Literary+Elements

J.D. Salinger used a lot of literary elements while writing __Catcher in the Rye.__ Many different examples of different literary elements can be seen through the story.

The use of forshadowing in a novel can help it's reader get a sense of what is to come in the story without giving away the events themselves. It is a powerful tool which prevents events from being left unexplained, leaving the reader question the effectivness of an outcome. The eventual breakdown of the character Holden Caufield in J.D. Salinger's controversial 1945 novel "The Catcher in the Rye" was foreshadowed in the early chapters of the book. The first clue is his negative approach to life. He begins by talking about his "lousy childhood" (p.1) and the first traces of profanity can be seen scattered about the page in the form of "crap", "hell" and "goddam". Holden's first sign of distrust comes when he speaks to Ward Stradlater about his date with Jane Gallagher: "Listen. Give my regards, willya?" "Okay," Stradlater said, but I knew he probably wouldn't.. "Ask her if she still keeps all her kings in the back row." "Okay," Stradlater said, but I knew he wouldn't. (p.33-34) This is seen again when he doesn't trust Stradlater to stop his advances of Jane in the case that she says no. Holden gives up his faith in people to trust him when he boards a bus holding a snowball. The driver refuses to believe that Holden won't throw the snowball so he draws the conclusion that "People never believe you." (p.37).**
 * Foreshadowing **

Use of metaphor ** Metaphors compare two different things without using the words “like” or “as”. Salinger uses metaphors to describe Holden and everyone and everything around him. He uses metaphors to compare different things, particularly things that are completely unalike. Many metaphors were used throughout the book. “Life //is// a game, boy. Life //is// a game that one plays according to the rules.” (Salinger 8) In this metaphor, life and game are the things being compared. Life is not play, it is real. A game is not real. Clearly the two are not the same, but this quote compares how life greatly acts as a game. “I asked her, on the way, if Mr. Cudahy – that was the booze hound’s name…” (Salinger 79) In this quote, Holden indirectly compares Jane’s stepfather, Mr. Cudahy, and a booze hound. Holden refers to Mr. Cudahy as a booze hound. In reality, Mr. Cudahy is not a hound made of booze or anything like that. That was just Holden’s way of describing Jane’s booze hound stepfather. “She’s a true madman sometimes.” (Salinger 165) This quote shows the comparison between Phoebe and a true madman. However, Phoebe is a little girl, not a man. Holden compares how Phoebe can overreact and be crazy sometimes, just like a madman. Holden's red hunting hat Holden puts the hat on at important moments – writing the composition about Allie's baseball mitt, and staring at himself in the mirror and pretending to be tough after Stradlater punches him. He takes it off when he's on the train, going to a bar, in hotel lobbies, and so forth. So while he's all about the hat in private, he's embarrassed or lacking confidence to wear it in public. We even get hints to this at several different moments in the book, for example Holden says, "I took my red hunting hat … and put it on – I didn't give a damn how I looked" (Salinger 88), and at the end of Chapter Sixteen, where he says, "I took my old hunting hat out … and put it on. I knew I wouldn't meet anybody that knew me" (Salinger 122) , and the start of chapter 21, where he said, "I'd already taken off my hunting hat, so as not to look suspicious" (Salinger 157).
 * Symbolism and ** ** Imagery **

Ducks and fish

At several points during the course of the novel, Holden asks as to what happens to the ducks who are normally on a pond in Central Park, when winter comes and the water freezes. In the story, Holden asks, "You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That [|little] lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over? Do you happen to know, by any chance?" As he inquires, the answers he receives range from as farfetched answers as the idea that the ducks still remain there under the ice, just as the fish do, to uncaring answers such as a simple "What're ya tryna do, bud? Kid me?" (Salinger 60) Despite the answer he gets, Holden is never satisfied with the reply. Holden doesn't consciously realize that the ducks relate to him. Whether he will admit it or not, Holden is scared. He has been kicked out of a number of schools, he can't get good grades, his parents are angry with him, and he spends his days wandering through New York City. He doesn't know where he is going to go, reflecting his question about the ducks. Perhaps if he knew where the ducks went, he could follow their example.

The museum

While 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. He likes the museum because he used to go there in his younger years every Saturday with his teacher, Miss Aigletinger, a time that he remembers with happiness. Since the glass cases inside the museum don't allow anyone to change anything, it would be the one place for Holden to go if he wanted everything to be as it was during his childhood. However, he chooses to remain outside because he is afraid that there is a chance that the museum might have changed. Jane Gallagher changed since his childhood and Holden thought that was unbelievable, so if Jane could change, perhaps the museum could change, as well. Jane was a friend of Holden's. When they would play checkers, she would always keep all of her kings in the back row for some odd reason. Holden knows that if the museum does not remain the same, it could hurt him, so he makes a conscious decision not to enter, even if his reasons are subconscious.

