an adult that a young man sometimes wants to appear to be.
Analysis of “The Catcher in the Rye” is, in essence, a reader’s journey into the most hidden, deepest human experiences, shown through the eyes of no longer a child, but not yet an adult.
Maximalism in the novel
Since the main character is only seventeen years old, the book is narrated accordingly. It either slows down, representing an unprotected contemplation, then speeds up - one picture gives way to another, emotions displace each other, absorbing not only Holden Caulfield, but also the reader along with him. In general, the novel is characterized by an amazing unity between the hero and the person who picked up the book.
Like any young man of his age, Holden tends to exaggerate reality - the Pansy school, from which he is expelled for poor academic performance, seems to him to be the real embodiment of injustice, pompousness and lies, and the desire of adults to seem like someone they are not is a real crime against honor, deserving only disgust.
Who is Holden Caulfield
In the novel “The Catcher in the Rye,” the analysis of the main character requires a particularly careful and painstaking approach, because it is through his eyes that the reader sees the world. Holden can hardly be called an example of morality - he is quick-tempered and sometimes lazy, fickle and somewhat rude - he brings his friend Sally to tears, which he later regrets, and his other actions very often cause the reader's disapproval. This is due to his borderline state - the young man is already leaving childhood, but is not yet ready for the transition to adult, independent life.
Having accidentally heard an excerpt from a popular song, he finds, as it seems to him, his destiny, deciding to become a catcher in the rye.
Meaning of the name
The original title of the novel is "Catcher in the rye". Bursting into the text of the novel in the words of a popular song, this image repeatedly pops up in the mind of young Holden Caulfield, who identifies himself with the catcher. According to the hero, his purpose in life is to protect children from the adult, cruel world, full of lies and pretense. Holden himself does not strive to grow up and does not want to allow this process to happen for anyone.
What did Salinger want to say to the reader with this title? “The Catcher in the Rye,” the analysis of which requires a complex, broad approach, is a novel full of amazing symbolism and secret meanings. The image of a rye field over an abyss embodies the very process of a person growing up, the final, most decisive step towards a new future. Perhaps this particular image was chosen by the author because, as a rule, young American boys and girls went to the fields for secret dates.
Another image-symbol
Ducks, who don’t know where they go in winter, are another equally important component of “The Catcher in the Rye.” An analysis of the novel without considering it will simply be incomplete. In fact, such a naive, even slightly stupid question that torments the hero throughout the entire story is another symbol of his belonging to childhood, because not a single adult asks this question and cannot answer it. This is another one powerful symbol loss, irrevocable change awaiting the protagonist.
Resolving internal conflict
Despite Holden's very obvious attraction to some escapism, at the end of the novel he has to make a choice in favor of moving into adulthood, full of responsibility, determination and readiness for a variety of situations. The reason for this is his younger sister Phoebe, who is ready to take such a decisive step for her brother, becoming an adult before the time comes. Admiring the wise girl beyond her years on the carousel, Holden realizes how important the choice he faces is and how great the need to accept a new world, a completely different reality.
This is exactly what Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, the analysis of the work and its artistic originality. This is a lifelong journey of becoming, placed in three days experienced by the main character. This is a boundless love for literature, purity and sincerity, faced with such a multifaceted, diverse and complex world around us. This is a novel about all of humanity and about each person individually. A work that is destined to become a reflection of the soul of many more generations.
Jerome Salinger's work is popular today all over the world; in a number of countries it is even included in the compulsory school curriculum. But the book “The Catcher in the Rye” had the greatest influence on the youth of the twentieth century. Reviews from the moment the novel was published until today there were a wide variety: from delight to prohibitions. It is this controversial work that our article will be devoted to.
History of creation
The predecessors of the novel were stories that already raised themes that were later more thoroughly explored in The Catcher in the Rye. Reviews from critics indicate that some stories even became parts of the novel. Thus, the essay “Slight Riot on Madison Avenue” turned into the seventeenth chapter of the new work. It was in this story that a character named Holden Caulfield first appeared.
Another story, entitled “Crazy,” contains outlines of two scenes from the novel: a farewell to a history teacher and a conversation with the parents of one of his classmates. In 1949, Salinger brought a manuscript to the editor, the main character of which was also Holden Caulfield, but it was never published - the author took it away. And only in 1951 it was published final version works.
