Jaclyn LaBaumbard
Mrs. Wade
AP Lit and Composition
27 May 2015
More Than Just a Novel
Wood, Peter. "Diary Of A Mad Man." American Conservative 6.6 (2007): 23-26. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 15 May 2015.
As The Catcher In the Rye has been a critically acclaimed novel for well over 50 years, English teachers, literary critics and even students still can’t get enough of it. This timeless story again and again continues to put out new meaning, ideas and themes. What is the cause of this? Holden Caulfield. One of the few characters that every high school teenager can relate to, Holden’s crazy, ideas of everyone being a phony and that only so many people are worthy enough for him is not something we would want to relate ourselves to. But we would be lying if we said we were never judgemental and somewhat on the same page as Holden. As Wood says in this article, Holden’s ideas of being phony goes deeper than just being fake: “Phoniness is a violation of what Holden thinks things should be.” And so we begin to see the layers of Holden Caulfield unfold, and we begin to see why so many of us could relate to him.
The Silent Treatment
"The Sound Of Salinger's Silence." Wilson Quarterly 29.4 (2005): 104-105. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 15 May 2015.
Although Salinger’s fame will continue to live on, his public writing didn’t. Even up until his death he was writing -- for himself, for his own personal contentment. After his beloved The Catcher in the Rye earned its fame, he wrote 9 other stories, all that weren’t as of a success as Catcher. Reserved and quiescent, Salinger went into a 40 year silence. Excluding everyone but his dog from his life, he refused to talk to the press or publish anymore of his pieces. Some may have thought he was just being haughty, others thought it was just for his own peace. So, he sat in his silence for the world to wonder his thoughts. Even in his older years Salinger could still be related to Holden. Maybe he believed everyone in the world was a phony as well.
A Psychological Side
Salzberg, Joel. Critical Essays on Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Ed. James Bryan.
Boston, MA: G.K. Hall, 1990. Print.
As James Bryan breaks down the psychological stand point of The Catcher in the Rye, it is easier to begin to see that this novel was way more than just a story. Bryan makes the point that not only does the book have psychological meaning behind it, but the narrator himself, Holden Caulfield, is being psychoanalyzed in a mental hospital as he his telling his story. We don’t know much on why he is the way he is, but we get a small glimpse when he tells us about his deceased brother, Allie, who died when he was younger. Not only do we see Holden has somewhat psychotic thinker, but Bryan goes on to discuss that the imagery, themes, and ideas are also under this category as well.
One Ending Is Enough
Itzkoff, Dave. "Author Appeals Ban of Salinger Sequel." New York Times 25 July 2009: 2.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 May 2015.
In 2009, an author that went by the pen name of J.D. decided to write a sequel to Salinger’s beloved, The Catcher in the Rye. Titled as 60 Years Later, the book was to be a response to Salinger’s novel. The quixotic sequel was banned and decided to be illegal to publish. The court saying that it did not have Salinger’s approval or correct copyrights. Many argued that it would be a crime to try to add onto such a story like Salinger’s. Salinger’s writing could never be duplicated, but it also couldn’t be made into sequels or into any additions. J.D. Salinger’s unforgettable piece will always remain the way it was supposed to be: independently praised.
Comparison and Similarities
Although these articles are very different, we can relate them back to similar meanings. In the first article, Wood goes into detail not only of how wonderful of a novel this is, but also the way Salinger put himself into his own story as Holden. Their similar characteristics created a theme and story that almost all readers could relate to. As we went into the second article we learn of Salinger’s silent living after 60 years of his book being published. Very different from the first article, but at the same time we again see Holden’s characteristics mirror Salinger’s. The third article spoke of the psychological standpoint of this novel. Holden’s personality was very psychotic for he was telling the story from a psychiatric ward. Again, the personalities of the author and his narrator are similarly compared, for Salinger’s personality could never be quite pinpointed either. The final article concludes with talking about the banning of a sequel to Salinger’s beloved piece. The author of this story was forbidden to publish it not only because it went against some of Salinger’s copyrights, but no one could ever add onto Salinger’s piece. Never being able to be replaced nor created again, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye will rest independently.
