Elements of the generation writings in J. D. salinger's The catcher in the Rye

Abstract

This thesis explores the elements of the Beat Generation's writings in J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. The novel articulates a protagonist, Holden Caufield, who is laminating upon the bygone days and has no sense of urgency in rectifying his mistakes. He is absorbed in lustfulness and maddened with modern desires including boozing, squandering, and strolling. On the one hand, the protagonist resembles American standardization and on the other hand, he rejects the social convention by redefining sexuality, religion, and philosophy which is similar to the aspirations of the Beat Generation which was booming during the context of the novel. In this connection, this study focuses on four specific questions: Why does the protagonist stand in liminal space? What purpose does the novel serve in igniting the Beat Generation's writing? How does J. D. Salinger imbue the aspiration of the Beat Generation and in doing so, how does he challenge American standardization? To these questions, the research embodies the new historicist perspective, especially dealing with Stephen Greenblatt’s notion of new historicism or cultural , and argues that Salinger’s protagonist is neither an absolute representation of Americans nor an active activist of the Beat Generation. He gives double exposition, the dark reality of American culture, and the result of American standardization. The study claims that Salinger has adopted the elements of the Beat Generation writings that include sexuality, religion/philosophy, and economy not only to show his alignment with the movement but also to illuminate the unprecedented desensitization of Americanness that impuissant the present, unavailing the sterile future of the American culture. Keywords: Americanness, liminal space, transition, brutality, sterilization