“The Catcher in the Rye”: summary
The novel begins with teenager Holden Caulfield addressing the reader. He promises to tell one story, not quite an ordinary one, that happened to him last Christmas. The boy will not describe his biography in detail or discuss his parents, who prefer not to stir up “dirty laundry.”
Holden himself at the moment stays in a sanatorium in Hollywood, not far from where his older brother D.B. lives.
Expulsion from school
It is surprising that the book was originally intended for an adult audience, despite the main character that Salinger chose. "The Catcher in the Rye" ( summary is just beginning) tells the story of an American teenager who studied at the Pansy boarding school, located in Pennsylvania.
For a time, Holden was captain of the fencing team, but he was expelled from school when he failed four subjects. And so, before leaving home, Caulfield watches the football game and says goodbye to memorable places. The only teacher he comes to talk to at last is the old history teacher Spencer.
An old man sick with the flu is dissatisfied with his student, asks him about the reasons for his exclusion, scolds him for his disdainful attitude towards own life. Caulfield doesn't like Spencer, and he's already starting to regret that he decided to say goodbye to him. Listening to the old man's moral teachings, the boy remembers how he left Elkton Hill School. He didn’t like it there because everything was done for show.
Dormitory
Perhaps it is the simplicity and ingenuousness of the image that so captivates readers in the novel “The Catcher in the Rye.” The summary is aimed at describing the actions and thoughts of an ordinary American teenager who is trying to establish a dialogue with life.
Holden returns to the school dormitory. In his room, he takes out the book “In the Wilds of Africa” and begins to read it. A nasty high school student named Robert Ackley comes to see him, both internally and externally (with acne all over his face and rotten teeth). He came in to ask for nail clippers. Holden looks up from his book and says that Ackley's roommate Stradlater disgusts him because the other day he mocked the main character and asked him to brush his teeth at least occasionally.
Stradlater comes into the room and shoos Ackley away, and he goes into the bathroom to shave. Holden follows him. They chat, in conversation Stradlater gradually turns to educational topic and asks the main character to write an English essay for him. Stradlater himself does not have time to do this - he goes on a date with a girl named Jane Gallagher. This news makes Holden excited - he has known this girl for a long time, they once lived next door and were best friends.
Lunch passes and Caulfield, Ackley and friends set off for Egerstown. Evening comes and Holden starts writing an essay. The assignment was to describe the room, but instead he describes the baseball mitt of his brother Allie, who died of blood cancer.
Stradlater returns from a date. Holden asks how it went. When the neighbor starts talking about how he squeezed the girl in the car, main character angry. An argument breaks out and the boys start a fight, which results in Holden's broken nose. The bleeding was so severe that the teenager's face and pajamas were covered in blood.
Escape
In his novel, Salinger describes feelings that are quite close to every teenager. “The Catcher in the Rye,” the summary can confirm this, refers to that stage of life when a person is especially susceptible to emotional outbursts, a feeling of loneliness, and a feeling of hostility from the world around him.
Holden goes to Ackley's room and lies down on the bed. He can't help but think about what happened between Stradlater and Jane. These visions continue to torment Holden, and he comes to the decision to leave here for New York.
The teenager boards the train, next to him is the mother of Ernest Morrow, whom the main character considers one of the most disgusting students at Pansy. However, he does not tell Mrs. Morrow about this; on the contrary, all the way Holden describes how kind, modest and well-mannered her son is.
New York
This article cannot cover all the nuances, since the described content of the novel “The Catcher in the Rye” is brief. Reviews, however, can be compiled based on it.
So, our hero arrives in New York and checks into the Egmont Hotel. Having settled down, he decides to call an acquaintance - Fay Cavendish. Holden invites her to have a cocktail, but the girl refuses, explaining that she is tired and wants to sleep. The young man hangs up and begins to remember his little ten-year-old sister Phoebe. He even wants to call her at home, but is afraid that her parents might answer the phone.
Holden goes to the first floor of the hotel in the “Lilac” room. Here a young man tries to order a whiskey and soda, but the waiter refuses to serve him because he is underage. Then the hero notices a pretty blonde of about thirty, whom he invites to dance. The woman agrees, they start dancing, Holden finds out that he came from Seattle and that her name is Bernice. She dances wonderfully, but is absolutely unable to carry on a conversation.
Bernice is not alone here, she has two friends with her - Laverne and Marty. Both are also good, but they dance worse. It turns out that the trio are simply obsessed with celebrities, and especially with actors. And today they came here precisely to see some Hollywood star.
