Essay Introduction
J.D. Salinger uses a gold ring on a carrousel to symbolize children trying to transition into adulthood and explains that if they miss the ring, someone cannot save the child, that they must learn to grab onto the ring.“this applies to the theme because it shows that Holden sees Phoebe as innocent, but realizes that she is going to grow up. While he watches, he becomes at ease, knowing that she is going to be fine.
Research Paper on Catcher in The Rye
This is significant because it develops the idea that the gold ring is the handle of going into adulthood and grabbing it means that they are becoming adults. “All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she’d fall off the goddam horse, but I didn’t say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab the gold ring, you have to let them do it and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them. ” (Salinger 232).
Argumentative Essay Examples on Catcher in The Rye
This applies to the theme because Holden realizes that he cannot stop children from falling into adulthood; that it happens no matter what. This is significant because a person cannot stop a child from going into adulthood. They have to let them choose if they want to go into adulthood, but if they fall off, they cannot do anything to save the child. “I went down by a different staircase, and I saw another ‘…. you’ on the wall. I tried to rub it off with my hand again, but this one was scratched on with a knife or something. It wouldn’t come off. It’s hopeless, anyway. If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn’t rub out even half the ‘…. you’ signs in the world. It’s impossible. ” (Salinger 222). This applies to the theme because Holden wants to protect all the children, and he tries to shield the children from seeing something that could take away their innocence.
Thesis Statement for Catcher in The Rye
This is significant because he himself curses Phoebe, who is still innocent. He wants to save as many child’s innocence, yet he continues to curse around her. J.D. Salinger uses the situation of Holden not letting Allie come to his friend’s house with him as a foreshadowing of him not allowing Phoebe to run away with him.“ This is significant because when he goes to cross the street, he is practically praying to Allie not to let him disappear. “Anyway, Allie heard us talking about it, and he wanted to go, and I wouldn’t let him. I told him he was a child. So once in a while, now, when I get very depressed, I keep saying to him, ‘Okay. Go home and get your bike and meet me in front of Bobby’s house. Hurry up.’… But that one day, I didn’t. He didn’t get sore about it–he never got sore about anything– but I keep thinking about it anyway when I get very depressed. ” (Salinger 110). This applies to the theme because Holden does not want to bring Phoebe along with him since he is planning on running away because he would be the one to ruin her innocence. If she went with him, she would not be in the play.
Ideas: Hypocrisy and Irony in Holden’s Actions and Words
This is significant because he realizes that he did not want to be with Allie, which is him growing up. He wanted to go to his friend’s house without having to “babysit.” “There was this one boy at Elkton Hills named James Castle that wouldn’t take back something he said about this very conceited boy, Phil Stabile. James Castle called him a very conceited guy, and one of Stabile’s lousy friends went and squealed on him to Stabile. …He was a skinny little weak-looking guy, with wrists about as big as pencils.
Finally, what he did, instead of taking back what he said, he jumped out the window. I was in the shower and all, and even I could hear him land outside. ” (Salinger 188). This applies to the theme because the only connection with someone from Elkton Hills was a boy that committed suicide after saying something and not taking it back. This is significant because when Phoebe asks Holden what makes him happy, he thinks of James Castle. The thing that makes him happy is when James asks to borrow a turtleneck sweater, and Holden feels like he is needed for something.
Titles: Exploring Memory, Guilt, and Growth in Catcher in The Rye
J.D. Salinger uses the situation of how Holden curses all the time to explain situational irony. Holden is being hypocritical because he is always cursing in front of children, but wants to shield them from hearing those words.“ this applies to the theme because Holden wants to try to get rid of all profanities so children cannot see them, but he cusses all the time around children, especially around Phoebe. This is significant because he wants children to stay innocent, and he wants to shield children from the adult world.
“Somebody’d written ‘…. 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–all cockeyed, naturally–what it meant and how they’d all think about it and maybe even worry about it for a couple of days.” (Salinger 221). This applies to the theme because Holden gets so afraid that a child’s innocence is going to be ruined because of seeing curse words.
Conclusion
This is significant because he wants to be a catcher in the rye and save children from going into adulthood, but he realizes that he cannot get rid of all the profanities in the world to save children’s innocence from being lost. “‘It is so something really! Certainly it is! Why the hell isn’t it? People never think anything is anything really. I’m getting goddam sick of it,’ ‘Stop swearing.’ ” (Salinger 190). This applies to the theme because Holden does not stop cursing around Phoebe. He wants to “save” her from adulthood, but all he is doing around her is cussing, getting rid of her innocence. This is significant because all he does when he is talking to Phoebe is cursing. When Phoebe calls him out on it, he becomes quiet but continues to curse when he talks.
