| Term Paper Title | Catcher In The Rye |
| # of Words | 771 |
| # of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) | 3.08 |
Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, should long be remembered as
an American classic. Although some may not consider it one of the most
eloquently written stories of its time, it certainly captures the reader’s
attention. Salinger is able to incorporate philosophical views throughout the
story in terms of Holden’s ethical code; at the same time, he keeps the
reader
entranced with radical turns of events and Holden’s character.
As far as ethics is concerned, Holden has his fair share of bad moral
judgments. He demonstrates a very negative principle when he decides, “...
I’d get the hell out of Pency-right that same night and all. I mean not
wait till
Wednesday or anything. I just didn’t want to hang around any more” (51).
In this simple action, Holden gives himself away as a man of little
reasoning.
He shows that he has no desire to have his life run by authority, so he packs
up his belongings and leaves at will. A second show of disagreeable morals
is presented in the form of Holden’s drinking habit, “I ordered a Scotch
and
soda, which is my favorite drink, next to frozen Daiquiris” (85). Drinking
in
itself does not constitute moral corruption, yet drinking at Holden’s young
age, does. Holden turns to liquor as a scapegoat, and has failed to see the
error in his ways. Although the prior two offenses are large, perhaps the
most
obvious flaw in character for Holden was his intention to entertain a
prostitute, “I kept hoping she’d be good-looking. I didn’t care too
much,
though. I sort of wanted to get it over with” (93). Whereas drinking is
considered deviant only because of Holden’s young age, the purchase of a
prostitute at any age cannot be condoned. For whatever reason, Holden did
not use sound judgment in deciding to engage in the company of a harlot.
Obviously, Holden needs some ethical guidance, but perhaps not all is lost
with him.
Throughout the novel, Holden finds a way to redeem his own
understanding of right and wrong. Though his intentions might have leaned
toward corruption, his final decision reveals a basis for good principles;
“I’ll
pay you and all, but do you mind very much if we don’t do it” (96)? By
rebuking Sunny, the call girl, Holden shows that he can distinguish right
from
wrong. He was able to fall back on his ideals and make a sound judgment.
Once again Holden presents virtuous ethics when he encount...Read entire document
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