Analyzing Salinger
Jaclyn LaBaumbard
Mrs. Wade
AP Lit and Composition
27 May 2015
More Than Just a Novel
Wood, Peter. "Diary Of A Mad Man." American Conservative 6.6 (2007): 23-26. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 15 May 2015.
As The Catcher In the Rye has been a critically acclaimed novel for well over 50 years, English teachers, literary critics and even students still can’t get enough of it. This timeless story again and again continues to put out new meaning, ideas and themes. What is the cause of this? Holden Caulfield. One of the few characters that every high school teenager can relate to, Holden’s crazy, ideas of everyone being a phony and that only so many people are worthy enough for him is not something we would want to relate ourselves to. But we would be lying if we said we were never judgemental and somewhat on the same page as Holden. As Wood says in this article, Holden’s ideas of being phony goes deeper than just being fake: “Phoniness is a violation of what Holden thinks things should be.” And so we begin to see the layers of Holden Caulfield unfold, and we begin to see why so many of us could relate to him.
The Silent Treatment
"The Sound Of Salinger's Silence." Wilson Quarterly 29.4 (2005): 104-105. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 15 May 2015.
Although Salinger’s fame will continue to live on, his public writing didn’t. Even up until his death he was writing -- for himself, for his own personal contentment. After his beloved The Catcher in the Rye earned its fame, he wrote 9 other stories, all that weren’t as of a success as Catcher. Reserved and quiescent, Salinger went into a 40 year silence. Excluding everyone but his dog from his life, he refused to talk to the press or publish anymore of his pieces. Some may have thought he was just being haughty, others thought it was just for his own peace. So, he sat in his silence for the world to wonder his thoughts. Even in his older years Salinger could still be related to Holden. Maybe he believed everyone in the world was a phony as well.
A Psychological Side
Salzberg, Joel. Critical Essays on Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Ed. James Bryan.
Boston, MA: G.K. Hall, 1990. Print.
As James Bryan breaks down the psychological stand point of The Catcher in the Rye, it is easier to begin to see that this novel was way more than just a story. Bryan makes the point that not only does the book have psychological meaning behind it, but the narrator himself, Holden Caulfield, is being psychoanalyzed in a mental hospital as he his telling his story. We don’t know much on why he is the way he is, but we get a small glimpse when he tells us about his deceased brother, Allie, who died when he was younger. Not only do we see Holden has somewhat psychotic thinker, but Bryan goes on to discuss that the imagery, themes, and ideas are also under this category as well.
One Ending Is Enough
Itzkoff, Dave. "Author Appeals Ban of Salinger Sequel." New York Times 25 July 2009: 2.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 May 2015.
In 2009, an author that went by the pen name of J.D. decided to write a sequel to Salinger’s beloved, The Catcher in the Rye. Titled as 60 Years Later, the book was to be a response to Salinger’s novel. The quixotic sequel was banned and decided to be illegal to publish. The court saying that it did not have Salinger’s approval or correct copyrights. Many argued that it would be a crime to try to add onto such a story like Salinger’s. Salinger’s writing could never be duplicated, but it also couldn’t be made into sequels or into any additions. J.D. Salinger’s unforgettable piece will always remain the way it was supposed to be: independently praised.
Comparison and Similarities
Although these articles are very different, we can relate them back to similar meanings. In the first article, Wood goes into detail not only of how wonderful of a novel this is, but also the way Salinger put himself into his own story as Holden. Their similar characteristics created a theme and story that almost all readers could relate to. As we went into the second article we learn of Salinger’s silent living after 60 years of his book being published. Very different from the first article, but at the same time we again see Holden’s characteristics mirror Salinger’s. The third article spoke of the psychological standpoint of this novel. Holden’s personality was very psychotic for he was telling the story from a psychiatric ward. Again, the personalities of the author and his narrator are similarly compared, for Salinger’s personality could never be quite pinpointed either. The final article concludes with talking about the banning of a sequel to Salinger’s beloved piece. The author of this story was forbidden to publish it not only because it went against some of Salinger’s copyrights, but no one could ever add onto Salinger’s piece. Never being able to be replaced nor created again, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye will rest independently.
Analyzing Salinger
Jaclyn LaBaumbard