If you order your custom term paper from our custom writing service you will receive a perfectly written assignment on The Great Gatsby and the 'American Dream'. What we need from you is to provide us with your detailed paper instructions for our experienced writers to follow all of your specific writing requirements. Specify your order details, state the exact number of pages required and our custom writing professionals will deliver the best quality The Great Gatsby and the 'American Dream' paper right on time. Our staff of freelance writers includes over 120 experts proficient in The Great Gatsby and the 'American Dream', therefore you can rest assured that your assignment will be handled by only top rated specialists. Order your The Great Gatsby and the 'American Dream' paper at affordable prices with cheap essay writing service! In Francis Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby the concept of the American Dream appears in two ways. On the one hand Fitzgeralds view and imagination of the American Dream and on the other and, within the plot, Gatsby as the possible personified American Dream come true.
Francis Scott Fitzgerald practically puts the notion of the American Dream on the same level as human dream. But more remarkable is the fact that Fitzgeralds concept of the American Dream corresponds with the history of America. It has to do with the history of the pioneers and their slogan conquer the West with a land of new beginnings, hope and unlimited opportunities.
So Fitzgerald actually knows that The Great Gatsby is about the American Dream - even if the term itself hasnt been coined yet and remains the fragment of lost words that Nick Carraway almost remembers as he listens to Gatsbys appallingly sentimental account of Daisy Buchanan at the end of Chapter VI.
Jay Gatsby repesents two ideals or aspects of the American Dream. First, there is the myth to make it from rags to riches. On the other hand, there is Gatsbys dream of preserving the idyllic moment. To enlighten the purpose of distinguishing between these two concepts, I have to mention that Gatsbys materialistic dream, the rags-to-riches- myth has really come true. He has a great white palace for the fabulous parties he throws. But those parties serve for the sole purpose of regaining the green light, which means Daisy.
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A negative aspect of Gatsbys dream is that he has acquired his possessions by illegal means. he pays dearly for the efforts to regain the fairy-tale princess, namely with his life.
To conclude my chain of thought, I would like to say that the American Dream in this novel never reaches total fulfillment, since Gatsbys personal dream, the dream of regaining his lost love Daisy, never comes true in contrast to Gatsbys materialistic dream.
)The Great Gatsby and The American Dream
The Great Gatsby is one of Fitzgeralds greatest works. Many seem to be puzzled by the questions about the American Dream. Yet students have been presented with this concept throughout their school years, every textbook has got at least some text or chapter about this topic, and your presidents seem to refer to it in regular intervals (Clinton being the last one a couple of weeks ago on CNN).
Various critics see The Great Gatsby clearly connected with the American Dream; M.Bewley writes that The Great Gatsby is an exploration of the American Dream as it exists in a corrupt period. He points out that critics tend to agree that The Great Gatsby is somehow a commentary of that elusisve phrase, the American Dream. He, too, sees that The Great Gatsby presents some of the severest and closest criticism that our literature affords. And Fitzgerald is seen as the very poet and celebrant of the American Dream (A.Hook). Perhaps one agrees with R.H.Fossums statement about the American Dream To some people, the term is a joke, an object of satire, derison, or contempt. He further argues that few terms are defined in so many different ways. Then again, perhaps all of this is mere simian chatter.
One might ask fellow classmates and find a quick definition of the concept American dream = from rags to riches. More sophisticated definitions refer to the American Constitution Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Its the immigrants dream about religious and political freedom, the search of better living conditions, the freedom to develop ones innate abilities, equality of opportunity, realizing ones own potential. The question arises then - with this very broad definition, whether this dream is only - or so specifically American. Is there not an African Dream or an Asian Dream? Clearly, matters of this order are so vague and slippery, they seem poor frames for investigation.
Throughout the history of the world all immigrants have had the dream of religious and political freedom, the search of better living conditions, the freedom to develop ones innate abilities, equality of opportunity, realizing ones own potential. This dream is not specifically American and it would be very presumptuous at best, and racist at worst to even consider attaching the term 'American' to this universal dream of equality, opportunity and freedom.
