Catcher In The Rye

Catcher in the Rye

Author Information :

Jerome David Salinger was born in New York City in 1919. He attended and

graduated from a military acedemy, then shortly attended two colleges. He has written some

of the most influential

American literature in the twentieth century. Some of his short

stories originally appeared in the New Yorker magazine and were later published as in the

book, Nine Stories. However, Salinger has not published anything since 1963.

Analysis :

I have chosen to do symbolism. The symbols are clearly made evident by Holden's

constant repetition of their importance. The symbols are so important and their symbolism

are directly related to the major themes of the novel. Allie, Holden's young brother who

died some years earlier, was a key symbol through out the story. When Holden remembers

incidents from his past involving Allie, his attitude changes, like as when he writes the

composition about Allie's baseball glove or when Holden broke his hand after punching all

of the windows after Allie died. He feels that Allie was one of the few people who were not

phony in a world full of phonies. But more importantly, Allie represents the childhood that

Holden strives to find through out his multi-day journey. In Holden's opinion, Allie

represents the purity that Holden looks for in the world. Holden admits that he admires

Allie more than he admires Jesus. Allie is Holden's role model, whom he judges the rest of

the world to. When Allie dies, it creates heartache in Holden's life.

Another symbol is when walking through New York City, Holden arrives at the

Museum of Natural History. He remarks about the museum that he likes the glass cases that

the museum officials place all of their exhibits in. He wishes he could place parts of his life

in glass cases because they won't change. In the end, he decides not to go into the museum.