Summury.

Holden Caulfield, a sixteen years teenage, is the narrator of this novel The Catcher in the
Rye. The story moved back to the memories of Holden Caulfield and he started his narration
stating that he did not have any intention to make the novel autobiographical. He recalled his last
Christmas and the incidents that had happened at that time from a psychiatric care center.
At the beginning of his story, Holden is a student at Pencey Prep School, irresponsible
and immature. Having been expelled for failing four out of his five classes, Holden went to see
Mr. Spencer, his history teacher, before he leave Pencey. Mr. Spencer advised him that he must
realize that “life is a game” and one should “play it according to the rules,” but the sixteen-year-
old, who has already left private school, dismissed much of what Spencer said.
His everyday life is filled with a mass of events. In a trip to competitions in fencing he
forgot the sports equipment in the subway and his companions turned away from him;
relationships with classmates did not fit, because Holden did not like their desire to seem better
than they were, they pronounced what they do not think, did what they do not care and so on. All
these leaded to the fact that Holden feel very insecure in society and diligently avoided all forms
of friendship and good relations. After quarreling with the fight with his roommate Stradlater,
Holden decided to leave the school a few days earlier than necessary, and leaved the dorm,
moving to the hotel. Trying to fill the remaining days with some kind of activity, Holden went to
bars, met with former comrades and teachers, but in everything and he was disappointed and
hated everyone. Not enjoying anything, he tried to communicate with his sister Phoebe, with
whom he had a warm relationship. Meeting with his sister brought a little relief; she remained,
probably, the only person who can at least somehow influence him. In a conversation with his
sister, Holden said that he would be happy to catch children over the precipice in the rye (this is
a distorted poem by Burns). The book ended with Holden feeling happy when he saw his sister
riding a carousel. The narrator, Holden, stopped his story here. He was not sure whether he will
admit in the school next year or not. He even did not give clues how he got sick and reached at
the psychiatric center.

Interpretation.

J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is a classic coming-of-age story. Narrated by
sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield, the novel paints a portrait of a struggling teenage boy as he
attempts to hide his emotional pain behind cynicism and false worldliness. Through the use of
symbolism, slang, and an unreliable narrator, Salinger explores themes of loneliness, innocence,
love and death.

Innocence is one of the major themes of the novel The Catcher in the Rye. The innocence of
children and their world of understanding is the major concern for the protagonist Holden. He
wants to protect the virtue of goodness of kids. He is basically influenced by a song 'if a body
catch a body coming through the rye'. He idealizes himself catching the children who would
come to play in the rye field from falling from the cliff. Here catching the children means saving
their innocence for Holden. Holden hates the adult world where all are corrupted and the virtues
are lost. The people he loves and cares most represent innocence.

The theme of loneliness. Holden Caulfield does not feel a spiritual kinship with anyone, so it's
hard for him to learn and remain calm. His acquaintances at school are superficial, and the loss
of a brother and separation from his sister weighs his soul. The author shows how dangerous it is
to leave a child alone in such a period: he can turn off the road simply because he had no one to
pour out his soul.

Love. Phoebe in the novel personifies angelic selfless and selfless love. It is this feeling that
should bind the family so that it can withstand the difficulties of the outside world. It also
changes the main character

A family. The boy lacked the warmth of parental care; he was not close to his father and mother.
Of course, this fact provoked his unsettledness and bitterness against the world of adults.

Death is another significant theme in the novel. It is constantly presented in Holden's younger
brother Allie’s spirit. He has been dead for three years. When Holden thinks that he will die soon
or disappear soon, he speaks to the dead Allie. The thought of Allie haunts him in the rainy
cemetery. For him death is just the fluctuation of time. The destroyer time has taken his loving
brother. He has a strong desire that everything, especially the beauties of the world like
innocence, love, virtue, sincerity, faith etc. remain same and death may not have any effect on
them.

Holden Caulfield, the 17-year-old narrator and protagonist of the novel. He is gray-haired
and woefully skinny. He is out of shape because he smokes too much. His general health is poor.
He is alternately depressed, confused, angry, anxious, perceptive, bigoted, resentful, thoughtful,
kind, and horny. To put it simply, Holden is struggling. Holden resents the adult world and
resists entry into it, but he has little choice. Society and his own body are telling him that it is
time for him to change. He is attracted to the trappings of adulthood: booze, cigarettes and a kind
of independence. Holden is literally about to crash. Near the beginning as well as the end of the
novel, he feels that he will disappear or fall into an abyss when he steps off a curb to cross a
street. Sometimes when this happens, he calls on his dead brother, Allie, for help. Part of
Holden's collapse is due to his inability to come to terms with death.

The body of the novel follows. It is a frame story, or long flashback, constructed through
Holden's memory.

The novel set place in America, mostly in New York city. Holden Caulfield's America
was a nation of contrasts. World War II was over, the life had improved significantly for the
average worker since the Great Depression of the 1930s, but inflation presented new problems.
The political scene generally moved toward conservatism near the end of the 1940s and into the
1950s, but there were noteworthy exceptions. Holden's family, and the families of the boys with
whom Holden attends school, appear to have no financial concerns. Holden's family lives in an
expensive apartment in an affluent section of New York City.

There are few symbols in this novel. The novel’s most important symbol is found in the
title. Holden explains to Phoebe that all he wants to be is the catcher in the rye. He pictures
himself wearing a giant mitt, ready to catch kids as they fall off a cliff while playing in the rye.
The kids represent childhood. The field represents innocence. The fall from the cliff represents
the fall from innocence. Holden represents the attempt to shelter kids from growing up, and more
personally, represents his desire to avoid the harshness of adult life.
Another symbol is Holden's Red Hunting Hat. His hat represents him in isolation, self-
consciousness. It refers to the symbol of his uniqueness and individuality. The color of the hat is
red which symbolizes the purity and innocence. He had bought the hat for one dollar in New
York when he did not have the fencing equipment. The cap is though useful at times, it looks
odd and strange with its extra-long bill and ear flaps.

Museum of National History is another symbol. The museum is the symbol of Holden's world; it
is the world of his catcher in the Rye's fantasy, a world where nothing ever changes, where
everything is simple, understandable.

Ducks in the central park Lagoon are another important symbol. Holden's search for the ducks
represents the curiosity of youth and a joyful willingness to encounter the mysteries of the world.
The duck and ponds are very symbolic. The duck proves that some vanishing is only temporary.
Holden is terrified by the idea of change and disappear. The ducks vanish every winter but return
every spring. It symbolizes that life has motion and nature in itself like that.

The pond becomes minor metaphor for the world because it is partly frozen and partly not
frozen. It is in the transition between two states just as Holden is in transition between childhood
and adulthood.

The message of the author he sends to the readers is value of sincere love and willingness
to be responsible for it in our lives. For this reason, selfless love of Phoebe softened the
ostentatious nihilism of the hero, returned him home and dissolved his egoism in his happy
laugh.

The story’s slang and teenage vernacular are out of date today, but the tone and style
were remarkable when it was published for the way Salinger captured the way a teenager sees
and thinks about things. The result is a novel that still feels authentic and confessional despite the
passage of time. Holden’s style of telling the story also underscores his character—he uses
profanities and slang words very self-consciously to shock and to demonstrate his jaded and
worldly ways. Salinger also employs the use of "filler phrases" in Holden’s story, which gives
the narrative the feeling of being spoken, as if Holden were actually telling you this story in
person.