Heres mettle more attractive. It is more productive for one to analyze and discuss the universal elements of The Great Gatsby. One should probe the common humanity of the characters, whose circumstances - financial, psychological and geographical - are defined solely by the descriptions in the story (and reasonable inferences therefrom) and transcend generations and national borders. Any literary work worth discussing must speak to the human being, not to the American, or Asian, or African. The degree to which a novel can define the dream of a people, be they American, African, Asian, or any other, is the degree of its literary mortality.
) The Great Gatsby The American Dream
Every character in the Great Gatsby fulfilled his or her part of the American Dream. It didnt always make the person better, in most cases worse. It made the characters see life I an unnatural light that they would not of other wise seen. First I need to make clear what the American Dream really is.
The American Dream is to have a lot of money and material objects. The average person from a third world country thinks that the streets America are paved in gold and that there is no poverty at all. Millions of people who live in America think that because they are American they must have money to be happy with life. They cant even imagine not having money and thats all they think and talk about. They also talk/brag about the things they buy with there money.
This is just like the way that Gatsby acts. Hes always bragging about his nice house, his nice car, and every aspect of his life. He makes his life out to be perfect getting educated at a high class institution. He thinks that the only people who are meant to have a lot of money are well educated people who have led the perfect life. He can not except the fact that he got all his money from bootlegging. All this money has not made him a good person at all in fact it has made him a worse person. He lies to everyone about his whole life and who he really is. He thinks that now that he has all this money the only way to be happy is to use it.
Nick has fulfilled his version of the American Dream by living the life he was expected to live. He is not rich and does not need money to be happy. He is just living life to the fullest and happy the way his life is going. The problem with Nick is that he is getting pulled by Gatsby into this world ware money a prestige is all that creates happiness. He is starting to think that his life is not as complete as it could be because he dose not have the money Gatsby does.
Daisy is in love with Gatsby. She thinks that just because he has money and she has money they will be happy. This is not the case. The main thing about the twos wealth that is different is that Daisy inherited hers and Gatsby got his from bootlegging. Daisy has no idea what being poor is like but Gatsby does. Daisy is in a dream world that is once you have money you will always have money. Gatsby knowing what it is like to be poor has the power to tell her what it is like to be poor. I think that Daisy should know what it is like to be poor so that she can do things to help people who are poor and just so she realizes that not everyone has money and that there are other ways to find happiness then money.
Tom is like Nick in that he is living the life that he is expected to live. He is happy just the way he is. He dose not need money or anything else to make his life acceptable to him. To me he is the character that has most fulfilled his own dream not the general American Dream
I believe that one should live there life to the fullest and never put all of there happiness into one thing because if that one thing goes away the person isnt happy. Especially money because now a days money can be gained and loosed with in seconds and if all your happiness depends on money and that goes away then you arent happy. Life should be about hard work and striving to reach a ultimate goal. None of the characters in this book did this so I think that everyone of them led a life that could have been much more fulfilling.
4) Danger of the American Dream Exposed in The Great Gatsby
I have read many books during my life. The Great Gatsby was the only novel that I found to be magnificent. F. Scott Fitzgerald has made me realize that there are many aspects in life that need to be taken seriously. The Great Gatsby has struck me emotionally as well as physically - it contains both physical and emotional pain.
All of Fitzgeralds characters had a Dream, however, Jay Gatsby's dream stood out above the others. Jay Gatsby was the only character throughout the whole novel that I found to experience both emotional and physical pain. Continuing with the emotional pain, Jay Gatsby exaggerates it. His American Dream is to go after a lost love, a love that he thought would love him and stay with him until death will break them apart, but it didnt end like that. This dream, his love, left him, and ran off with another, her husband. This left Jay Gatsby alone, tormented, miserable, and devastated. His American Dream left him, destroyed him and ruined his life, his whole entire life
I also found in Jay Gatsby an injury, a physical pain that tormented him day and night. It is the pain of Denial. However, Jay Gatsby was not the only one that had an American Dream and got hurt, there were others, others that died because they thought that their American Dream was real. Take for instance, a young lady named Myrtle. She was a wife and at the same time a lover of another. She was the lover of Tom, who was Daisys husband, and Daisy was Jay Gatsbys love. A good connection there, right? Myrtle loved Tom, with all her heart. He was her American Dream, and yet she didnt find love near him, but death among his wife, who killed her accidentally. A tragic for a young lady like Myrtle.
