FREE ESSAY ON CATCHER IN THE RYE

CATCHER IN THE RYE

The Catcher in the Rye
By. J.D. Salinger
The setting for the Catcher in the Rye was in New York around the 1950's. The novel
covered about four days from beginning to end. The setting took place in a mental
hospital in California where he flashes back to these four days in New York. This was
were his family lived and that's why this was important for the setting.
There was one main character in this book and his name was Holden Caulfield. He was very
smart and he was always thinking about something. He wanted people not to be phony but
this never happened the way he wanted it. He never changed his thinking about people but
in the end he did miss them. I liked all the characters except Holden because he always
had too many thoughts. I did like his sister because she was always nice to him and
forgiving.
The most important conflict in the novel was when he was going to say good bye to his
sister at the end of the book. The most exciting part was when he went back home to visit

her. The plot of Catcher in the Rye began with Holden being expelled from school. He left
school and took a train to New York. While he was there, he went to parks, museums and
bars and met an old friend named Sally Hayes and also a former teacher of his. He finally
met up with his sister who seemed to be the only person he really cared for and she was
able to talk him into going back home with her. The story is told using flash-backs
because the entire time he is talking to his psychiatrist in a hospital.
The point of view is first person. Because of this, you only see Holden's view of the
events and how he perceives people. The impact of the story would change if you had other
characters reactions to what Holden was saying and doing.
Holden Caulfield was disgusted at the way the whole world seemed false to him. He was
disgusted at the way his brother "sold out" and went to Hollywood and was now what he
considered to be a phony. Holden was very affectionate and loving to his sister. She was
the only person that he really wanted to see in New York. Holden was very sad and angry
about the way the world was.
The theme of Catcher in the Rye was that people's actions toward one another affect
people in many ways. Our society is so large that it is difficult to build strong
interpersonal relationships.
Holden wanted to be the catcher in the rye who helped other children from falling off a
cliff and becoming what he considered to be phony. I beleive that the book is trying to
make a point of that adolescence is a difficult time because it is a search for who we
are and the realities of the world.