J.D. Salinger 2 Essay, Research Paper

J.D. Salinger

Jerome David Salinger, known as J.D. , is an American short narrative author and novelist. He was born on January 1, 1919 and is still alive at the age of 81. J.D. Salinger was born and raised in Manhattan. He went to prep school at Valley Forge Military Academy from 1934-1936. He spent 5 months in Europe when he was 18 or 19 old ages old. Then, in 1937 and 1938 he studied at Ursinus College and New York University. From 1939 to 1942, he went to Columbia University where he decided to go a author. Salinger published short narrative aggregations and one novel. His best known work, The Catcher in the Rye, was published in 1951. The short narratives he wrote were Nine Stories in 1953, Franny and Zooey in 1961, Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction in 1963, Young Folk in 1940 and A Perfect Day for Bananafish in 1948. Many critics have considered J.D. Salinger a really controversial author because of the topic affairs he wrote approximately. For illustration Salinger wrote about faith, intellectuals, emotional battles of striplings, solitariness and symbolism ( Jones ) .

Some critics experience his authorship was inappropriate because of the subjects he wrote approximately. The chief characters were considered misfits of society. The characters by and large did non suit in with traditional American civilization. They could non set to the existent universe. However, Salinger s most successful narratives are the 1s about people who could non set. The super-intelligent worlds who had to take between the American civilization at that clip and the moral universe, or take between the bogus existent universe and the morally pure universe. Salinger creates these misfits, as heroes who do non suit into society. They struggle between the two universes shallow and moral. The taking characters are on a mission of felicity. At first, Salinger does non take the characters to material felicity ; he has them get down out in a bad state of affairs. By the clip they make it through the terminal of the narrative they have changed for the better. One of these characters that he writes about in this state of affairs is Holden Caufield in The Catcher in the Rye. He starts off in a bad state of affairs because he has merely flunked out of his 3rd private embarkation school. He eventually gives up life on his ain in Manhattan and returns place in purdah where he finds felicity. The critics found these state of affairss that the characters were in problematic ( Hamilton 113 ) .

In Franny and Zooey, Franny and Zooey Glass are an illustration of Salinger s misfit characters of the sixties. They are brother and sister who are super-intelligent monsters and can non cover with society or world. The contention comes when they must take between Salinger s two universes the existent or hypocrite. Their older brothers teach them Zen Buddhism and many other faiths and doctrines. Salinger uses this spiritual subject with these two characters to demo how they have to cover with their universe of faith and how they have to halt utilizing faith to cover with their jobs ( Green ) . This spiritual subject was a controversial 1 for the writer. Salinger frequently uses faith for comfort. He leads his characters on a journey for felicity through faith. It is a manner to liberate them. Salinger uses much of the Zen doctrine to achieve this freedom. The Zen Philosophy was a new religious order of Buddhism that came out of China. It promoted Meditation as the manner to personal fulfilment ( Zen 146 ) .

One of Salinger s characters in Nine Stories has a certain doctrine about life that runs parallel to the Eightfold Path used in the Buddhism faith. The Eightfold Path is one of the four Baronial Truths. It is a way to the suppression of agony and it is made up of eight parts that form the basis of the Buddhist religion. Buddha wanted to be liberated in his life merely like the character in Salinger s work who finally achieves enlightenments, the ultimate end of the Buddhist way, by perpetrating self-destruction. In this manner, he lets travel of all the agony and attains felicity. It is a controversial manner to see felicity. Religion is a force in the narrative to make felicity. Many times the narrative is really cheerless until faith is introduced and peace is attained ( Buddhism 432-433 ) .

Salinger besides shows a pursuit for felicity through solitariness. He isolates his characters from society. This is besides a controversial point for critics. Keeping his characters isolated aid to maintain them off from evil. Sa

linger looks at society as a bad thing. He keeps his characters off from it because he thinks that is the lone manner to accomplish felicity. The full secret plan of the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, revolves around this. The chief character, Holden Caufield, is isolated from society. Salinger uses society as a bad and evil thing. It is something that Salinger feels his character should be kept off from. Finally this chief character ends up wholly entirely at the terminal of the novel in isolation. He finds happiness through this isolation. Harmonizing to Salinger, it is this isolation that brings felicity to his character. This misfit character demands to be isolated from a society that looks at him in a unusual manner. Salinger uses loneliness as a manner to alter his life ( Foskett ) . Salinger is able to utilize solitariness as a manner to alter the life of Seymour Glass in a short narrative Raise the Roof Beam High. Seymour sees society as corrupt and has a demand to alter his life style to go happy. There is no compassion for people in society and he feels he must alter it. In order for him to make that he must foremost insulate himself from that society. Salinger uses this loneliness subject to do his characters change their life styles. This loneliness subject benefits the characters because they attain happiness by populating their ain lives ( Green ) .

Salinger uses some symbolism in his plants to demo felicity. There was lucky underwear in Softhearted Sergeant. This lucky underwear saves the character in conflict and helps him happen the love of his life. This character obtains happiness ( Gallic 59 ) . Many times Salinger uses uneven lucky symbols for the characters to happen felicity. The Sun is used as a lucky symbol in The Esme. The character in this narrative has his life turned around by the inspiration of the Sun. Again, a bad state of affairs for the character in the beginning of the narrative. Salinger besides uses symbolism in his plants to bode a better life. In Long Debut of Louis Taggett the symbol of seting out a coffin nail symbolizes the terminal of a matrimony. It is the terminal of a matrimony for Louis Taggett, which is good for his life. This character is now able to believe more about his occupation. He now meets the adult female that will truly love him. He will besides happen wealth and prosperity ( 58 ) . This is another illustration of how Salinger uses symbolism to foretell a better life. Louis Taggett has suffered many adversities. His life is a entire muss but it does gets better. Still another illustration of boding a better life is shown in The Last Day of the Last Furlough. Salinger uses symbolism in this narrative through the character of John Hendren. Symbolism is used by Salinger for the character to carry through his chase for felicity. John Hendren, a World War II soldier, has ever wore a big wooden necklace which was given to him by his female parent. It is this same necklace that stops a slug and saves his life. He is subsequently given a decoration of regard for his valorous attempt. It is yet another illustration of Salinger utilizing symbolism to supply felicity in people s lives ( 60 ) .

Many of J.D. Salinger s plants have a pursuit for felicity through controversial agencies. Religion, solitariness and symbolism are used to convey his characters from a bad state of affairs at the beginning of the narrative to a good state of affairs at the terminal of the narrative: felicity. They learn about their lives by traveling through assorted battles, all in the name of felicity. He used faith, solitariness and symbolism as a manner for the characters to understand how gettable felicity is in their life. Salinger was considered controversial during the clip period when he wrote because he was a rebel: independent of any group. He went against society to demo how incorrect he thought it was. He has made the reader see what was incorrect during this clip period in a really different and controversial manner ( Hamilton 32 ) .

Plants Cited

Buddhism Funk & A ; Wagnall s New Encyclopedia ( 1986 erectile dysfunction. ) , 4, 432-433.

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Foskett, S. Bananafish Characters FAQ. Concentric Network. 6 February 2000.

Gallic, Warren. J.D. Salinger. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc, 1963.

Green, Becky S. Biographical Sketch. Pennsylvania University. 7 February 2000.

Hamilton, Ian. In Search of J.D. Salinger. New York: Random House Inc, 1988.

Jones, Bonsey. Biographic Notes: J.D. Salinger. FringeWare, Inc. 7 February 2000.

Zen Funk & A ; Wagnall s New Encyclopedia ( 1986 erectile dysfunction. ) , 28, 146