What themes are shown throughout the book?
Different themes shown throughout the book are rebellion, depression, and the painfulness of having to grow up. The themes describe different ways that Holden feels and expresses his feelings towards everything. "the best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was." (Salinger, 135). The quote helps explain the theme of painfulness of having to grow up because Holden begins to talk about the museum and how everything remains the same. The quote and theme relate because Holden wanted everything to remain the same like everything in the museum did, he didn't want to grow up and become an adult.
What does holden express throughout the book that shows what many people were feeling or going through at the time?
Holden expresses his rebellion throughout the book, what many other people wanted to do but didn't because they had to stick to what they were told and followed what was expected from them in society. They weren't able to speak their mind or express how they felt about certain topics because it would be considered inappropriate. So many people during the time period felt like they could relate. "Everybody was on their way to the movies-the paramount or the Astor or the strand or the capital or one of those crazy places. Everybody was all dressed up, because it was Sunday, and that made it worse... i couldn't stand looking at them." Salinger, 129). The quote helps explain how everyone was so used to doing the same thing everyday. He found the people as phonies, Holden was usually confused and liked to question everything. He felt the need to question everything when he felt like he didn't belong in a specific place or group, and or just didn't agree with it. People felt like they were able to relate with him because Holden expressed everything they couldn't do.
How is Holden's attitude different than whats expected from society during the cold war?
Holden's considered a rebellion during the time of the cold war because at the time people wanted to believe that society after ww2 was perfect and people growing up at this time had to do as they were told and not be able to express themselves. This restrictive society was the beginning of a cultural revolution and Holden was not accepted into that society. He was a teenager that constantly cursed, rejected the values of his parents and society. People related to Holden during that time because he would always talk about what was wrong with the world they lived in, and how he was a victim from the crapy world they lived in. He has no power in controlling what happens in his life so it makes him feel angry and also depressed as he sees what it is to be an adult in the world. "Singing "if a body catch a body coming through the rye." It made me feel better. It made me feel not so depressed anymore." ( Salinger, 129). Holden wanted to be the catcher in the rye because when you grow up your perspective on things change and holden wants to remain as a child or innocent. He doesn't want kids to go through the same problems he went through so he feels the need to criticize everything.
The different themes shown throughout the catcher in the rye that relate to the cold war are the drug and alcohol abuse, painfulness of growing up, rebellion, and depression. The themes help represent what many people in the 1950's were going through at the time because of the main character Holden. The themes help explain how people would feel and what they struggled with during the cold war and how they would react or do certain things at the time. For example many people were able to relate with the book, the social values that were within it. Holden is a teenager that tries to abuse alcohol every chance he gets, it shows that everything that affected people at the time also affected teenagers and he also wanted to do what he wanted. He tries to drink and gets drunk in the book but once he's drunk he overthinks everything and tries to fix the problems he's caused. Also the people he had hurt, but since he over thinks everything it makes him more depressed because he realizes that he has no control over what happens to him. Many of the readers realize that they are in the same position as him and don't feel like they are prepared for the real world.