What are the major conflicts in The Catcher in the Rye?

Answer 1

The Catcher in the Rye is about a week or two that the main character; Holden Caufield spends figuring out his life in a deep but humerous way, after he is kicked out of Princeton school. He waits out the time gap between the time he gets kicked out and the time he goes home because he ashamed of what his parents will think, as this is not the first school he has been kicked out of.

He goes to crazy hotels and nightclubs, goes on dates with old friends, and finally sees his sister, who opens his eyes to the world he is missing out on.

His cynical views and extreamly frank outook on life are deep, but funny, and will touch any person who reads his brief memoir; The Catcher in the Rye.

This is one of my favorite books, and it never gets old. If get it or if you don't, you will still love it. This is an amazing book and makes you long to just live in the moment, I strongly encourage you to read it.

Answer 2

Since The Catcher in the Rye is a work of literature, and because J.D. Salinger never explicitly stated them, the themes of the novel can only be derived through speculation and interpretation. However, most people agree on certain themes:

1. Teen angst - the protagonist of the novel, Holden Caulfield, is caught in a transitional period, somewhere between a teenager and an adult. He is frustrated with the institutions (primarily, schools) that are maintained by the adult world and is fed up with the responsibilities he has, but at the same time, he enjoys the privileges of being an adult.
2. Childhood (particularly, childhood innocence) vs. adulthood - Holden often mentions his hatred of the phoniness that adults carry with them, and appreciates the straightforwardness of children; there are several other comparisons that can be drawn. Holden is also mindful of maintaining childhood innocence (his own, and that of others); he erases the obscenity in the schoolyard in order to protect the children, and he wishes he could be a "catcher in the rye" and save children from falling.
3. Preservation of time and life - Holden wishes he could pause time, just like the museums are able to perfectly preserve the exhibits.

Answer 3

Holden vs. Himself: In general, Holden has a difficult time dealing with everyday life due to his internal conflict. His thoughts almost seem to be working against him because he cannot cope with reality. Slowly, Holden is becoming less capable to function within society because his constant references to his childhood. Holden is not comfortable with the present; therefore referring to it negatively. In order to justify his own actions and "phoniness", Holden feels it necessary to accuse everyone and everything he comes across as being phony. By doing this, he is distracting himself from his own flaws. As a prisoner in his own mind, Holden is also becoming less capable to cope with life and the transition into adulthood. Holden vs. Society Holden is unable to relate to other characters in the novel. Phoebe seems to be the only person that Holden feels he can relate with, this may be because she is still young and has yet to enter the adult world. Holden wants to hold on to his childhood, yet he strives to fit in as part of what he perceives as the adult world (ordering drinks at the bar, attempting to start conversations about sex with Luce). He tries to shield the people he knows from the real world and encourages them to stay as they are and hold on to their innocence. He believes the [adult] world is full of "phonies".

Answer 4

The theme for "The Catcher in the Rye" is the personal struggle between conformity and individuality, between selling out and staying true to yourself and your beliefs. As Spence tells Holden at the start of the book, "Life is a game that has to be played by the rules." Holden's conflicts result from his unwillingness to conform to the accepted social norms; eventually, this struggle proves too much and leads to his breakdown.

Answer 5

There are several themes to J.D.Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye":

• Relationships with women
• Holden's mental state
• Growing up/coming of age (this type of novel is known as a bildungsroman)
• Alienation from society
• Teenage identity and discovering one's place
• Living in the past

Answer 6

The moral of the catcher in the rye was that even though you may have problems or be depressed don't run away form them. You should stay and fix them

Answer 7

person vs himself and person vs society