The restaurant closes and new friends leave. Holden is left alone in the hall, once again overcome by memories. Here he and Jane are playing checkers, here she is crying, and he kisses her face, and now they are going to the cinema, where the girl tenderly stroked the hero’s head.
Holden decides to go to a tavern owned by the black Ernie, who plays the piano masterfully. The young man hails a taxi and talks with the driver along the way, trying to find out from him what happens to the ducks that live in Central Park, in winter, because the lake freezes. The taxi driver finds the conversation unpleasant, but he continues to support it, gradually trying to change the subject.
Many criticized the novel “The Catcher in the Rye” for being too frank. Reviews even from modern readers are guilty of this. Meanwhile, it is necessary to pay tribute to the author, who described reality without embellishment.
In Ernie, our hero meets Lillian Simmons in the company of a naval officer. This girl once dated his brother D.B. Holden becomes uncomfortable with such a neighborhood and leaves. Once on the street, the young man wanders, not knowing where, thinking about his cowardice.
Holden returns to the hotel, where the elevator operator offers him to take the girl for the night. Surprised, Holden agrees in surprise. Returning to the room, the young man begins to get nervous - he has never been with a woman before, and the courtesan is about to arrive.
A young girl, Sunny, comes into the room. Holden refuses her services, tries to talk to her and eventually pays the money the elevator operator assigned - five dollars. The girl leaves. At dawn she returns with the elevator operator. The two of them begin extorting more money from Holden. The young man doesn’t want to give them anything, so the elevator operator grabs him and Sunny takes money out of his wallet. Before leaving, the elevator operator hits Holden hard in the stomach for insulting him.
Wanderings
The actions of the novel “The Catcher in the Rye” continue to unfold (a summary of the chapters continues). Holden wakes up in the morning and immediately calls Sally Hayes, his girlfriend, and arranges to meet at the theater.
Then he checks out of the hotel and goes to Central station, where he has breakfast not far from two nuns. Over the meal, a conversation begins between them, Holden donates ten dollars to charity.
When breakfast is over, the young man calls Jane, who is not at home. After this, in the hope of meeting Phoebe, he goes to the park. But his little sister is not there, and the hero wanders thoughtlessly through the streets.
In the evening, Holden and Sally go to a performance, after which they go for a walk. In a small cafe, the hero invites Sally to run away with him, but the girl refuses. After this, the couple argues.
The next day, Holden meets with high school student Carl Lewis, who was once his tutor. The guys drink several glasses of martinis, an old acquaintance talks about his life with a thirty-year-old sculptor. When Karl leaves, Holden gets drunk alone.
Returning home
At one time, Jerome Salinger caused a lot of controversy with his work (“The Catcher in the Rye”). The reviews were diametrically opposed, some admired the book, others mercilessly scolded it, the only thing that the novel did not cause was indifference.
Holden decides to sneak home to talk to Phoebe without his parents noticing. The young man enters the house and finds his sister sleeping in D.B.’s office. and wakes you up. Waking up, the girl talks about the school performance that will take place on Christmas, retells the film she recently watched. And then Phoebe realizes that Holden has flunked out of another school again. Then the young man begins to explain that it was unbearable at Pansy. Phoebe is outraged and tells her brother that he doesn't like anything at all. The brother and sister dance to the music and chat until Holden leaves because his parents have returned.
Mr. Antolini
The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” is coming to an end. A summary, reviews (presented in more detail below) and personal impressions can already contribute to the formation of a personal opinion regarding the book.
Holden goes to visit his old teacher Mr. Antolini, to whom he tells about his failures in former school. The teacher finds no advice for the young man, but fears that he is rushing towards an abyss that could swallow him. The young man stays overnight in the teacher's apartment. But at night he wakes up because Antolini was stroking his head. Calling the old man crazy, Holden leaves and spends the night at the station.
The next morning the hero goes for a walk around the city and decides to go to the West. Phoebe is nearby, who also wants to be with him. The young man calms his sister down, and they go for a walk together. It starts to rain, Holden gets wet, then falls ill, and his parents send him to a sanatorium to recover.
“The Catcher in the Rye”: reviews
After its release and initial popularity, the book began to be condemned in every possible way. The persecution began in 1961 and continued until 1982. There were many reasons for this attitude:
- the novel's language has been called "crude";
- inappropriate and explicit conversations about sex;
- many critics called the main character a bad example for the younger generation.