Among other things, I find Gatsby to be rather vague. My eyes could never quite focus upon him, his outlines are dim. Everything about Gatsby was more or less like a mystery, something that you had to figure out yourself. Fitzgerald writes Gatsby had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obsucurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic roled on under the night. At first Gatsby did not know that his dream, his American Dream was away, past him, far away from everything he ever owned in life. This American Dream cost him his life. He died with honor and with pride.
But yet, Daisy and and Tom lived on with remorse, regrets and guilts and hallucinations, because of the death that Daisy caused Myrtle, and Tom for lying to Myrtle husband about the car that killed Myrtle. These lies and guilt were Toms and Daisys American dreams after what they caused. They played with fire, they get burned. Thats the way it will always be.
The American Dream is dangerous. Gatsby took a risk, and lost his dream. Daisy took a risk and lost half her strength and Tom his pride of being a strong man. They put all of their heart and might to follow their dreams, and yet at the end, it all went to loss. Everything they ever hoped for, everything they ever wished for, went down the drain, down to loss and shame. As a nurse, I consider the American Dream to be a dangerous dream, a dangerous dream, becauuse you never know what can happen, what can occur to you on the end. My American Dream is to heal and cure patients who are in need and make a good job out of it, but somehow sometimes it backfires on me, and what Im left with is guilt, like Daisy herself. I cannot cure Gatsby of his American Dream, but I did found an injury, the injury of Denial, like I mentioned before. Daisy denied him, and he denied himself. He didnt want to give up, he went from poor to rich to get his dream. He even changed his name, for his dream. I wouldmt deny myself that far. I would be proud of who I am, but Gatsby wasnt. He went all the way for her, and the one who ended up losing was him.
The only cure that I find in Gatsby is his death. He died with honor and pride, he died for Daisy. He protected her, he knew that his time was over, he sensed it. And it happened. He was murdered, from Myrtles husband because he thought it was him who killed Myrtle. And yet, Gatsby lay peacefully in his grave, while Daisy lived on with pain and guilt. This is the cure of Gatsbys injury, the cure that I found, as a nurse of injured patients. This is the emotional cure. The physical cure, will be his slow death, in his pool, the one that hurt, after you are stabbed or shot. The one that last memories come to your mind, memories that make your eyes close and rest peacefully forever. Gatsbys last memories were Daisys, Im sure of it.
Overall, Jay Gatsby woke me up to the true danger of the "American Dream." This is reality. The American Dream is dangerous, because it can cause you guilt, shame, regrets, remorse and death. One must be careful to avoid the mistakes of Gatsby, and instead, only pursue true pride and honor. One must always be careful of the dreams one follows.
One thing I think we can be sure of that when the tumult and shouting of the rabble or reviewers and gossippers die,The Great Gatsby will stand out as a very extraordinary book, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby.
5) The Great Gatsby Corruption of the Dream
The book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was an icon of its
time. The book discusses topics that were important, controversial and
interesting back in 10s America. The novel is an exploration of the
American Dream as it exists in a corrupt period of history. The main
themes in the book are the decay of morals and values and the
frustration of a modern society. The Great Gatsby describes the decay
of the American Dream and the want for money and materialism. This
novel also describes the gap between the rich and the poor (Gatsby and
the Wilsons, West Egg and the Valley of the Ashes) by comparing the
differences between the Western United States (traditional western
culture) and the Eastern United States (money obsessed values). On a
smaller scale this could be seen as the difference between the West Egg
(the new, money) and the East egg (the old money). The 10s were
a time of corruption and the degradation of moral values for the United
States and many other countries. World War One had just ended and
people were reveling in the materialism that came with the end of it,
new mass produced commodities such as motor cars and radios were
filling peoples driveways and houses, money was more accessible
(before the Great Depression). Cars were becoming a social symbol in
the 10s as we can see with Gatsbys five cars, one of which he gives
to Nick and one of which kills Myrtle Wilson later on in the novel.
