Briefly about The Catcher in the Rye

 Basic Considerations and Interesting Facts about The Catcher in the Rye

The Cather in the Rye is about the inner world and contradictions of a teenager who is not going to accept the deficiencies of society. The main character constantly thinks about escaping from society. Holden Caulfield likes solitude, and here we can see another similarity with the author of this book – Salinger also liked to have retreated. In fact, many satisfied readers and fans of this book also emphasized their great desire to escape from the routine and ordinary life.

The Cather in the Rye emphasizes the importance of being alone to find your true intention without any external influence. This is actually the only way to reach true happiness because any person can be satisfied only if he/she realizes his/her own plans and aspirations. The noise of society can create obstacles for reaching your personal goals.

This book is also about spiritual considerations about our life and our place there. Actually, this book reflects the inner world of its author.

 Interesting Facts about The Catcher in the Rye

This book is amazing. But there are certain facts that can sound interesting:

• Salinger worked on this book for nearly ten years. Firstly, he attempted to write a novel, but he got a book in the end. This “story” has too many characters. Moreover, during his work on The Catcher in the Rye, the author also wrote a number of short stories and joined such to his main book.
• Holden Caulfield appeared as the main character in some Salinger’s stories before, like I’m Crazy and Slight Rebellion off Madison. But the author had withdrawn his manuscripts from publication two years before The Catcher in the Rye was published.
• The author himself treated this book as the expression of his own life views. He had reflected himself in the elder brother of the main character – Holden. His brother was shown as a soldier, and Salinger also had such experience being even hospitalized for some period of time.
• Salinger attempted to reach the hearts of mature readers, but this book became extremely popular exactly among young people after its publication.

 Samples of Topics

 Topics for Expository Essays

You may write an expository essay about the Cather in the Rye. Here are the topics that we suggest you consider:

• What does “red hunting hat” mean in this book?
• Rebellion and its meaning according to the book
• What are the differences between exploring the experience of American teenagers in The Cather in the Rye and American movies or other literary works?
• What could happen within the timespan when Golden ceases to tell his story and the scene when Holden appears in the hospital?
• What sides of human nature does the book reveal?
• Does clinical depression is related somehow to Holden?
• How does the American dream reflect in this book?
• What symbols does Salinger use in his book, and what meaning does he attribute to those symbols?

 Topics for Analytical Essays

This book is perfect for analysis. Here are some suggestions about that:

• Analyze the book from the psychoanalytic perspective
• Think about Holden’s behavior in different places
• What relations does Holden have with other people?
• Understanding a process of personal growth
• Analyze possible reasons for Holden’s loneliness and how it was reflected in this book
• Why is it so challenging for Holden to contact other people?
• Pay attention to the author’s language. What can you say about it?
• What is the writing manner of Salinger in this book?
• Analyze Holden’s struggle and its main reasons
• What modern problems does the book address even nowadays?

 Topics for Argumentative Essays

Writing an argumentative essay related to this book is very interesting because it presents enough space for developing your point of view not only about the book itself but also about adultness itself. Here are some suggestions:

• The Catcher in the Rye can teach many teenagers
• Mr. Antolini provides good advice to teenagers
• Holden is a normal person who does not agree with the insanity of the outer world
• Holden is very sensitive to the problems of the outer world
• The Catcher in the Rye is a book that changes your attitude and life
• The Cather in the Rye is based on a single literary element because…
• Holden can be a sociopath
• Holden is not a young philosopher but a spoiled child only
• Holden is a kind of anti-hero
• The main message of The Catcher in the Rye
• The Catcher in the Rye is a classic prose
• Is Holden’s character dynamic or static?
• Reason for studying this book at schools
• Why should The Catcher in the Rye be popularized?
• Social controversies and protest in The Catcher in the Rye
• Certain aspects of society that were really worthy of being criticized
• Innocence and Holden’s attitude about it
• Holden’s character lacks development through this book

 Topics for Critical Assessment

The Cather in the Rye definitely deserves more precise reading and review. Here are some topics for you:

• Access and describe the personality of Holden and how does he characterize himself
• The manner in which Holden contradicts himself sometimes
• What are the main reasons for Holden’s inner contradictions?
• If I were Holden’s friend, I would try to convince him that not all people are phony…
• Did Holden have any kind of psychological problems?
• The role of sensuality in The Cather in The Rye
• How does Holden treat adulthood, and what are the possible reasons for that?
• Are there any reasons to consider that Holden has stuck between two worlds?
• Why did the author choose to describe all events in his book in the exact manner as they appear?
• Does Holden deserve trust from his points of view?
• Why did Salinger write his book from the first-person perspective?
• What themes does The Catcher in the Rye expand?
• What were the reasons for writing this book?
• How can you describe Holden in view of the statements he said during his dialogues?
• What were the reasons to ban this book for a long time?

 Final Words

Sincerely hope that our review and suggestions will inspire you to reveal the deep and amazing world of Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye. This book can give enough space for self-reflection and encourage not even to
write an essay about it but also to change something in your life for the better.

Enjoy your reading and writing.