Jaclyn LaBaumbard
Mrs. Wade
AP Literature
20 March 2015
Salinger In The Rye
Jerome David Salinger was born in New York, New York, on January 1, 1919. Attending various colleges, traveling Europe and even being drafted into WWII, Salinger continued his love of writing. Although he had written some books and many articles, he wasn’t well known until his last book, The Catcher In The Rye, was published in 1951. This was the last book published by him even though he did not pass until January 27, 2010 (Bio.com). Though this polemical book had mixed reviews including some critics being up in arms about the story, Salinger’s life was very much related to the main character in The Catcher In The Rye: Holden Caulfield.
Written during the post WWII era, The Catcher In The Rye is about a young caustic, boy named Holden Caulfield living in Manhattan, New York. Quite similar, this was also the time era that Salinger grew up in and around the same age as Holden as well. Lazy and Sarcastic, Holden’s apathetic personality continued to get him kicked out of school after school, Holden couldn’t seem to buckle down and put some effort into his work. Instead, he believes everyone else is a “phony” and continues to blame them for his problems. Searching for himself and for someone to love him, Holden sets off on his own for a couple days to avoid his parents from knowing he’s been kicked out of yet another school. Messing around with alcohol, prostitutes etc. Holden continues in a downward spiral, making it even more difficult to accept the mental depression he has obtained since his younger brother, Allie, had died three years earlier. In a nutshell, by the end we are told of Holden a year older and how he has been put into a mental hospital for some reason or another. He concludes his story by telling us that he wishes he wouldn’t have shared it with us since it makes him miss certain people (Salinger).
Salinger himself can be related to his character, Holden, in many different ways. As Salinger grew up, he lived just right outside of Manhattan and attended a few academies just like Holden, each one he continued to be kicked out of. Eventually his parents sent him to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania. There he graduated and then decided to leave New York and travel to Europe where he was supposed to study his father’s business but instead, ended up doing his own thing; studying different languages and having more fun than working -- similar to Holden’s little adventure. When he returned, he decided to try another whack at school, attending Ursinus College and Columbia University (World Biography).
As Salinger started his writing back home again, he was drafted into WWII. Even though he was overseas once again, he continued to write and this is where he came up with his most famous character, Holden Caulfield. Just like many other soldiers, Salinger was affected mentally by the war, causing him to be institutionalized after a mental breakdown. Sound familiar? Holden, Lost and morose, also suffered mental depression and by the end of his story he was put into a hospital as well (Bio.com).
It is very easily to conclude that Salinger had based his character off some of his own experiences and even his own personality and actions. At the end of Salinger’s life, he decided to move to a secluded, large acred home where he stayed quiet and secretive from the public. No one really knows what happened while he was there or what he did next. It was the same with Holden, he didn’t tell us what he was doing next, he concluded his story with, “That’s all I’m going to tell you about (Salinger 213).”
Works Cited
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
Salinger, J. D., E. Michael Mitchell, and Lotte Jacobi. The Catcher in the Rye. N.p.: n.p., n.d.
Print.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Catcher in the Rye." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11
Nov. 2008. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
"World Biography." J. D. Salinger Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
Mrs. Wade
AP Literature
20 March 2015
Salinger In The Rye
Jerome David Salinger was born in New York, New York, on January 1, 1919. Attending various colleges, traveling Europe and even being drafted into WWII, Salinger continued his love of writing. Although he had written some books and many articles, he wasn’t well known until his last book, The Catcher In The Rye, was published in 1951. This was the last book published by him even though he did not pass until January 27, 2010 (Bio.com). Though this polemical book had mixed reviews including some critics being up in arms about the story, Salinger’s life was very much related to the main character in The Catcher In The Rye: Holden Caulfield.
Written during the post WWII era, The Catcher In The Rye is about a young caustic, boy named Holden Caulfield living in Manhattan, New York. Quite similar, this was also the time era that Salinger grew up in and around the same age as Holden as well. Lazy and Sarcastic, Holden’s apathetic personality continued to get him kicked out of school after school, Holden couldn’t seem to buckle down and put some effort into his work. Instead, he believes everyone else is a “phony” and continues to blame them for his problems. Searching for himself and for someone to love him, Holden sets off on his own for a couple days to avoid his parents from knowing he’s been kicked out of yet another school. Messing around with alcohol, prostitutes etc. Holden continues in a downward spiral, making it even more difficult to accept the mental depression he has obtained since his younger brother, Allie, had died three years earlier. In a nutshell, by the end we are told of Holden a year older and how he has been put into a mental hospital for some reason or another. He concludes his story by telling us that he wishes he wouldn’t have shared it with us since it makes him miss certain people (Salinger).
Salinger himself can be related to his character, Holden, in many different ways. As Salinger grew up, he lived just right outside of Manhattan and attended a few academies just like Holden, each one he continued to be kicked out of. Eventually his parents sent him to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania. There he graduated and then decided to leave New York and travel to Europe where he was supposed to study his father’s business but instead, ended up doing his own thing; studying different languages and having more fun than working -- similar to Holden’s little adventure. When he returned, he decided to try another whack at school, attending Ursinus College and Columbia University (World Biography).
As Salinger started his writing back home again, he was drafted into WWII. Even though he was overseas once again, he continued to write and this is where he came up with his most famous character, Holden Caulfield. Just like many other soldiers, Salinger was affected mentally by the war, causing him to be institutionalized after a mental breakdown. Sound familiar? Holden, Lost and morose, also suffered mental depression and by the end of his story he was put into a hospital as well (Bio.com).
It is very easily to conclude that Salinger had based his character off some of his own experiences and even his own personality and actions. At the end of Salinger’s life, he decided to move to a secluded, large acred home where he stayed quiet and secretive from the public. No one really knows what happened while he was there or what he did next. It was the same with Holden, he didn’t tell us what he was doing next, he concluded his story with, “That’s all I’m going to tell you about (Salinger 213).”
Works Cited
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
Salinger, J. D., E. Michael Mitchell, and Lotte Jacobi. The Catcher in the Rye. N.p.: n.p., n.d.
Print.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Catcher in the Rye." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11
Nov. 2008. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
"World Biography." J. D. Salinger Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.