Abstract
The paper analyzes how characteristics of the author J. D. Salinger and events from his life are exhibited in the novel "The Catcher in the Rye" and in his short stories.

From the Paper
"Writer of one of the most successful works of American literature of all, "The Catcher in the Rye" author J. D. Salinger remains a reclusive enigma. Nevertheless, there is some information known about his life that reveals the influence of his experiences on his literature. Salinger was born in Manhattan, January, the only son of Sol and Marie Salinger. J. D. did not do well in school and flunked out of prep school."

Tags:Holden Caulfield, WWII, emotions, adolescence, war, isolation, alienation, hopelessness

Abstract
This paper relates that J. D. Salinger's short fiction was influenced to a great extent by his participation in World War II and by the nervous breakdown he suffered when he returned from the battlefield. The paper then points out that, although their setting and main plot differ, his two short stories, "The Stranger" and "A Perfect Day for Bananafish", have many common elements. The paper also relates that both texts have as main characters young men who recently returned from the war suffering from psychological stress. The paper concludes that, in both stories, war is seen as more than a mere experience of death and anguish; it is indicative of inhumanity, corruption and extreme violence as opposed to the world of innocence, which infancy represents.

From the Paper
"Thus, the stories converge in a few points, the most important of which being the former soldier's emotional stress after the war and the refuge they try to take in the innocent world of the two girls, Sybil and Mattie. Thus, Babe notices with surprise the beautiful way in which his little sister makes a playful jump from the curve of the highway to its surface and listens to her innocent babble about some plays they could go and see. The apparently nonsense talk of the child is the most important part of the story as it stands in contrast with the crimes of the war."

Tags:depression, childhood, leitmotif, glass, suicide

Abstract
This paper explains that, in Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye", the narrator, a teenage boy named Holden Caulfield who comes from a rich family, seems to be a normal teenage boy; however, as the reader gets deeper into the story, he displays certain self-destructive and pathological qualities that separate him from the norm. The author points out that the beginning of the story is very interesting, as Holden points out that he does not want this story to be his life story; he simply wants the reader to understand how he ended up where he did: in psychiatric care. The paper concludes that Holden is said to suffer from psychological problems because of his self-destructive behavior and his nonconformist attitudes. The "cure", as implied in the novel, would be for Holden to stop resisting material gain and his adoration for nonjudgmental, genuine, human interaction.

From the Paper
"Holden goes back to his dormitory and encounters Robert Ackley, a rude outcast with an acne-ridden face and a poor attitude, and Holden's roommate, an arrogant man-about-campus who Holden despises. As Stradlater gets ready for a date with Jane Gallagher, an old friend of Holden's, he asks Holden to write an essay for him, as Holden is a talented writer. Holden leaves with Ackley and another student to see a movie in New York City, but writes the paper when he returns. At this point, we catch a glimpse of the root of Holden's troubles. He writes the essay about his late brother Allie's favorite baseball glove. He pours his heart out in the story, describing how Allie died of leukemia and how he broke all of the windows in his garage in a rage the night that Allie died."

Tags:holden, rich, pathological, self-destructive, non-conformist

Abstract
The paper points out that the main similarity between the two short stories is that they portray people affected by events following World War II. The paper also discusses the presentation of the innocence of children, the theme of memories and the levels of tragedy in both stories. The paper highlights the surprise, emotional ending of both works and also notes the difference of opinions engendered by Salinger's brilliant writing style.

From the Paper
"Levels of tragedy were also apparent in the two short stories. Of course the most tragic one was in A Perfect when in the end Seymour Glass committed suicide. In the true tradition of Salinger, Seymour's act was unexpected especially when: "He glanced at the girl lying asleep on one of the twin beds. Then he went over to one of the pieces of luggage, opened it, and from under a pile of shorts and undershirts he took out an Ortgies calibre 7.65 automatic. He released the magazine, looked at it, then reinserted it. He cocked the piece. Then he went over and sat down on the unoccupied twin bed, looked at the girl, aimed the pistol, and fired a bullet through his right temple." The reader was caught in surprised and although in the opening paragraphs of the story, Muriel and her mother talked about Seymour's post war problems, there was no inclination at all that he will take his own life. Indeed, when Seymour was talking about the bananafish to Sybil and how the bananafish bloats itself out by eating too much banana and dying, he was already making a reference to his own demise."

Tags:endings, children, tragedy, memory

Abstract
This paper presents a detailed personal biography of Salinger, his youth, growth as a writer and religion. It also shows a critical evaluation and analysis of most works (Catcher in the Rye, Franny and Zooey, Bananafish, more...) Elements of style are thoroughly examined and a review of other critical analysis are presented.

From the Paper
""Jesus, he has a helluva talent." The esteemed Ernest Hemingway has found one of the few ways accurately to describe J.D. Salinger. Truly one of America's most amazing authors, J.D. Salinger has rocked the modern world in a field where words of praise are scarce and criticisms are abundant. Inciting the adolescent populace with passion, Salinger calls attention to particulars in our society and questions the ethicality of people. ...

Tags:bananafish, biography, catcher, critical, elements, evaluation

From the Paper
"Holden Caulfield, the adolescent protagonist and narrator of J.D. Salinger's (1964) classic The Catcher in the Rye, exemplifies the pathos associated with the quintessentially adolescent search for a meaningful identity. Holden's struggle for self-definition is sensitively chronicled by Salinger, who captures the angst of adolescence through the use of memory, metaphor, and melancholy. In this paper, I will offer a detailed analysis of Holden's presenting behaviors and personality traits; his familial, academic, and social background, including some significant life events; his current developmental stage and his concerns related to that stage; and his biological functioning as a determinant of his behavior. I will place these specific facts into the descriptive framework of the DSM-III (1980) diagnosis of Major Depression (a diagnosis without which Holden's behavior is ... "

From the Paper
The purpose of this research is to provide an in-depth analysis of Holden Caulfield, the adolescent protagonist of J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. This analysis of characterization will include, first, a brief summary of the book, then considerations of Holden's ego functioning, his ability to sustain meaningful relationships, the impact of the social environment on his personality, evidence of psychopathology in Holden's character, and the roots of his dysfunctioning.

A brief summary of Catcher in the Rye gives us an idea of the psychological turbulence into which Salinger has placed his adolescent character.

Holden Caulfield flunks out of Pencey Prep in Pennsylvania, and begins a remarkably distressing journey to New York, to the house of his parents. The trip is a mixture of nightmare and ... "

Abstract
This essay outlines the classic Novel "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger. It gives a detailed review of the text and many other elements of the writing. The paper also includes the author's opinion of the novel and reasons for his opinion.

From the Paper
" The Catcher in the Rye, a classic novel written by the infamous J.D. Salinger is a story within the life of Holden Caulfield, a pessimistic 16 year old attending private school. The novel is a window in to a rebellious teenaged mind using Holden Caulfield as an extreme example. Holden is a teenager growing up in 1950s New York who has been expelled from school for poor achievement. Holden's frustration towards society and unstable state of mind is brought upon by constant failure in his academic and social life. In an attempt to deal with his frustration he leaves school a few days prior to the end of term, and goes to New York to 'take a vacation' before returning to his parents whom will be greatly disappointed."

Tags:holden, salinger, student, teenaged

Abstract
"J.D. Salinger's novel Franny and Zooey shows the redemptive power of family and love in the life of a sister and brother. the plot of the book is simple: Franny, the younger sister of Zooey, has come home unexpectedly from college after suffering a nervous breakdown, and, as a result of her interchanges with Zooey, she finds some measure of peace and acceptance of herself and others.

From the Paper
"J.D. Salinger's novel Franny and Zooey shows the redemptive power of family and love in the life of a sister and brother. the plot of the book is simple: Franny, the younger sister of Zooey, has come home unexpectedly from college after suffering a nervous breakdown, and, as a result of her interchanges with Zooey, she finds some measure of peace and acceptance of herself and others. The structure of the book is similarly simple: Franny has a long conversation with her soon-to-be-ex boy friend; Zooey has a long conversation with his and Franny's mother; and Zooey and Franny have a long conversation, which includes a section in which Zooey pretends to be their older and wiser brother Buddy, who is in fact the narrator of the book, or at least the "Zooey" section. Those extended conversations comprise the entire novel, slowly but surely advancing Franny's awakening to a more tolerant and ..."

Abstract
This paper discusses J.D. Salinger's "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" and how it relates to zen koan. The paper shows how the story functions not as a conclusive narrative statement, but as a paradox or, more precisely, a Zen koan. It focuses on how the story encourages thought but eludes coherent meaning and how it never reaches a conclusion.

From the Paper
"Despite his simple, unaffected prose, Salinger's symbolism in "Bananafish" is confounding. It characterizes Seymour as being at once a broken victim of war who's seen too much and a spiritual seeker who thirsts to see more; it paints Sybil as being both angelic and vicious, a naive innocent and a perceptive prophet. An understanding of "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," at first glance a frustratingly paradoxical if not imperfect story, demands a consideration of Salinger's well-known interest in Zen Buddhism, made manifest in his epigraph to Nine Stories. Seen in that light, the story begins to resemble an insoluble Zen koan, and though attempting to find an "answer" to it might be as futile as fishing for bananafish, it is of its nature to encourage the reader to do just that, a nonetheless fruitful endeavor."

Tags:paradox, narrative, interpretation