Ministry of higher and secondary specialized

Chapter II Poets who created in America in XX-XXI centuries 2.1J.D. SALINGER (1885-1951) and The Catcher in the Rye

The disillusioned departure of sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield from what may be the last of a series of schools that have failed to inspire, nurture, or support him in J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye (1951), followed by a painful, sleep- deprived odyssey through the streets of New York City, is one of the most widely taught novels in the United States. Despite the fact that this book implicitly criticizes the American educational system, teachers' willingness to accept it and assign it is evidence of its extraordinary ability to appeal even to those it risks insulting. Nearly everyone Holden meets, including his teachers, classmates, friends, and fellow New Yorkers, is a "phony," acting in accordance with manufactured norms and hiding their own self-interest behind a facade of friendliness. However, the novel encourages readers to feel for the protagonist and comes to the following conclusion: Although materialism, shallowness, and lack of sincerity permeate the world, unlike Holden, I am unique. The Catcher in the Rye has been a resonant expression of alienation for several generations of adolescent readers and adults who have believed they are at odds with the norms and institutions of American society since it was first published in 1951.Salinger is one of many American authors who have a long history of quixotic individualism and view society as corrupt by nature. Huck Finn has received the most comparisons from critics of Holden Caulfield. Holden, like Huck, is both precocious and naive. He is a worldly trickster who is quick to lie to protect himself, but he is preternaturally sensitive, and as a result, he is horrified by the cruelty and debauchery he sees. Both characters resist the efforts of adults to educate and mold them in accordance with prevailing standards of conduct and pursue an enclave of freedom and innocence. They use a vernacular style that deviates from standard English to assert their relatively untarnished status. As two brief passages juxtapose show, Salinger appears to explicitly acknowledge Twain's influence at times. Huck: “ After that, I took a seat next to the window and tried to think of
something cheery, but it proved fruitless. I most wished I were dead because I felt so alone. Holden said, I simply stood up, walked over, and gazed out the window. I suddenly found myself feeling so alone. I nearly wished I were dead. Due to their extreme loneliness, both boys are considering suicide. This suggests that Huck and Holden not only want to escape the constraining and corrosive influence of civilization as they see it, but they also want to find a new kind of community or intimacy that the current social order hasn't allowed them to have.The Catcher in the Rye's continued popularity can be partially attributed to the country's still- prevailing individualism ethos. However, it is also critical to comprehend the text in relation to its immediate historical context: the 1950s. A culture of consensus was evident at this time, according to many historians and critics. Millions of Americans purchased homes in the newly developed suburbs as the postwar economy thrived. Veterans attended college in record numbers thanks to the GI Bill, increasing the professional-managerial class. With Stalin's terrifying totalitarian regime in view, radical dissent lost its appeal as the Great Depression's political unrest subsided. Many Americans, particularly writers and intellectuals, recognized the necessity of defending the nation's freedoms against the communist threat. However, critics were also concerned about widespread conformity patterns. They feared that the population would become homogenized as a result of mass-market goods, confusing corporate bureaucracies, and uniformly designed suburbs. In 1950, sociologist David Riesman referred to this phenomenon as the "other-directed person," and six years later, journalist William Whyte referred to it as the "organization man." Both of these terms refer to individuals who are focused on getting along with other people, are desperate for the approval of other people, and are incapable of thinking or acting independently Holden Caulfield was famous for using his own term for denigration, "phony," which appealed to a lot of people's worries about a conformist culture.Scholars have recently questioned the 1950s' portrayal as one of uniformity, optimism, and harmony by pointing to hidden divisions, lingering conflicts, and subterranean manifestations of discontent
and revolt. Many WWII soldiers were able to rejoin American society with ease,
but many more were left with psychological scars. In response to a variety of psychological complaints among veterans and the general population, mental health clinics multiplied during this time. The use of illegal drugs led to the formation of subcultures. Alfred Kinsey discovered that millions of Americans secretly engaged in a variety of sexual practices that were considered to be deviant. The Civil Rights Movement and the Nation of Islam emerged as outlets for black frustration as a result of escalating racial tensions. Additionally, pacifist groups committed to civil disobedience emerged in the immediate postwar period, while the threat of global annihilation fostered diffuse anxiety during the Cold War. Holden Caulfield served as a misfit hero for those who were not entirely satisfied with the lifestyles available to them, whose experiences clashed with the image of a self-confident, optimistic America, and for those who found the society they inhabited artificial or shallow. During this time, the majority of Americans did not actively participate in political demonstrations..The Catcher in the Rye has been banned from schools and libraries all over the country on a regular basis ever since it was published. While civic activists have criticized the book's profane language, Holden's open discussion of taboo topics that are incompatible with America's positive self-image has also raised questions. He describes his awkward encounter with a prostitute and his subsequent refusal to use her services, expressing his profound ambivalence about his classmates' sexual promiscuity. He adds, "I just don't understand sexuality." God forbid, I swear I don't. Additionally, he discusses his mental illness struggles: I'll just tell you about this crazy thing that happened to me around Christmas last year, just before I got pretty tired and had to come out here and rest up. The narrative suggests that, in addition to his distant and neurotic parents, his breakdown is precipitated by an inhospitable environment—a city of predators, strangers, and social climbers, a vicious social hierarchy in a prep school, and rude teachers. Calling himself "sort of an atheist" and "a pacifist," Holden presents an unfavorable picture of America after World War II and takes a number of unconventional positions that are at odds with mainstream values. "I'm
sort of glad they've got the atomic bomb invented," he says. A comment that
parallels the suicidal impulses of a confused adolescent to the United States' military strategy. "If there ever is a war, I'm going to sit right the hell on top of it."In a paradox, the museum displays its subjects in an immobile state, preventing their temporal development only by imposing a static, depressive state upon them. To put it another way, Holden's refusal to become an adult coincides with his suicidal tendencies. Many readers have argued that Holden's critique of the fake society he deplores offers only infantilism, insanity, or death. Indeed, some assert that The Catcher in the Rye irresponsibly celebrates immaturity by encouraging readers to remain children and resisting practical engagement with the book's diagnoses of social issues. However, one could argue that Holden's steadfastly childlike perspective exemplifies greater wisdom and maturity than the ostensibly more realistic perspective of those who gladly accept conventional roles. Holden maintains that despite the fact that he acknowledges that "some times I act like I’m about thirteen," "sometimes I act a lot older than I am—I really do—but people never notice it." Nothing is noticed by people.

English Language Notes 8.4 (June 1971), http://www.modernamericanpoetry.org/criticism/ralph-bevilaqua-station-metro. Accessed September 12,