The Catcher in the Rhye by Jerome Salinger (Book Review Sample)

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A Literary Review of 'The Catcher in the Rhye,' a Novel by Jerome Salinger.
The Catcher in The Rhye is a brilliant novel published in 1951, authored by Jerome Salinger. It immediately became a polarizing piece of artistic and literary genius because it approached its delivery incredibly differently. Unlike many other books, this novel seemed to evoke thought processes and literary awareness. However, the book was criticized for being too graphic and polarizing, and censored even in schools. It follows the life of Holden, an everyday teenager, as he struggles with the transition of wanting to be an adult amongst his peers. Despite its criticism, the book was so unique that it was named among the top 100 novels of its century. It touches on all the teenage and adolescent themes, including sex and depression, somewhat subjective. As a result, Salinger packed the book with literary elements and figurative language. This paper aims to review and explore Salinger's literary elements and figurative language to build his story.
The first literal element that Salinger uses is symbolism. Symbolism is the art of portraying something by using hidden meanings or hidden characters. Salinger uses symbolism to build his story first through Holden's hat. The hat is meant to be unique and distinguish him from everyone else in the narrative (Baldwin 29). For a seventeen-year-old teenager in America, this mirrors Holden's tendency to crave isolation and loneliness. He so badly wanted to stand out and be different, and the hat gave him the alter ego to do just that. As portrayed by the title, Holden considers himself a catcher in the rhye upon wearing the hat. He even mentions to his friend Ackey how the hat gave him power. Another illustration of symbolism is when Holden talks about the central park lagoon ducks. The ducks vacate the pond and park during freezing conditions, which symbolizes