《麦田里的守望者》人物分析 蒋乐乐.doc

AN ANALYSIS OF THE TEENAGERS PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT IN THE CATCHER IN THE RYEBy JIANG Leyao AbstractThe youth is crucial stage of a persons whole life. Teenagers personality development is directly relevant to his or her growth, further, it plays a vital role in maintaining social stability. Personality education is one of the most important elements in the development of adolescents. J.D. Slinger was one of the most famous writers in America. His masterpiece is The Catcher in the Rye. This novel follows Holdens experiences in New York City in the days following his expulsion from Pencey. In this novel, Holdens mental activity took place great changes. His personality also changed gradually. In America, Holden Caulfield has great influence. In this thesis, the author will first analyze the change of Holdens mental activity and find out the reasons of Holdens psychological change. At last, the paper will talk about the social significance of teenagers personality education. Key Words: Development, Teenager, Personality, education摘要青年时期对一个人的一生十分关键，青少年的人格发展关系到他们的成长，甚至关系到整个社会的稳定。人格教育是青少年发展中至关重要的一个环节。赛琳格是美国著名的作家之一。麦田里的守望者是他最出名的作品。这部小说讲述了主人公霍尔顿在被学校开除后，在纽约游荡的经历。在故事中,霍尔顿的心理发生了巨大的变化，他的性格也逐渐改变。在美国，主人公霍顿考尔菲德对青少年群体产生了很大影响。在这篇论文中,作者将首先分析霍尔顿的心理活动的变化,找出霍尔顿的变化的原因。最后,本文将讨论青少年的人格教育的社会意义。关键词：发展，青少年，人格，教育ContentsI.Introduction1II.Literature Review22.1 The Brief Introduction to J. D. Salinger22.2 The Brief Introduction to The Catcher In The Rye42.3 The Writing Style of The Catcher In The Rye52.4 A Brief Introduction to Eight Stages of Human-Beings Personality Development7III.The Development of Holdens Personality in The Catcher In The Rye103.1 The Mental Changes of Holden103.1.1 The Transition from Yearning to Loss103.1.2 The Transition from Rebellion to Compromise113.2 An Analysis of the Reasons of Holdens Mental Change143.2.1 The Social Reasons143.2.2 The educational reasons153.2.3 The Lack of Parental Care173.2.4 Fidelity-Identity Vs Role Confusion183.3 The Social Significance of Teenagers Personality Education19IV.Conclusion23References2425I. Introduction Jerome David Salinger was one of the famous writers in America. The Catcher in the Rye was the most influential work of J. D. Slinger. Holden was a 16-year-old high school student. He was born in an affluent middle class family in New York. His parents and teachers forced him to work hard, in order to be a successful man, so as to buy a Cadillac in future. He abhorred everything in school. He was expelled from Pencey School for his bad academic performance. Holden packed up and left this school. He spent three days in New York. These three days were full of loneliness. Holden lived in the dilapidated Edmont Hotel. He stayed at the movie theater to kill time. Gradually he had fallen into bad habits such as smoking and drinking. He often used crude language. But in fact, Holden wanted to escape from the adult word. Finally, this irreconcilable contradiction caused his spiritual collapse and he had to be in a mental hospital. This thesis can be divided into four parts. It the first part, the book and the structure of the whole paper will be introduced. In the part of literature review, J. D. Salinger and one of his masterpieces The Catcher in the Rye and the writing characteristics of The Catcher in the Rye will be introduced, and there is a brief introduction to eight stages of human beings personality development. In the third part, the development of Holdens personality in The Catcher in the Rye will be analyzed and the social significance of teenagers personality education will be discussed. In the last part, a conclusion will be made.II. Literature Review2.1 The Brief Introduction to J. D. SalingerJerome David Salinger was one of the great writers in America. He was born in New York City, on New Years Day, 1919 and grew up in Manhattan, New York. When he was young, Salinger attended public schools on theWest Side of Manhattan. Then in 1932, his family moved toPark Avenue, and Salinger was enrolled at theMcBurney School, a nearby private school. Salinger had trouble fitting at his new school and, he wrote for the school newspaper and performed various roles in school plays. At that, Salinger showed an inherent talent for writing and drama, though his father opposed the idea of J.D.s becoming an actor. Then his parents enrolled him ata military school. Though he had written for the school newspaper at McBurney, Salinger began writing stories at night, with the aid of a flashlight.Salinger was the literary editor of the class yearbook.He graduated in 1936. Salinger started his freshman year atNew York Universityin 1936. He majored in special education but dropped out the following spring. That fall, his father urged him to learn about the business, and he went to work at a company inVienna, Austria.He left Austria one month before it wasannexed by Nazi Germany. In 1939, Salinger attended an evening writing class at Columbia University. In New York, Salinger began to write articles to magazines so as to make a living. Salingers writing was discontinued by World War II. In 1942, he joined the army. Later he wrote many works on war. In 1946, Salinger went back to New York and started writing. His first novel The Catcher in the Rye, published in 1951, was a great success.The novels plot is simple,detailing 16-year-old Holdens experiences in New York City following his expulsion and departure from an elitecollege preparatory school. Not only was he expelled from his current school, he had also been expelled from three previous schools. The book is more notable for the persona voice of itsfirst-person narrator, Holden. He serves as an insightful narratorwho explains on the importance of loyalty, the untruth of adulthood, and his own duplicity. J. D. Slinger has some other famous works. Following The Catcher in the Rey published in 1951, Nine Story was published