The book “The Catcher in the Rye” caused a storm of emotions in the twentieth century. Reviews from critics mainly boiled down to the fact that the novel was called propaganda of drunkenness, rebellion, violence and debauchery. But the strict ban led to a completely opposite result; the book began to enjoy unprecedented popularity among young people.
It is noteworthy that despite the tendency to include works in the basic school curriculum, some countries and individual educational institutions they still exclude the novel from the lists of recommended literature.
As for the opinions of modern readers, they are just as contradictory as they were half a century ago. Some talk about the incredible positive impact, what the book had on them, while others see in it just a description of the infantile suffering of a not very smart teenager.
Autobiography in a novel
Many note that the work “The Catcher in the Rye” (D. Salinger) turned out to be largely biographical. Reviews of critics and biographers of the author agree that the prototype of Holden’s family was the family of the writer himself. And in the image of the main character’s brother D.B. Salinger himself is guessed, who also visited the war and participated in the 1945 landing in Normandy.
What the writer has in common with his hero is that he himself was the captain of the fencing team at school.
Idea
Let us now turn to the idea that Salinger put into his creation. “The Catcher in the Rye” (analysis and content confirm this) is a work dedicated to teenage worldview. This attitude is especially evident in relation to lies. The main character does not accept it in any form: moral standards, events, people, objects. It is against all these manifestations of lies that the rebellion of the protagonist, who cannot come to terms with it, is directed.
Tragedy
Depicts a situation in which the hero can no longer avoid conflict with the world, Jerome D. Salinger. “The Catcher in the Rye,” reviews of many critics have noted this, is a novel based on a tragic and unbearable collision of a person with reality. And what is noteworthy is that Holden’s rebellion does not result in open confrontation with the system. No, the young man is not ready to fight, he just wants to escape and find a quiet, cozy corner for himself, where the evil and deceitful reality does not touch him. It is in these contradictory thoughts and actions of the protagonist that the tragedy of the novel lies.
The image of the main character
So, after getting acquainted with the novel “The Catcher in the Rye” (summary, analysis), you can move on to considering the image of the main character. So, this is a seventeen-year-old boy with normal behavior for this age. He is impulsive, reckless, and prone to idealism. All his actions and words are as frank as possible, he does not lie and acts in accordance with the dictates of his heart.
Holden has a hard time finding common language with adults who only want to teach, but will never notice if you behave like an adult. Thinking about such things leads the hero to the conclusion that people do not notice anything around them at all. But what is most disgusting about those around them is their desire to be different, to try to seem different from who they really are. That is why he is so drawn to his younger sister, endowed with childish ingenuity and directness.
Conclusion
Thus, the novel that Salinger created turned out to be very ambiguous and multifaceted. “The Catcher in the Rye” (reviews and summary confirm this idea) largely raises questions related to the very nature of man, with his internal contradictions, which are especially pronounced in adolescence.
That's the name of the novel I recently read. It took me a while to understand what the author wanted to say with his work; it didn’t immediately impress me. Only after thinking about it, sorting everything out, and re-reading some points, I understood what was what. The novel is very thoughtful.
This is a story about a teenager Holden Caulfield who studied at an elite high school Pansy until he was kicked out for failing four classes. It is worth noting that the guy is far from stupid, he loves to read good books, was the captain of the fencing team, he has his own opinion on everything and understands how society works. In fact, this is what he suffers from.
Holden Caulfield at first glance, a typical troubled teenager. He smokes, sometimes gets drunk as hell, swears a lot, and can be rude to a girl during a date. But despite his rebellious nature, the main character never crosses the line, loves honesty and justice, does not harm anyone and does not want to upset his family.
What is the meaning of the book's title?
Holden once he tells his sister that he imagines children running around in a huge rye field, and below there is an abyss. All he wants to do is stand there on the rock and catch the kids and stop them from falling.
The main character at such a young age has already learned real life without embellishment. In his imagination, he protects children's fragile minds from all the filth of the world - from falsehood, injustice, vulgarity, hypocrisy, etc.
What did I like?
❤ The story seems to take you back to your youth, in high school, when adult life seems to have begun, but childhood is not over yet. The work literally breathes some kind of spirit of freedom and adventurism;
❤ Volume - 200 pages. This is approximately 7-8 hours of reading, that is, the novel can be read in one day if you have free time;
❤ Most teenagers will find a reflection of their thoughts and state of mind in the book. It is ideal for those who are looking for themselves and cannot find their place in life.