Herbert Hoover (an American President) said in 15 We will root out
poverty and put two cars in every garage. The parties that Gatsby held
every week in the summer were a symbol of the carelessness of the time.
Gatsby would hide in the house while the guests, most of whom were
not even invited, would party, eat and drink until the early hours of
the morning without even meeting the guest or even knowing who he was.
People would turn up just to be seen or reported in the local
newspapers In his blue garden people came and went like moths among
the whisperings and the champagne. This shows the carelessness of the
guests. Another quote about the parties refers to the way the guests
devour the endless supply of food and never give a thought as to who
gave it to them. Every Friday five crates of oranges and Lemons
arrived from a fruiterer In New York- Every Monday these same oranges
and lemons left his backdoor in a pyramid of pulpless halves. This is
also a symbol; it relates the pulpless halves to the rather empty
guests, soulless people obsessed by image and wealth, a corruption of
the American Dream. Another sign of the fall of the American Dream in
The Great Gatsby is the way Gatsby makes his money. Gatsby gets his
fortune through the illegal sale of alcohol (bootlegging). The sale
of alcohol was prohibited in the United States in the 10s. Gatsby
came from the western United States where there was old money. There
he met Dan Cody who taught him how to bootleg. As Gatsby became
richer he moved to West Egg in New York. Gatsbys house is a rather
artificial place, the house was originally built to impress Daisy with
his so-called wealth, and this is a sign of a corrupt way of winning
love through money and wealth. Gatsbys house is furnished well with
old looking ornaments and (probably) second hand antiques, Gatsbys
house also has a library which is full of uncut literature. The
conversation between Jordan and an unnamed man at one of Gatsbys
parties talks about the books Absolutely real - have real pages and
everything. Id thought theyd be a nice durable cardboard. These
books and antiques are just Gatsbys way of showing off his wealth to
others, however Gatsby doesnt really care for materialism, we can tell
this because his bedroom, the only room he really ever uses, is empty
compared to the rest of the house. Gatsbys love life is also a sign
of declining morals, and also a sign of further corruption of the
American Dream. Daisy has an affair with Gatsby; Gatsby then gets
concerned that Daisy does not tell Tom about her affair with him in
chapter six. Eventually Daisy tells Tom about her affair with Jay
Gatsby. The climax of the story comes when Gatsby tells Tom that Daisy
never loved him. The fall of the American Dream and corruption is also
evident in the position and treatment of children in the story, Daisy
and Toms daughter, Pammy, is treated as an object to show off rather
than a child to love. The child, relinquished by the nurse, rushed
across the room and rooted shyly into her mothers dress. The child
does not know her mother very well and is still very shy to go near
her. Gatsby had never really known of the existence of Daisys child,
as Daisy was probably afraid to tell him about her. Afterward he kept
looking at the child in surprise. I dont think he had ever really
believed it its existence before. The word it instead of her also
denotes the childs position as nil. Daisy uses the child as a show
item I got dressed before luncheon said the child, turning eagerly
towards Daisy. Thats because your mother wanted to show you off
replies Daisy. When the child speaks to Daisy, Daisy never answers or
replies to her. Daisy always changes the subject as if she doesnt even
notice the child is there. For example, when the girl comments Jordans
dress, Daisy ignores her and asks her what she thinks about her
friends Aunt Jordans got on a white dress too (said the child).
How do you like mothers friends? (Replies Daisy). Also Wheres
daddy? (Said the child) She doesnt look like her father explained
Daisy. Daddy (Tom) is also never around, he was not there when his
child was born. Daisy thinks that Tom is brutish and she has never
really liked him. The Great Gatsby is a great portrayal of the
corruption of society and the fall of the American Dream. The Great
Gatsby shows us the way people will fall into the hands of money, greed
and power and get involved in illegal activities to get where they want
and what they want. This book is a perfect example of the fall of the
American Dream in the 10s.