in 1953, and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters, and Seymour, were published in 1963. All subsequent works published after The Catcher in the Rye are short stories. His last original work was published in 1965.The Catcher in the Rye made Salinger famous throughout the world. But since 1953 for the last few decades, he was a recluse in his New Hampshire home, refusing interview and any other forms of contact with the press and outside. He was writing little, but many people eagerly sought for his presence and his writing. J .D. Slinger is regarded as one of the most important writers in America after the World War .The Catcher in the Rye is the most influential work by J. D. Slinger. Catcher means a position in a baseball team, the player who is stationed behind home plate and who catches the balls that the pitcher throws. The Catcher in the Rye has had remarkable cultural influences, and works inspired by this novel have formed their own writing style. Many writers began to write the similar theme to highlight the dilemma of Holdens state, in between adolescence and adulthood. They emphasized the inner qualities of kids, such as innocence, kindness, spontaneity, and generosity and wished to find those attributes in adults. The influence of Holden is so profound that it can be found nearly in every aspects of American culture, even today. Beyond all doubts, J. D. Slinger had successfully created vivid and realistic image of Holden.2.2 The Brief Introduction to The Catcher In The RyeIt was a story about Holdens quixotic experience in New York, which took place in December 1949. Holden began his story from Pency Prep, a private school. Having been expelled for falling four of his five classes, he went to see Mr. Spencer, his history teacher. Spencer read Holdens history paper loudly, which made Holden irritated. Before he left, he wrote a note to Spencer, so his teacher wouldnt feel bad about his failure in study. Holden returned to his dormitory. He abhorred everything in his dormitory. His dorm neighbor Ackley bullied him. He fought with his roommates Stradlater. Stradlater was going to make a date with Jane Gallagher, a girl he knew several months ago. When Stradlater indicated that he might have had sex with her, Holden became enraged. Holden decided he had had enough of Pency. He left there and return to New York.He decided to stay at the Edmond Hotel. He spent an evening dancing with three women but he was disappointed that they had no interests in communicating and cannot come along together. Holden invited a prostitute named Sunny to visit his room. When Sunny entered the room, Holdens attitude changed. He was full of sympathy for her. When he told her that all he wanted to do is to find someone to talk with, she became annoyed and left. The three days in New York were full of loneliness. Exhausted both physically and mentally, Holden headed home to see his sister, Phoebe. In his mind, Phoebe was the only person with whom he seemed to be able to communicate. He shared a fantasy with Phoebe. He pictured himself as a catcher and saved children. His job was to protect children. In his mind, the catcher in the rye meant to save children from losing their innocence and kindness. When his parents came home, he slipped out and visited his former and much-admired English teacher, Mr. Antolini. Antolini advised Holden to give up his fantasy. When he waked up at right, he realized that the teacher was a homosexual. He left and spent his last afternoon wandering in the city. Holden made the decision that he will go to the west to make a living and be a deaf and dumb people. Phoebe wanted to go with Holden. Holden persuaded her to give up the trip to west. Phoebe felt down. Holden tried to pacify her by taking her to the Central Park Zoo. While watching Phoebe, Holden realized that he couldnt be the catcher in the rye and that he was in need of help. At the end of the story, Holden decided to get rid of the cruel reality. He faked illness to get rid of the harsh reality and lived in a mental hospital, and indicated that hell be attending another school in September. 2.3 The Writing Style of The Catcher In The RyeThis book was written in a first-person narrative style from the point of view of protagonists, Holden Caulfield, following the process of his psychological development. In this way, he could make this story more sincere and profound. J. D. Salinger used a writing style known as stream of consciousness.Stream of consciousness is a narrative device that attempts to give the written equivalence of the characters thought process, either in a loose interior monologue, or in connection to his or her actions. The Catcher in the Rye is not a typical novel in the technique of stream of consciousness. But under the influence of stream of consciousness literature, J. D. Salinger used technique of stream of consciousness to show Holdens inner heart. For example, J. D. Salinger depicted Holdens spiritual changes by means of inner monologue. Interior monologue is a literary attempt to present the mental processes of character before they are formed into regular patterns of speech or logical sequence. In chapter 18, after the movie was over, Holden started walking down to the Wicker Bar, where he was supposed to meet old Carl Luce, and while he walking through the road he thought about war. He expressed his opinions about war. Interior monologue showed Holdens antipathy towards the reality.The language of The Catcher in the Rye was an actual artistic type of informal, colloquial, teenage American spoken speech. J. D. Salinger used a lot of slang in this book. For example, in the chapter 23, Slinger often used vulgar and slangy language. Holden often used “damn” “goddam” “hell”. For example, “I was smoking so damn much.” “I got my goldamn bags at the station.” “Where the hell are ya?” “It was z helluza lot easier getting out if the house