Plot Structure And Literary Devices In “The Catcher In The Rye”
Table of Contents
Overall look
Point of View
The arrangement of events and ideas in a story
The primary struggle
The High Point
The consequences of the climax come to pass.
Themes
Mood
Figurative language, rhetorical techniques, and other literary elements.
Usage of symbols to represent ideas and concepts
The use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning.
Allusion
Giving hints of what is to come
In conclusion
Overall Summary
J. D. Salinger wrote The Catcher in Rye. It was first published in 1951. It is interesting to see the history of the United States during the 1950s. The nation’s economy was stable, and some parts of society had experienced better times. The conservative American culture had begun to lean more toward the liberal side. This is what Salinger was referring to when he set the novel. The novel centers on Holden Caulfield, a 17-year-old boy who recounts his experiences after being expelled from Pencey Prep School. He returns home after a two-day absence from school to visit New York City. He meets prostitutes, nuns and his teacher along the way. He is disillusioned by adult life and becomes confused. He seeks truth but is left feeling exhausted and unstable. Holden was raised in New York City and failed to graduate from prep schools. Holden’s childhood experiences and service in the United States military during World War II shaped his views, mistrust, as well as his cynical view on adult society. Holden is Holden’s character. He expressed his views on growing as an unwilling surrender to the ‘phony, adult responsibilities such as getting work and maintaining intimate relations. The Catcher in the Rye is a story about a young adult’s loss of innocence. The novel’s narrative format allowed Holden to gain a deep understanding of Holden and reveal his grief, social seclusion, conflict against society. Point of ViewThe untrustworthy Holden Caulfield is the first-person narrator of The Catcher in Rye. He brazenly warns the readers that his mind is bogus. “I felt compelled to marry her the moment I saw it,” he says. I’m crazy. I didn’t like her, but I suddenly felt that I was in love and wanted to marry. I swear to God that I am crazy. I admit it. ” (p. 124). His opinions and judgments are disputed by the reader throughout the entire story because Holden is unable to comprehend himself. Plot StructureThe Biggest ConflictThe biggest conflict is within Holden’s head. One side would prefer to have sex in an adult environment. The other side, on the other hand, wants to remain young forever and isn’t interested in growing up. The rising actThe rising action is a series of events that Holden experiences throughout the novel. He tries to contact other people to satisfy his conflicting impulses. The ClimaxThe novel reaches its climax after Holden meets with Phoebe Caulfield. He said that he was leaving, and she replied that she would go with him. But he refused and took her to Zoo. She became furious at his refusal to take her with him. After he attempted to draw her attention to his anger, it began to pour and she asked him if Holden was going to take her home. “
Falling ActionAfter finishing the novel Holden realized he was missing everyone: his roommates, classmates, professors at penney, and even Maurice, the man in the elevator of the hotel. This may interest you as well
Fix My EssayMotifs
Relationships Sexuality, intimacy and loneliness.
Main character
Holden Caulfield
An indication of something that will happen in the future
Holden hospitalized for a nervous breakdown. That is when he started to tell the story at its beginning.
Tone The novel’s tone alternates between disgust, nostalgia longings, bitterness and Cynicism. It also has a unique characteristic: all paragraphs are written in a casual style. The novel’s tone is more reflective of Holden’s cynicism than it does it. Although he is able to meet adults who are kind and compassionate, such as the nuns at his coffeeshop or the Wicker Bar’s coat-checker, most adult characters are quite uncompassionate. Holden makes it seem like Holden is accurate when he describes the women he meets in LavenderBar as “real morons.” Carl Luce however, does not appear as pretentious and uses affective phrases like “must” and “must” to describe them. Sunny and Maurice rob Holden then beat him up. Even Holden’s most friendly characters, like Mr. Spencer and Mrs. Antolini are more tragic than charming. Mrs. Morrow portrays herself as caring but deluded about her husband’s true nature. Salinger’s portrayal of many adults as pretentious, self deluded, and unsavory suggests Holden doesn’t have much to look forward to in adult life. Literary DevicesSymbolismHolden’s red hunting hat has a bunch of meanings. It is Holden’s individuality and security. Holden is lonely and cannot make friends with anyone around him. Therefore, his hat acts as a shield. Holden believes that the hat is his unique way of being unique. He can use the hat to help him create a barrier so that others don’t have to form a relationship. The Museum of Natural History was a place Holden loved to visit. This place fulfills Holden’s wish that time stop and he never grows up. The Museum shows everything in its past, and that is what Holden is most proud of. IronyThe Holden attitude was the most obvious example of Irony. While he appears to be a very normal person, Holden made a comment about his insane thinking. “I felt like marrying them the second I saw them. I’m crazy. I didn’t like her at all and suddenly I felt like she was my soulmate and I wanted to marry them. I swear to God that I am crazy. I admit it. ” (p. 124). AllusionOccasionally, Holden made a reference and alluded to the bible when Sunny, the prostitute Maurice sent to Holden’s bedroom, left. He began to discredit the actions of Jesus’ disciples. They are unqualified, he feels. He claimed that Jesus would not send Judas, but Jesus’s followers would. Holden sees the world in a positive and negative light. This allows me to understand the complexity of God. ForeshadowingForeshadowing is central to the narrative structure of The Catcher in the Rye. Holden is living with D.B. in the novel’s opening. Los Angeles after being admitted to an unspecified hospital. Then he recounts the events that led to his hospitalization. Holden says to the reader that he will only tell the story of “madman stuff” which happened around Christmas last year. Although he does not elaborate on his breakdown in detail, Holden’s narrative gives the reader the opportunity to speculate about his hospitalization. The Catcher in The Rye, as a novel, is symbolic in that it depicts a young person struggling to find a role in society. Holden’s strong competitive nature is described. Holden is a mix of generosity, guilt, and the need for protection. Holden’s unendurable death of Allie has made it difficult to act normally. To protect Phoebe, Holden channelizes his love for her. Jane is also protected by him when he goes on dates with Stradlater. The protagonist’s story is filled with excitement, trauma and protectiveness. It is human nature to be afraid of change and accept loss. Holden succeeds in his struggle to maintain innocence and gain knowledge.
