Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses (exposition, inciting incident, etc.). Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same). The novel by J.D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye, is a classical American novel that has touched the lives of many people all around the globe. Taking place in the late 1950s, the story is told by a guy named Holden Caulfield, who is telling this story of his last Christmas to his psychiatrist. Aside from being a heavy smoker and getting expelled from four different schools, Holden is not a troubled kid. He just fails to recognize the importance of his schoolwork and also does not agree with his peers on anything of any value. Holden is also notorious for making terribly rash decisions. One of these rash decisions he makes is to leave his prep school, Pencey Prep, a few days before he is scheduled to leave for winter vacation. He stays a t a number of places before finally going home. All the while, he attempts to "live it up" by taking girls out on dates, getting drunk (he's only seventeen), and ordering prostitutes. Typical guy stuff, if you were living in the late 1950s. As he goes through all this stuff, he begins to wonder why he's doing what he's doing. Finally Holden comes to a realization; why was he going about, living this way, when everyone and their mother knew that he shouldn't be living his life this way?
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches. J.D. Salinger wrote a masterpiece of a novel that adeptly defines the maturing process of human nature. Holden goes from being an immature teenager making bad decisions to taking his actions into consideration and making himself a better person. Salinger takes into consideration the thoughts and actions of the younger generation and pens his main protagonist as a kid that others can easily connect with and relate to. Through Holden's actions we see the struggles of daily life of newly graduated individuals who, for the first time in their lives, no restrictions in their day-to-day lives. The dilemmas they face can be brutal and leave them worse off than they were before, but somehow, through all the pain and suffering, that terrible event can cause the person to rethink his position on life.
CHARACTERIZATION
1. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)? Salinger maintains a very simple diction when dealing with all characters. They are all treated fairly and equally in the eyes of the author, but there is an exception, of course. That exception is when Holden is describing his sister, Phoebe. The syntax and diction become more kind and gentle, showing that Holden is capable of affection.
2. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain. Holden Caulfield is a very round character. It is not very obvious in the beginning chapters, but late in the book you begin to witness another side of Holden. As he adventures about New York, living for a few days on his own without any supervision, he comes to realize a small part of his fate, for lack of a better term. He sees that his lifestyle is not one for the kind of man he wants to become. After a drunken night out on the town, Holden decides to visit his kid sister, Phoebe, two days before he was supposed to be home, at night, while he was still a little buzzed. His sister is a understandably upset that her brother woke her up late at night, and she also scolds him for getting expelled from school again. The scene as a whole is pretty depressing, and Holden is close to tears at the end of the night. During the last chapter, Holden and Phoebe are at this carousel and Holden is watching Phoebe as she rides the carousel. While he is watching her, he becomes deeply emotional and begins to cry, and doesn't budge when it begins to rain heavily. As he is sitting on the park bench, he comes to a strange conclusion. "The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them."
3. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction. I feel like the characters are super personable. Going trough all those trials with Holden made me feel as if we were good friends and I knew his entire story. It is not very often that I connect with a character like that.
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches. J.D. Salinger wrote a masterpiece of a novel that adeptly defines the maturing process of human nature. Holden goes from being an immature teenager making bad decisions to taking his actions into consideration and making himself a better person. Salinger takes into consideration the thoughts and actions of the younger generation and pens his main protagonist as a kid that others can easily connect with and relate to. Through Holden's actions we see the struggles of daily life of newly graduated individuals who, for the first time in their lives, no restrictions in their day-to-day lives. The dilemmas they face can be brutal and leave them worse off than they were before, but somehow, through all the pain and suffering, that terrible event can cause the person to rethink his position on life.
CHARACTERIZATION
1. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)? Salinger maintains a very simple diction when dealing with all characters. They are all treated fairly and equally in the eyes of the author, but there is an exception, of course. That exception is when Holden is describing his sister, Phoebe. The syntax and diction become more kind and gentle, showing that Holden is capable of affection.
2. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain. Holden Caulfield is a very round character. It is not very obvious in the beginning chapters, but late in the book you begin to witness another side of Holden. As he adventures about New York, living for a few days on his own without any supervision, he comes to realize a small part of his fate, for lack of a better term. He sees that his lifestyle is not one for the kind of man he wants to become. After a drunken night out on the town, Holden decides to visit his kid sister, Phoebe, two days before he was supposed to be home, at night, while he was still a little buzzed. His sister is a understandably upset that her brother woke her up late at night, and she also scolds him for getting expelled from school again. The scene as a whole is pretty depressing, and Holden is close to tears at the end of the night. During the last chapter, Holden and Phoebe are at this carousel and Holden is watching Phoebe as she rides the carousel. While he is watching her, he becomes deeply emotional and begins to cry, and doesn't budge when it begins to rain heavily. As he is sitting on the park bench, he comes to a strange conclusion. "The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them."
3. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction. I feel like the characters are super personable. Going trough all those trials with Holden made me feel as if we were good friends and I knew his entire story. It is not very often that I connect with a character like that.
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