Neither a child nor a grownup, Holden resists maturation, a process he sees as characterized by loss rather than growth. The novel's main thematic conflict pits the innocence and authenticity of childhood, as represented by Holden's sister Phoebe, against the phoniness, as Holden sees it, of most adults (Mr.Salinger was in his twenties and thirties when he wrote the novel, which began as a short story and grew, over many years, into a book length work of fiction. Salinger’s 1951 novel of post-war alienation told by angst-ridden teen Holden Caulfield. Although The Catcher in the Rye seems like the unedited thoughts and feelings of an actual teenager, it is nothing of the kind.Like another popular character, Huck Finn, Holden tells his own story in his own words as if speaking aloud, and it is Holden's 'voice' on the page, rather than the plot of The Catcher in the Rye, for which the novel is most remembered. Holden Caulfield is one of the best-loved fictional characters in American literature.The three most important aspects of The Catcher in the Rye: The life of celebrated but reclusive author, J.D. With Nicholas Hoult, Kevin Spacey, Victor Garber, Hope Davis. Major Symbols : preparatory school life baseball glove red hunting cap Radio City Music Hall the carrousel's gold ring the coming-of-age genre Rebel in the Rye: Directed by Danny Strong. Major Thematic Topics : innocence death authentic versus artificial sexual confusion If Im on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where Im going, Im liable to say Im going to the opera. Main Characters : Holden Caulfield Phoebe Allie D.B. Im the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. Salinger's classic The Catcher in the Rye illustrates a teenager's dramatic struggle against death and growing up.įirst Published: by Little, Brown and Company on July 16, 1951 After a fight with his roommate, Stradlater, Holden leaves school two days early to explore New York before returning home, interacting with teachers, prostitutes, nuns, an old girlfriend, and his sister along the way. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield recounts the days following his expulsion from Pencey Prep, a private school.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger