Catcher and the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye, In 1919 Jerome David Salinger was born to Sol and Miriam Jillich Salinger. This man would have a moderately normal childhood attending the private McBurney School in Manhattan, and afterwards the Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1936. He then attended New York University for an unsuccessful summer session in short-story writing. This 20th century novelist would later come to be known as J. D. Salinger and write many short stories. This impressive list of books include Nine Stories, Franny and Zooey, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction, and For Esme- With Love and Squalor, and by far his most impressive composition and only novel, The Catcher in the Rye. The Catcher in the Rye is a novel told in a first- person perspective by Holden Caulfield, a cynical, reclusive teenager who, among many other things, is taking an arduous voyage from childhood and innocence to experience and maturity. Catcher in the Rye's setting somewhat parallels Salinger's environment during his early life. This novel takes place in the 1950's and starts out in the autumn at Pencey Prep a private boy's preparatory school and later in New York City, while the last chapter takes place in an insane asylum. The protagonist and antagonist Holden Caulfield is a cynical, melancholy teen who is a very dynamic personality in this book. He is the only character, which appears throughout the book. He comes in contact with many other characters that have a strong impact on the decisions he makes. Stradlater, Holden's athletic, popular, rich roommate at Pencey is the exact opposite of every characteristic that Holden possesses. Even though they are so contrasted, they seem to get along most of the time. Allie Caulfield, is a character used off-stage to bring out qualities in Holden. Allie was Holden's brother who died at an early age due to leukemia. Holden respects him very much and you can tell just from his description of Allie that he loved his brother more than anything, as he describes a nervous breakdown that occurred after Allie's death. Phoebe Caulfield is Holden's younger sister who holds striking similarities to Allie. She makes Holden re-evaluate his decisions and look into his conscience. After being kicked out of yet another school Holden Caulfield cannot face reality at home and confront his parents. He roams the streets of New York while in a declivity of misery and depression. He eventually experiences a nervous breakdown. Due to this internal conflict he proves to be his own arch-nemesis and antagonist. His nervous breakdown would be considered the climax of this story. This breakdown is brought on by Holden wanting to get rid of all evil things in the world for children (specifically Phoebe). While Holden is in the Egyptian tomb exhibit at the Metropolitan Art Museum, a place where he feels safe and sanitary he encounters profanity (evil) etched in crayon at the exhibit. He tries to get rid of the words but has an epiphany, realizing that he will never be able to get rid of all evil and restore the innocence he had as a child. Without being aware of it, during his time in the exhibit he decides on life or death. After going unconscious for a short period of time, he feels better and decides to live. The denouement starts after Holden wakes and chooses life. Next, he has a huge cognizance.