Catcher in the Rye Essay: Holden’s Metamorphosis -- Catcher Rye Essays

Holden's Metamorphosis in The Catcher in the Rye      Ã‚  Ã‚   J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is the chronicle of a young man's metamorphosis from immaturity to unsure manhood. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, is a sixteen-year old boy who leaves the prep school he has been expelled from to escape the frightening reality of dealing with his parents. However, during his visit to New York City he is faced with the harsh reality that he cannot continue to hold onto his childhood. Holden is an extremely complex character and it is only by examining each layer of him that the reader is able to understand his painful metamorphosis.    There have been many debates over the morality of Holden. At the time of publication many critics saw Holden as a poor specimen of the youth of America. As the story opens he has flunked out of prep school for the third time and decides to run away to New York unbeknownst to his parents or the school authorities. Holden uses obscenities and blasphemes multiple times within sentences; he attempts to solicit a prostitute, and even calls himself a coward. True, Holden does not fair well when held up to the conventional moral codes of a young man of the fifties. Nevertheless, the reader must keep in mind that however complex Holden is, he is still just a boy trying to understand and be accepted by the world around him. Holden hides behind the profanities he uses. He does not use them referring to a person, but rather as a vague intensifier for his thoughts. Holden uses them to appear tough and to hide his insecurities as a teenager. He also bargains for the services of a prostitute his f irst night in the city. However, Holden does not have sex with her after he becomes sad talking to her. He do... ...says on Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Joel Salzberg. Boston, Massachusetts: G.K. Hall & Co., 1990. 23-24. 3. Jacobs, Robert G. "The Catcher in the Rye: Holden Caulfield's Goddamn Autobiography." If You Wanted to Know. Marsden, Malcolm M. Chicago, Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1963. 55-62. 4. Kaplan, Charles. "Holden and Huck: The Odysseys of Youth." If You Wanted to Know. Marsden, Malcolm M. Chicago, Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1963. 127-130. 5. Lettis, Richard. The Catcher in the Rye. Great Neck, New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1964. 1-18. 6. Maclean, Hugh. "Conservatism in Modern American Fiction." If You Wanted to Know. Marsden, Malcolm M. Chicago, Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1963. 14-15 7. Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston, Massachusettes: Little, Brown and Company, 1951. 1-277.    Catcher in the Rye Essay: Holden’s Metamorphosis -- Catcher Rye Essays Holden's Metamorphosis in The Catcher in the Rye      Ã‚  Ã‚   J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is the chronicle of a young man's metamorphosis from immaturity to unsure manhood. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, is a sixteen-year old boy who leaves the prep school he has been expelled from to escape the frightening reality of dealing with his parents. However, during his visit to New York City he is faced with the harsh reality that he cannot continue to hold onto his childhood. Holden is an extremely complex character and it is only by examining each layer of him that the reader is able to understand his painful metamorphosis.    There have been many debates over the morality of Holden. At the time of publication many critics saw Holden as a poor specimen of the youth of America. As the story opens he has flunked out of prep school for the third time and decides to run away to New York unbeknownst to his parents or the school authorities. Holden uses obscenities and blasphemes multiple times within sentences; he attempts to solicit a prostitute, and even calls himself a coward. True, Holden does not fair well when held up to the conventional moral codes of a young man of the fifties. Nevertheless, the reader must keep in mind that however complex Holden is, he is still just a boy trying to understand and be accepted by the world around him. Holden hides behind the profanities he uses. He does not use them referring to a person, but rather as a vague intensifier for his thoughts. Holden uses them to appear tough and to hide his insecurities as a teenager. He also bargains for the services of a prostitute his f irst night in the city. However, Holden does not have sex with her after he becomes sad talking to her. He do... ...says on Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Joel Salzberg. Boston, Massachusetts: G.K. Hall & Co., 1990. 23-24. 3. Jacobs, Robert G. "The Catcher in the Rye: Holden Caulfield's Goddamn Autobiography." If You Wanted to Know. Marsden, Malcolm M. Chicago, Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1963. 55-62. 4. Kaplan, Charles. "Holden and Huck: The Odysseys of Youth." If You Wanted to Know. Marsden, Malcolm M. Chicago, Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1963. 127-130. 5. Lettis, Richard. The Catcher in the Rye. Great Neck, New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1964. 1-18. 6. Maclean, Hugh. "Conservatism in Modern American Fiction." If You Wanted to Know. Marsden, Malcolm M. Chicago, Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1963. 14-15 7. Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston, Massachusettes: Little, Brown and Company, 1951. 1-277.   