6) Fall From Innocence in The Catcher in the Rye
In J.D. Salingers , Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield goes through a fall from his innocence throughout his journey to his safe haven, home.
One example of when Holden fell from his own innocence is when he is in the room with Phoebe and he cant name anything he likes. Holden reacts to this question by saying, Boy, she was depressing me(Salinger 16). The only three things he can name that he liked were Allie, James Castle, and sitting there chewing the fat with Phoebe. The reason this is a time when Holden falls is because he gets really depressed when he can barely think of anything he liked. The reason I think Holden gets so depressed is because two of the people he names are dead. Thats why he is so lonely all the time. Holden finds things in common with Allie and James Castle and since theyre both dead he feels, in the back of his mind, that he should also be dead which makes him depressed.
Another example of a fall for Holden is when he realizes he cant erase even half the fuck yous in the world. This doesnt sound very important, but it is symbolic because he realizes that he can not be the catcher in the rye. His dream of shielding all the innocent children from societys harsh elements has been ruined by this one statement. Now because of this realization he comes to the conclusion that he can not shield everybody, not even half of everybody. An example of Holden trying to be the catcher in the rye is when Holden first sees the fuck you on the wall. Holden said,
It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other kids would see it, and how theyd wonder what the hell it meant, and then finally some dirty kid would tell them- all cockeyed, naturally what it meant, and how theyd think about it even worry about it for a couple of days. I kept wanting to kill whoeverd written it.(Salinger 01)
Holdens final fall comes when he is in the Egyptian Tomb in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. When Holden is deep within the Egyptian Tomb he feels he is in a safe and sanitary place free from societys cruel components until he sees the fuck you on the wall. When he sees this he starts to think about committing suicide because he feels like living is just a waste. During this time he spent in the tomb he decides on life or death. After going unconscious for a couple of minutes he decides to live because, Death thus becomes not a gesture of defiance but of surrender(Miller 17). Once Holden wakes up he feels better and symbolically chooses life. This is when Holden begins to rise. When Phoebe is on the carousel Holden wants to protect her but restrains himself, The thing is with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but its bad to say anything to them(Miller 17-18)When Holden says this his dreams of being catcher in the rye vanish. He realizes that all children must fall, like he himself did.
In conclusion, The Catcher in the Rye is a story of a boy falling from innocence to enter adulthood. An example of J.D. Salinger using symbolism to show Holdens Holding on to his childhood is in his name, Holden(Hold On). This is referring to Holden not wanting to enter society and all its phonies. Today, when somebody holds on to their innocence they are often considered outcasts; and in the persons mind everyone who considers him this, is a phony, like how Holden saw everyone.
After Holden Caulfield returns to his native New York and rents a room in a sleazy hotel, he makes a date with Sally Hayes. Before this date, Holden finds himself wandering the streets of the naked city. He is feeling depressed and finds himself on Broadway trying to purchase a record for his sister. After making this purchase, Holden notices a poor family walking in front of him. This unit is composed of a father, mother, and little kid. Holden notices the child who is walking in a straight line in the street and humming a tune to himself. Holden approaches him to determine the tune he is singing. This tune is If a Body Catch a Body Coming Through the Rye.Holden finds it amusing that the child is strutting quite literally on Broadway and is so care-free. He notices cars screeching and honking all over the place, and yet the child proceeds. The childs happy disposition seems to encourage Holdens on vitality. It gripped Holden that the child was singing with a pretty little voice...just for the hell of it and brightened him up. A deeper interpretation of this scene would dictate that the child represents Holdens own personality and life. Holden is defiantly singing his own tune just for the hell of it and like the child, seems to have no regard for his own well-being. At this point, Holden may see a side in himself that is care-free and this lightens his depression.