than it was getting in, for some reasons.” He lived in the society infected with some unhealthy social tendencies such as smoking, alcohol and using crude language. On the other hand, he felt depressed. He used crude language to express dissatisfaction with society. These descriptions accurately embodied the unbalanced mind of Holden.J. D. Salinger used symbolism to depict the trait of character. Author always used association and correlation to display the mind and philosophy behind things. In The Catcher in the Rye, there are abundant of symbolism. Symbolism aims at revealing the hidden meaning behind phenomenon or objects. Slinger used these symbols to achieve the powerful effect of the novel. An important image in the whole novel was “the red hunter hat”. It was a symbol of uniqueness and individuality, and showed that Holden desires to be different from people around him. He wanted to be an independent person. He wanted to seclude from the society. Holden said he wanted to be a man who was able to protect children from falling off the edge of the cliff by “catching” them if they were on the verge of tumbling over. Catcher was a position in a baseball team of the player who was stationed behind home plate and who caught the balls that the pitcher throws. In fact, Holden wanted to catch children before they lost their inner qualities such as innocence and kindness and gradually came into the adult world. In this book, J.D. Salinger shows his particular creative talent. To some extent, the success of The Catcher in the Rye comes from his revelation of the mentally stress and use of colloquial language to show Holden psychological activity. Beyond any doubt, without those write characteristics, this novel will lose its essential and powerful effect to expose the theme of the novel.2.4 A Brief Introduction to Eight Stages of Human-Beings Personality DevelopmentE.H Erikson is aGerman-bornAmericanpsychologistand psychoanalyst,known for histheory on psychosocial developmentof human beings.He divided the process of human-beings self-consciousness development into eight stages. Eriksons theory of personality provides theoretical basis for different ages education content. Any education error will lead to a persons personality disorders.The development of personality can be divided into eight stages. Stage One: Trust vs. Mistrust (oral-sensory, birth-2years). During this stage, children are absolutely dependent on others. Babies need adequate warmth, touching, love and physical care. Stage Two: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (muscular-anal, 2-4years), overprotective parents may cause Children feel shameful and to doubt their own abilities. Stage three: Initiative vs. Guilt (preschool, 4-5 years) , during this stage, children should be given freedom to play and ask questions. Stage four: Industry vs. Inferiority (latency, 5-12 years). If children are praised for productive activities they will be come more creative. Stage five: Identity vs. Role Confusion (adolescence, 13-19 years). Up to this stage, adolescent is neither a child nor an adult, life is definitely getting more complex as they attempt to find their identity. Grapple with moral issues and struggle with social interactions. When adolescents are unsure of where they are going and who they are, they may feel role confusion. Stage Six: Intimacy vs. Isolation (young adulthood, 20-24, or 20-39 years). Up to this stage, people have ability to care about others and to share experiences with them. Stage Seven：Generativity vs. Stagnation (middle adulthood, 25-64, or 40-64 years). During this stage, people have interests in guiding the next generation. Stage eight: Ego Integrity vs. Despair (late adulthood, 65-death). Integrity developed when people have lived responsibly. When previous life events are viewed with regret they may feel despaired.According to this theory, teenagers growing environment is crucial to adolescent development and help teenagers to create a source of self-awareness and identity. This thesis will use the 5th stage theory to analyze Holdens personality development. Teenagers always ask themselves some questions. Such as who am I, how do I fit in the society? Where am I going in life?Youth is a unique time in persons life. It is a bridge between childhood and adulthood. When teenagers experience the transition from childhood to adulthood, they ponder the roles they will play in the adult word. During this period, teenagers often feel confused. They always imitate adults behavior. If adults allow their children to explore, children will achieve their own identity. However, if adults continually push children to conform to their views, the teens will develop identity confusion. After being expelled from Pencey School Holden was eager to communicate with others. But he was failed to do that. He wanted to be a catcher in the rye. He wanted to be a man who could protect the children from falling off the edge of the cliff. In fact, Holden wanted to catch children before they lost their attributes such as innocence and kindness and came into adult word. Unfortunately, he realized that he cant be a catcher in the rye. When he confronted with confusion no one can help him. Finally, in reality, nobody can understand him and he cannot gain love from his parents and teachers and chose an escaping way to get rid of the reality. III. The Development of Holdens Personality in The Catcher In The Rye3.1 The Mental Changes of HoldenIn this novel, Holdens mentality took place great changes. He was looking forward to a simple and peaceful life. But the society was so cold and cruel that Holdens dream finally disillusioned. Author will analyze Holdens mental changes in this chapter.3.1.1 The Transition from Yearning to Loss At the beginning of this novel Holden was a kind and innocent boy. He went to see Mr. Spencer, his history teacher before he left Pencey. He donated to the