Applying Criminology in Everyday Lives Essay

Criminology deals with the study of criminals and criminal behavior, however, criminologists try to build theories that answer why crimes occur and test those theories by observing behavior (Lynch, 2006). There have been many theories why people commit crimes but the most sought after of all areas of criminology is juvenile crime. Juvenile crime is constantly increasing in the society. In law, juvenile crime comprises various offenses committed by children or youths under the legal age of 18 and is also called juvenile delinquency (Samentz, 2006). One very good example is the situation described. Assuming I am a parent of a 16 year old boy and I find my son’s friend inside the house where the door has been ajar. The boy is caught in the act of looking through the kitchen drawer and says that he is looking for a paper and a pencil to leave a note for my son. However, on the counter next to him are a lock-pick and some jewelry belonging to me, the boy smelling of marijuana. After which he leaves the house. Such action is positively thieving even if the boy denies it. And the boy is probably using dangerous drugs. The event is definitely a type of juvenile crime. What would I do then? The first thing that comes to mind is to talk to my son and try to find out about his friend and most especially about him. I will ask him if he knows that his friend is using dangerous drugs and is even stealing from people. If he says he does not know about it, then I will narrate to him what I have seen and try to see his reaction about it. By looking at the way he reacts from his friend’s story, I will know if he really is telling the truth. I will realize if he does the same things his friend does since he is my son and knows him much. If he seems to know the truth then I will warn him to stay away from his friend lest he become influenced with delinquent habits. If he seems to be involved in his friend’s delinquent acts, then I will give him some kind of punishment and try to extinguish such habits by offering alternative hobbies such as sports and music. Bestowing punishment to my son is a way of deterring delinquency. Such concept of punishment can be of the concept of general deterrence, specific deterrence and situational crime prevention. The concept of general deterrence states that the choice to commit delinquent acts can be controlled by the threat of punishment (Wadsworth, 2005, p. 53). On the other hand, according to the concept of specific deterrence, if a young offender is punished severely the experience will convince him not to commit the crime (Wadsworth, 2005, p. 56). Situational crime prevention however is slightly related with punishment. In this concept, delinquency is made more difficult and less profitable by tight security such as using surveillance and street lighting (Wadsworth, 2005, p. 58). After talking to my son about the incident regarding his friend, a visit to the police station near the neighborhood will be appropriate to find out if the boy has any criminal records or any juvenile delinquency records. If so, I’ll try to find the parents of the boy to try to talk to them about the status of their son. I will narrate the incident to the parents while simultaneously observing if there are any clues as to why the boy has the tendency to be delinquent. It is found in studies that children of deviant parents are more likely to become delinquent (Wadsworth, 2005, p. 64). Thus, the social factor of the boy’s delinquency can be rooted on the way he was reared. If the parents of the child agree to do something about their child’s delinquency, then I can find a way to help them cope with the steps needed to correct the acts. I can even find a way to recommend a social worker specializing in such cases if the parents themselves don’t know what to do about it. If the parents however, are not convinced of their son’s behavior and that the boy has some criminal records at the police station, then I will go back to them, this time bringing a police officer with me. This is highly recommended if I see hints of deviance from the parents themselves such as parents having criminal records or parents who have been jobless for a long time and are not doing anything about it, much more if the other children of the parents are also delinquent youth. The police officer will explain the situation about their son and so, try to find solution regarding the case. After all these things, I will then suggest to the police to monitor the whereabouts of the boy so that he will not commit any delinquent acts anymore. Furthermore, I will continue to supervise on my own son’s whereabouts and actions to prevent him from delinquent tendencies. Another way of preventing delinquency of the youth in our community should also be developed and initiated. Such activities as sports tournaments and plays may be appropriate. There have been many theories that attempt to figure out the causes of juvenile delinquency usually focusing on the individual and the society (Samentz, 2006). By finding the root causes of juvenile delinquency, solutions are formulated to deter such actions. It is the responsibility of each citizen to participate in this endeavor. Such situation as discussed above is one way of helping in the prevention of juvenile delinquency.

The Father As The Most Important Character In The Glass...

The Father As The Most Important Character In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams the father is not a proper character, he is instead, portrayed by a larger-than-life-size photograph over the mantel in the Wingfield household. Even though he is not a real character, he still has an influence on the other characters in the play because of the actions he had taken in the past. He is mentioned very little in the play yet his presence can still be felt in the actions and words of some characters. The play is a memory play and memory is an imaginative tool, which can be used to express the truth. Things in this play, may be exaggerated in order to†¦show more content†¦She fights to keep her family together driven by worthy motives. She doesnt want Tom to end up like his father, and, believing that her children are unusual she wants Tom to make a success of his career and so she continues to pick on Tom about his bad habits and gets him up early enough for work. She also doesnt want Laura to be alone for the rest of her life, living off her brother, mothers afraid Im going to be an old maid so she tried getting Tom to bring home men from the factory for Laura to meet and enrolled Laura into business college. When she realises that Laura hasnt been going to her lessons she says so what are we going to do the rest of our lives? Stay home and watch the parades go by?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦we wont have a business careerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ what is there left but dependency all our lives? I know so well what becomes of unmarried women who arent prepared to occupy a positionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ she understands that if Laura doesnt get a husband or a job then she doesnt have much hope for the future. These worries have been partly brought on by the departure of the father because he used to help out the family financially, but now they have to find their own ways of making money. Amanda is doomed to dissatisfaction because it is impossible to recreate the past. Her paralysis is partly responsible for the disintegr ation of her family.Show MoreRelatedThe Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams985 Words   |  4 Pageshardly catch it going. ¨ This quote by the author of The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams, describes both The Glass Menagerie, a memory play, and the life of Tennessee Williams himself, for whom memories played a large role in his life. Within the play, many parallels can be drawn between the life of Williams and the life of Tom, the main character, such as a disdain for factory work. 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As a young writer, Williams lived vicariously through his plays. Throughout this play in particular, there are several allegories that pertain to Williams s life directly. Although Williams had a relatively happyRead MoreImportant Symbols and Themes of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams7390 Words   |  30 PagesImportant Symbols and Themes of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams Tennessee Williams play, The Glass Menagerie is considered a memory play because it is told from the memory of the narrator. The narrator, who is also a character, is Tom Wingfield, the youngest member of the Wingfield family. The other characters are Amanda Wingfield, his mother; Laura Wingfield, his older sister; and Jim OConnor the gentleman caller. 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