Allie's baseball glove/ Allie's death Allie, Holden's young brother who died several years earlier, was a major symbol throughout the story. When Holden remembers incidents from his past involving Allie, his emotions change. "I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it." (Salinger 39) He feels that Allie was one of the few people who were not phony in a world full of phonies. More importantly, Allie represents the innocence and childhood that Holden strives to find throughout his three-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, and even prays to Allie at one point, rather than Jesus. Allie is Holden's role model, whom he judges the rest of the world according to. When Allie dies, it creates turbulence in Holden's life.

Holden begins his story in Pennsylvania, at his former school, Pencey Prep. He then recounts his adventures in New York City. The story takes place in the late 1940s. Many situations in the book reflect upon the setting in the book; for example, Holden walks around New York, familiar with many places that he goes to. Also, Holden rides many different cabs throughout the story; cabs are a famous symbol of New York City. Probably the greatest irony of the novel is the fact that, despite his love of "childhood innocence," Holden is and acts far from innocent himself. An example of this is when Holden says, "Somebody'd written ' Fuck you' on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other [|little] kids would see it, and how they'd wonder what the hell it meant, and then finally some dirty kid would tell them-cockeyed naturally- what it meant, and how they'd all think about it and maybe even worry about it for a couple of days. I kept wanting to kill whoever'd written it... But I rubbed it [The 'fuck you' written on the wall] out anyway." (Holden 201) To sum it up, Holden faces three major problems in experiencing "childhood innocence." He has too much responsibility. He doesn't have anyone to help him with his problems, and he doesn't fit in with the crowd. A sixteen year old, whose younger brother died, and parents ignore, and is facing all those problems can't possibly under any circumstances be innocent. The story is told in Holden’s point of view. As Holden sees it, the world around him is very phony; he was //surrounded// by phonies. Constantly, Holden talks about all the phonies he knew, knows, and will ever know. Phony is the most-used word throughout this entire book. The way Holden talks and thinks, you can probably say that he is very negative. His tone is always angry; he always seems to hate everyone and everything because it is all just //too phony// for him. However, there are times when his tone changes to sad. Also in the book, Holden tells of him being depressed and lonely. There are countable times when Holden is sitting alone, thinking to himself of how he is alone and no one is there for him. The first major conflict encountered in //The Catcher in the Rye// is Holden vs.himself. Holden has a hard time dealing with everyday life, and feels that everyone around him is a "phony". This is one of the reasons for his mental breakdown. His own mind working against himself caused him to have internal problems and turn against himself. His internal conflict also led to his seclusion from the outside world. He became introverted and could no longer cope with life. Another conflict we come across is Holden vs. society. Everyone is a "phony" to him and he never realizes the good in anyone. This is due to Holden's strong opposition to material wealth, which is a dominating characteristic of the society which he could not accept. He can't communicate with anyone and feels that the only person he can even relate to is his sister Phoebe. Holden cannot function as a normal part of society because of his hatred towards all "phonies", which he believes everyone to be. "I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life." P 16
 * Setting **
 * Irony **
 * Tone & **** Point of View **
 * Conflict **
 * Theme **
 * Loss of Innocence** - Holden did not want children to grow up because he felt that adults are corrupt. This is seen when Holden tries to erase naughty words from the walls of the elementary school, that his sister Phoebe attended. Holden believed that children were innocent because they viewed the world and society without any bias. This leads to Holden's dream to being the catcher in the rye, which relates to a poem where the catcher prevents small children from falling off a cliff.
 * Rebellion From Society**- Holden throughout the whole novel, differs from society which results in his rebellious nature. Holden does not have any friends and cannot keep relationships. This is because he finds and exaggerates any negative aspect of all the people he knows or meets. This can be seen when Holden cannot keep his relationship with his girlfriend Sally. Holden also rebels because he feels that all adults are phonies. Holden believes that these phonies are people who try to be something that they are not. Usually the mark of a phony is the desire for material goods. This is because people usually want these possessions in order to impress others and become something they are not. This is why Holden can only connect with his younger sister Phoebe. On the other hand his older brother D.B. is a prime example of a phony. This is because D.B. was a writer, who became a playwright in order to gain more public recognition.
 * His Lies**