post #7

My final book by J.D. Salinger is the classic, The Catcher and the Rye. This novel is definitely sets a precedent for a reason. This novel is fun to read, and is undeniably Salinger-esque.

The story follows the young Holden Caulfield, just kicked out of another high class East Coast boarding school. Again, the theme of struggling youth is the focus in this book. Holden is not a genius, but he views himself differently from the "phonies" around him. Holden complains of being misunderstood, and often grapples with his emotions, constantly feeling in a contradictory state leading to self-loathing. He comes across many awkward situations, as do many young people, but struggles immensely with dealing with his emotions. He often contemplates suicide.
"What I really felt like, though, was committing suicide. I felt like jumping out the window. I probably would have done it, too, if I'd been sure my body'd cover me up as soon as I landed. I didn't want a bunch of stupid rubbernecks looking at me when I was all gory." (p.104)

Besides the obvious theme of struggling youth, I always find Salinger's writing style extremely unique for it's time. Salinger uses creative devices such as lists, letters, and diary entries, to keep his stories interesting and more realistic. In The Catcher and the Rye, Salinger often uses a technique in which he writes what the character literally would say, spelling thrown aside. For example, Holden often has a "helluva time" when no "sonuvabitch" is around. This gives the reader a much better picture of the point Salinger is trying to make. This technique is great in creating vivid imagery, and a sense of realism.

I've thought a lot about my thesis, and I don't have one sentence that sums up it's entirety, but I know what I'd like to include in it. I need to mesh together the importance of Salinger's writing style and technique, the theme of struggling youth, and parallels between Salinger's life and his characters. Perhaps I could focus on one, and bring up the others later in my paper to make things less complicated for myself. Some possible (but of course shaky) thesis statements could be as follows:

J.D. Salinger's novels consistently show the struggle of youth in society, and in doing so he tells the importance of innocence and identity.

J.D. Salinger's reclusive lifestyle parallels the lives of many of his own characters, and in telling his own story through fictional beings, he shows the reader the necessity of human interaction.

These are rough, but I'm sure I've got more up my sleeve that are much better.