What didn't I like about the book?
There is no plot or development of events as such, and mostly describes the thoughts of a teenage boy;
In some places it’s tedious and boring;
The narration is told in the first person and therefore There are a lot of swear words in the book.
Did you know that The Catcher in the Rye was the favorite book of killer John Lennon. He identified himself with the main character.
American writer Jerome David Salinger became famous throughout the world thanks to his novel “The Catcher in the Rye,” in which he surprisingly subtly described the complex inner world of a growing teenager. We invite you to get acquainted with literary analysis works that will be useful to 10th grade students in preparation for a lesson on literature and the upcoming Unified State Exam.
Brief Analysis
Year of writing– 1951.
History of creation– Salinger devoted 10 years to writing his novel. Its publication caused mixed reactions in literary world. The work became one of the most popular in the 20th century, and was translated into many languages.
Subject– The author revealed in the novel many important topics, including love, loneliness, family relationships, responsibility. Much attention he focused on the problems that growing teenagers invariably face.
Composition– The composition is consistent, all events develop in chronological order within three days. The story is told from the perspective of teenager Holden Caulfield. Epilogue - introduction to the main character, beginning - expulsion from school, development of events - “adult” life in New York, climax - a walk with my sister in the rain, denouement - treatment in a sanatorium.
Genre- Novel.
Direction– A confessional novel, a coming-of-age novel.
History of creation
Salinger worked on his novel for almost 10 years, finishing it in 1951. Its publication caused a huge resonance in American society, dividing it into two camps: some were delighted with the work, others betrayed it to merciless criticism. First of all, this was due to the large amount of jargon and obscene language with which the writer generously peppered his book.
But, at the same time, deep psychologism, raising the urgent problems of the younger generation, relevance and full compliance with the spirit of the time made Salinger’s novel “The Catcher in the Rye” one of the most popular books of the twentieth century. It has been translated into many languages and is included in the compulsory school curriculum in some countries.
The meaning of the novel's title echoes the Bible, pointing to the catcher human souls. The main character - teenager Holden Caulfid - identifies himself with such a catcher and sees his life purpose in protecting pure and innocent children's souls from all the dirt of the “adult” world, preventing them from falling into the abyss and perishing in the abyss of callousness, lies and hypocrisy .
Subject
The central theme of the work- the formation of a teenager’s personality, his encounter with “adult” life and gradual maturation. Holden faces a lot of temptations and trials, and often makes the wrong decisions, but this is the only way to gain much-needed life experience.
Being, due to his age and character, a desperate maximalist, the main character does not accept any form of lies and hypocrisy, he does not close his eyes to human shortcomings and vices. It is not surprising that he cannot find a common language with everyone; sometimes, he simply has no one to talk to heart to heart. So the author rises theme of loneliness, which is especially dangerous in adolescence.
No less important theme of family relationships. Holden feels the lack acutely parental love and the care it so desperately needs. As a result, he becomes embittered towards the world of adults, whom he openly despises.
But, despite all the contradictions and complexities of the world around him, the main character does not lose his spiritual purity, remaining the same naive and modest boy. The main idea of the work is to protect children from becoming too early exposed to the corrupt and cynical world of adults. Finding joy in love and virtue, being yourself is what Salinger's novel teaches.
Composition
Subjecting the novel “The Catcher in the Rye” to analysis, we should note its interesting compositional solution. The plot covers only three days - Saturday, Sunday and Monday, but during this short period of time the full picture the life of the main character, his character, habits, internal torment, attitude towards life.
The composition unfolds sequentially, in chronological order, with a detailed description of everyday details. The novel consists of 26 chapters.
In the epilogue, the author introduces the reader to the main character, Holden Caulfield, who, while staying at the sanatorium, decides to tell his brother the story that happened to him last Christmas. The plot is another expulsion of Holden from school. The development of events is the adventures of the protagonist in New York, his first acquaintance with “adult” life. The highlight is a walk with her little sister Phoebe to the zoo and her ride in the rain on a carousel. The denouement is Holden's illness and his treatment in a sanatorium.
Main characters
Genre
The work is written in the genre of a novel with a characteristic confessional tone. Essentially this is personal diary, which many teenagers are embarrassed to conduct due to their age.
In relation to Salinger’s novel “The Catcher in the Rye,” literary scholars tend to use the term “coming-of-age novel,” since it reveals the idea of the book as accurately as possible.
Work test
Rating analysis
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