In 1951 at a time when social conformity was the norm, J.D. Salinger decided to publish “The Catcher in the Rye“. In it he put profanity, an immoral protagonist, and the adolescent sexuality. Salinger (and his book) brought about issues of vulgarity, sexuality and the hardships of teens. Many teens identified with and felt sorry for Holden Caulfield the main character that felt depressed and sad about almost anything life threw at him.

From the start J.D Salinger would incorporate symbolism as necessary tool for showing the full detailing of his novel. The novel begins with Holden isolated from the rest of his friends. He detaches himself from Pency’s social norm by sitting atop Thomsen Hill while the rest of the school attended a much celebrated football game. This would set the mood for the rest of the novel. Holden perceives himself as one of the few truly good and sincere people in his world and so he exemplifies this by sitting upon this hill, setting himself up above the rest, above and away from the school’s phonies and superficial characters. He despises these people and is ironic when nearby is a cannon. He might have noticed this and tells us so as to convey its potential. (read full text…)