7) Theme Analysis of The Catcher in the Rye
J. D. Salinger presents an image of an atypical adolescent boy in The Catcher in the Rye. Holden is much more than a troubled teen going through a phase. Indeed Holden is a very special boy with special needs. He doesn't understand and doesn't wish to understand the world around him. In fact most of the book details his guilty admissions of all the knowledge he knows but wishes he didn't. Though his innocence regarding issues of school, money, and sexuality has already been lost, he still hopes to protect others from knowing about these adult subjects.
Holden, unlike the usual fictional teenager, doesn't express normal rebellion. He distrusts his teachers and parents not because he wants to separate himself from them, but because he can't understand them. In fact there is little in the world that he does understand. The only people he trusts and respects are Allie, his deceased brother, and Phoebe, his younger sister. Everyone else is a phony of some sort. Holden uses the word phony to identify everything in the world which he rejects. He rejects his roommate Stradlater because Stradlater doesn't value the memories so dear to Holden (Allie's baseball glove and Jane's kings in the back row). Even Ernie, the piano player, is phony because he's too skillful. Holden automatically associates skill with arrogance (from past experiences no doubt) and thus can't separate the two. Even Holden's most trusted teacher, Mr. Antolini, proves to be a phony when he attempts to fondle Holden. Thus the poor boy is left with a cluster of memories, some good but most bad.
Yet because of these memories, Holden has developed the unique ability to speak candidly (though not articulately) about the people he meets. Though he seems very skeptical about the world, he is really just bewildered. His vocabulary often makes him seem hard, but in fact he is a very weak-willed individual. Holden has no concept of pain, and often likes to see himself as a martyr for a worthy cause. This is proven after the fight with Maurice, after which he imagines his guts spilling out on the floor.
The end of the book demonstrates significant growth on the part of Holden. Although at first Holden is quick to condemn those around him as phony (like Stradlater and Ackley), his more recent encounters with others prove that he is becoming more tolerant and less judgmental. This is evidenced after the ordeal with Mr. Antolini, where Holden is determined not to make any conclusions about his teacher. This growth contributes to Holden's fantasy of being a catcher in the rye. Despite his inability and fear of becoming an adult, he has found his role in keeping the innocence of other children protected. This is shown when he tries to scratch out the obscenities at Phoebe's elementary school. He imagines himself on a cliff, catching innocent children (like himself at one time) who accidently fall off the cliff, bridging the gap between childhood and adulthood.
Holden, like the typical banana-fish, simply absorbs all experiences, good and bad, adding them to his own knowledge base. Really the poor teenager is so confused about what he should do, he simply regresses socially, hoping to escape the tough choices of adulthood by keeping others from them.
8) The Language of Youth
Works Cited w/5 sources The passage of adolescence has served as the central theme for many novels, but J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye has captured the spirit of this stage of life in hyper-sensitive form, dramatizing Holden Caulfields vulgar language and melodramatic reactions. Written as the autobiographical account of a fictional teenage prep school student named Holden Caulfield, The Catcher in the Rye deals with material that is socially scandalous for the time PERHAPS, FOR CLARITY, THE TIME PERIOD SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED. (Gwynn, 158). As an emotional, intelligent, inquisitive, and painfully sensitive young man, Holden puts his inner world to the test through the sexual mores of his peers and elders, the teachings of his education, and his own emerging sense of self. Throughout the years, the language of the story has startled readers. Salingers control of Holdens easy, conversational manner makes the introduction of these larger themes appear natural and believable. (Bloom, 10).
At the time of the novel, and even today, Holdens speech rings true to the colloquial speech of teenagers. Holden, according to many reviews in the Chicago Tribune, the New Yorker, and the New York Times, accurately captures the informal speech of an average intelligent, educated, northeastern American adolescent (Costello, 10). Such speech includes both simple description and blatant cursing. For example, Holden says, Theyre nice and all, as well as Im not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything. In the first instance, he uses the term nice which oversimplifies his parents character. This wording of his phrase implies that he does not wish to disrespect them, yet at the same time he does not intend to praise them. At best he deems them as nice and all. Holden further cuts short his description, but in a more curt manner, when he states that he will not tell his whole goddam autobiography or anything. From the start, the reader picks up on Holdens hostility and unwillingness to share his views strictly by his use of language (Salzman, 11). Another colloquialism can be seen in the last two examples. Holden has a habit of ending his descriptions with tag phrases such as and all or or anything. (Salzman, 11). Not only does Holden speak like this in the beginning of the novel, but throughout the book, making this pattern a part of his character. One could imagine Holden frequently ending his sentences with and all, and realize it is a character trait of his, since not all teenagers used that phrase. Therefore, the and all tag to Holdens speech served to make his speech authentic and individual. (Salzman, 11). Salinger intentionally used such speech patterns to individualize Holden but also to make him a believable teenager of the early 150s.
Another example of how Holdens speech helped define his character is his constant need to confirm his own affirmations, as if even he did not quite believe himself. These confirmations include phrases such as ...if you want to know the truth, or ...it really does. Holden repeats the first phrase several times throughout the novel I have no wind, if you want to know the truth, Im pacifist, if you want to know the truth, and a variation She had a lot of sex appeal, too, if you really want to know. In each of the above instances, Holden makes a statement and then feels compelled to clarify that is he is not making it up. These mannerisms reveal several aspects of his character. For example, Holden is on the verge of failing preparatory school and fears telling his parents. Because he did not do well in school, Holden may have felt as though no one ever took him seriously and realized his actions left him with no solid academic standing. Since Holden is essentially a social failure at school with no serious friendships, he attempts to solidify some communication in asking for approval by stating if you want to know the truth. Holden wants people to believe him so he speaks to seek approval (Costello, 10). Again, Salinger creates a speech pattern believable in a common teenager while also belonging individually to Holden.
The Catcher in the Rye gained much of its notoriety for the language used in it, particularly the crude words (Gwynn, 158). As in most colloquial uses of body parts, accidents of birth, or religious connotations, Holden does not strictly use words in reference to their original meaning. The word hell is a staple of Holdens vocabulary, and he uses it often with both positive and negative connotations. In one instance, he stated that he had a helluva time, when he and Phoebe sneaked away and had a good time shopping for shoes downtown. Other statements include pretty as hell, playful as hell, or hot as hell. Holdens perception that situations were anything but normal in some relation to the extremes of the usage of hell is applied to both positive and negative situations.UNCLEAR SENTENCE Each time, Holden uses hell as a way to expresses the confusion of adolescence, and his own regular use of it illustrates his extreme sensitivity as a character (Gwynn, 158). As Holdens experiences change, so does his use of crude language. When he is caught up in his own antics and is enraged, sonuvabitch and bastard frequently find their way into his vocabulary. However, when he addresses the reader as a narrator, Holden rarely, if ever, slips into his habitual use of swearing (Costello, 10). Sonuvabitch is reserved for his extreme anger, found in the example where he kept calling Stradlater a moron sonuvabitch for the boys ostensibly offensive treatment of Jane Gallagher. Again, Holdens sporadic use of sonuvabitch in his angriest moments only alerts the reader to the serious quality of his anger. Salinger carefully crafted such speech patterns to help us identify Holdens character without lengthy descriptions of them. Here, the offending words let the reader know when Holden is most angry and the types of situations that make him so. This offers further insight into his character, and does so often through the use of a single word. Holdens regular use of curse words to describe his view of any given situation leaves the impression that his vocabulary is limited, as observed in one much younger than himself. However, Holden recognizes that he has a limited vocabulary and uncomprehendingly identifies it himself (Salzman, 11). He makes use of cursing in an effort to add emphasis to his otherwise simplistic verbiage. For example, Holden says That guy Morrow was about as sensitive as a goddam toilet seat (Salinger, 151). The best reference Holden could think of was toilet seat, a simple item readily grasped by even young children. To give this simile more emphasis, Holden, as usual, tosses in a curse word. Holden makes another toilet-like reference when he says He started handling my paper like it was a turd or something, (Salinger, 151) when referring to his teachers expressions and body language while picking up a piece of Holden's written work. Turd is a word that a recently potty-trained child might use instead of a prep school teen. Therefore, Holden not only admits to having a limited vocabulary, but he has a vocabulary seemingly limited to one even younger than his age. Holdens regular use of cursing demonstates not only the depth of his emotion, but signals the reader to the fact that he is caught in the stage where childhood and approaching maturity collide. He relates poorly to instances other than those from his early youth, and tries in vain to bridge the gap between adolescent and adult worlds with his use of profanity. He fails to notice that his cursing loses much of his intended rebellious impact by his overuse of the words. Rather than successfully rebelling against school or his parents, Holden sometimes appears tortured and pathetic, and sometimes just plain silly. This superficiality of youth leaves him with little ability to communicate because he relies so heavily on simple words and thoughts to express the majority of his feelings.
While Holdens teenage angst is apparent, Salinger carefully crafted Holdens vocabulary to create a character who would be believable. As Holdens vocabulary and outlook on life demonstrate his character as a fictional persona, the realistic flavor of his vocabulary mixed with emotion unfailingly ties him to the harsh realities of adolescence and the youth of his time.
) Keeping It Real in The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye is a story about a kid named Holden Caulfield who experiences some interesting things and people. From having breakfast with a couple of nuns, to being with a prostitute, to getting kicked out of school, Holden handles each situation the best way he can. Some of the people Holden meets, he likes, but the type of people Holden cannot stand are the 'phonies.' Holden had met a lot of phonies in his lifetime. Holden lived in a dorm that was named after a phony, he heard a phony playing a piano, and he met his date's phony friend. Holden went to a boarding school called Pencey Prep. There, Holden lived in the Ossenburger Memorial Wing. This hall was only for juniors and seniors. The dorms were named after a man named Ossenburger who also went to Pencey a long time ago. After Ossenburger got out of Pencey, he made a lot of money in the undertaking business and gave some of it to Pencey and that is why the new wing of the dorms are named after him. The morning after, Ossenburger gave a speech to the students of Pencey Prep regarding how he was never ashamed when he was in some kind of trouble. He stated that if so, he would get right down on his knees and pray to God. Ossenburger kept on rambling about how one should always pray to God and to talk to God wherever they were. Ossenburger said to think of him as your buddy. Holden was amused by his speech, and he could "just see the big phony bastard... asking Jesus to send him a few more stiffs."
Holder next went to a nightclub called Ernie's for a few drinks. Even though it was so late, the club was packed. Ernie, the piano player, was playing some tune that Holden could not recognize. Ernie was putting in many high notes, showing off with ripples in the high notes, and doing a lot of other tricky things that Holden thought were dumb. However, the crowd was going crazy for Ernie, clapping and such. "Old Ernie turned around on his stool and gave this very phony, humble bow." Though Holden thought Ernie's snobbish attitude was so phony , he felt kind of sorry for Ernie. Holden does not think that Ernie even realizes when he is playing the tunes right or not.
The last phony Holden met while out on a date with his girl, Sally. For their date, they went to a play called The Lunts. When the first act was over, Holden and Sally went outside for a smoke. Holden was listening to the people outside smoking who were also talking about the play. Because of the way they were talking, Holden judged them all as phonies. Sally was talking with Holden about the play until she saw a guy she knew on the other side of the lobby. The guy noticed Sally as well and came over to say hello. The guy and Sally were talking for a while until she finally introduced him to Holden as George. Holden thought that "he was the kind of phony that have to give themselves room when they answer somebody's questions.", which was the kind that he really hated.
Holden showed that you can meet a phony at any time of the day and on any day of the week. For example, you could one day be living in a dorm that is named after someone that you think is a phony. You could be out at some nightclub for a couple of drinks and hear a phony playing some tunes on a piano. You could even meet a phony while you are out on a date. So when you are in a situation dealing with phonies, do not become one. Just remember to keep it real.
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