Adolescence

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE  by J.D. Salinger

The Catcher in the rye is a novel written by J.D. Salinger (1919-2010) and published in 1951.

The novel is about Holden Caulfield, a teenager who is both the narrator and the protagonist.

All the events took place in two days in which he moves to New York after being expelled from Pencey, a private school. He is supposed to be back home for Christmas holidays on Tuesday but he decides to loaf around NYC until his parents receive the news of his expulsion.

When he arrives in NY, he books a room in a hotel and after spending all night in some clubs, he is scammed by a prostitute and her ‘sugar daddy’, Maurice. The day after, because he feels alone, he calls his friend Sally to enjoy the afternoon with her and later calles another friend, Carl Luce, to spend the evening with him. At the end of the day, Holden still feels deeply alone and because of that, he decides to go home and see his sister Phoebe, who is the only one who can understand his loneliness. After confiding in her about his feelings, he goes to the house of his teacher, Mr Antolini, where he lives an embarrassing situation, so he leaves  and sleeps in a station. The last day he decides to leave NY so he meets his sister again to say goodbye, but she persuades him to stay. In the last chapter, he tells us he is in a sanatorium from where he’s writing the novel.

Why such a title? The answer is in the chapter twenty-two, when he talks to his sister Phoebe: in this chapter we can find references to a famous Scottish song by Robert Burns. The original song is:

Gin a body meet a body

Coming through the rye;

Gin a body kiss a body,

Need a body cry?

But when Holden tells his sister about this song, he mistakes the words and says:

If a body catch a body

coming through the rye;

Thinking about these words he images a lot of children playing in a field of rye near a cliff; every time someone comes close to the cliff and fall off, Holden would be down there to catch them. He wants to be the catcher in the rye who saves those children.

The title is one of the best examples of the crisis of adolescence, one of the main themes of the novel.
Holden is a teenager who, observing the adults’ world, doesn’t want to grow up and be part of it (that is what we usually call “Peter Pan syndrome”), because he can’t stand its “phoniness”. That’s why he leaves in his own “little universe”, made of illusions and dreams and describes it in an ironical way. The word “phoniness” is often used by the protagonist to describe the hypocrisy and  corruption of the adult’s word.

Another important topic covered by Salinger is Holden’s alienation. It could be read as if he feels different and superior, but this is just a way he uses to protect himself and maintain the stability of his life (the hunting hut he always wears is a symbol of self protection).

The hunting hut is a symbol as much important as the the ducks in the central park lagoon and the museum of natural history. The ducks symbolise the curiosity of youth. In fact Holden wonders where the ducks go in the winter, while the second one expresses the surprise that only an adolescent can feel when visiting it.

This book, which is a ‘cult’ of the 60’s , could be considered as an atypical ‘bildungsroman’.  The protagonist doesn’t want to face the growth process. It is written in a very original narrative style: a colloquial language characterized by cut sentences and bad words to express Holden’s spontaneity and a urban slang which reflects the protagonist’s age and shows us his attitude to the world.

This is one of the best novels to understand how difficult could be to become an adult, and how an adolescent might be scared by his future. It shouldn’t be a reading only for young people but also for adults, who usually forget how it was to be a teenager.

Biolchini Martina
Cozza Giulia
Russo Federico
Russo Simona
Sacco Giuseppina

Dystopia

Book Review – Animal Farm by George Orwell

Suppose that the animals of a farm revolt against their owner? How would it be? And why?

In this political allegory (or beast fable?), Orwell brilliantly highlights how a revolution can degenerate into a totalitarian regime. The animals are fed up with their poor life conditions, therefore, inspired by the wise pork Old Major, decide to overthrow the farmer and start to govern themselves. Old Major, with his great oratory skills, tries to sway all the animals in the farm that the farm owner is their enemy and he is the reason of their bad living condition due to animals’ exploitation. But some porks, that become the leaders of the revolution after Old Major’s death, hold the power with physical strength, exploit and manipulate other animals through propaganda and the animals' ignorance.

Napoleon perfectly embodies the degeneration of the rebellion: at the beginning it seems to follow the Seven Commandments, approve Animalism and the revolution, but soon after he establishes a totalitarian and authoritarian regime, killing one of his supporters, Snowball. Also Squealer and the dogs will play a crucial role: the dogs protect the figure of Napoleon and strike terror to anyone who questions his decisions; Squealer’s task is to convince all the animals that “Napoleon is always right”, manipulating historical events of the farm and changing the Commandments in order to maintain and reinforce the regime’s power.

It’s evident the reference to the Russian Revolution of 1917: for instance the philosophy created by the pigs called Animalism has to be compared to communism, Napoleon embodies Stalin, Snowball Trotskji, Old Major resembles Lenin, while Boxer is Stakanov. But in the end nothing will change for the better as the animals hoped.  

This compelling book is a dystopian novel because it presents the worst of the possible worlds. Animal Farm is interesting and captivating, moreover makes the reader think about the origins and the development of totalitarianism. In fact, although by a superficial reading it may seem a simple tale because the characters are animals and the language is easy to understand,  it actually has a deeper meaning: it's a passionate attack to greed, corruption and selfishness which ruin the good aims of freedom and equality after a revolution.

It is a dystopia but it looks real!

Adamo Mario, Bilotta Emilia, 

De Munno Melania, Feraco Livia,

 Lovati Francesca, Madrigrano Rossella, 

Sicilia Martina, Venneri Ludovica

A break with the past

Book Review -  Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

A break with the past, ‘Mrs Dalloway’ by Virginia Woolf, is a modern novel set in just one day of June 1923.

It reflects the society during the first postwar period and it is one of the best examples of a new technique: the ‘stream of consciousness’, also used by James Joyce in his ‘Ulysses’.

An upper class society hostess, Clarissa Dalloway is giving a party at her house. Her destiny crosses paths with Septimus Warren Smith, a veteran of World War I who saw his best friend dying and now suffering from depression that will draw him towards suicide. The reader will assist Clarissa’s long day while she is giving the party and Septimus’s tragedy at the same time.  

Let me suggest you to read this classical novel for the following reasons :

² Originality of the plot;

² Humour and wit;

² A genuine prose;

² Careful description of modern society;

² Feminism;

² The disclosure of the characters’ thoughts;

² A well mixed range of feelings, from despair to happiness;

² An interesting psychological development;

² Brevity.

‘Mrs Dalloway’ will leave you with a true sense of warmth and life worthy living!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Chiara De Stefano