He describes his principal as a "phony slob." Even the advertisements for Pencey Prep are deceptive. He wants sincere and true behaviors from the people, but when he gets the opposite he hates them. For him the fake people and the fake society all are phonies. This word ‘phonies’ is most frequently used in this novel by Holden. His fear and lack of capability to cope with the growing change and the society leads him to extreme frustration and madness.Īnother strikingly important theme is Holden’s hatred of phonies. Nobody'd move." He does not want to grow up, but his biological change and growth do not follow his whimsical desire. He loves the Museum of Natural History since "everything stayed right where it was. He rejects the life and its natural change that occurs. He aspires to be the catcher in the rye to hold the children from falling off the cliff of old age, death and the phonies of the world. remain same and death may not have any effect on them. He has a strong desire that everything, especially the beauties of the world like innocence, love, virtue, sincerity, faith etc. The destroyer time has taken his loving brother. For him death is just the fluctuation of time. The thought of Allie haunts him in the rainy cemetery. When Holden thinks that he will die soon or disappear soon, he speaks to the dead Allie. It is constantly presented in Holden's younger brother Allie’s spirit. What is important for him is her purity and innocence which he wants to save.ĭeath is another significant theme in the novel. However, he suspects she might be the subject of sex by stepfather or by Ward. They often hold hands, but Holden says that he never had sex with her. He never sees in her a maturing woman and a growing girl. He always takes Jane as the girl whom he used to play games during childhood. The people he loves and cares most represent innocence. Holden hates the adult world where all are corrupted and the virtues are lost. Here catching the children means saving their innocence for Holden. He idealizes himself catching the children who would come to play in the rye field from falling from the cliff. He is basically influenced by a song 'if a body catch a body coming through the rye'. He wants to protect the virtue of goodness of kids. The innocence of children and their world of understanding is the major concern for the protagonist Holden. Innocence is one of the major themes of the novel The Catcher in the Rye.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |