The Catcher In The Rye--Escape & Quest In The Modern Wasteland

Escape and quest are traditional themes in Western literature. As the cherished themes in American literature, actually the birth and development of the American people are closely associated with these two themes. Early American forefathers came to America not only for the sake of escape from religious persecution but also for the purpose of a quest for the Garden of Eden in their dreams. It's no exaggeration that from its very birth to the present day American literature has recorded the stories of escape and quest.More than 30 years after its publication, J. D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye has been considered as one of the two "modern classics" in contemporary American literature in American literary circles. The novel profoundly reveals the senses of alienation and loneliness through Holden Caulfield's roaming in New York after expulsion from Pencey Prep. Holden is disgusted with the indifference, fraud and phoniness among his fellow students, thus he goes to wander alone in New York, only to find out that society is even more vulgar, obscene and decadent. He feels extremely depressed. Finally his kid sister Phoebe's love and a vague sense of life help him escape from the abyss of desperation. In a broad sense, the theme of this novel is about the difficulty of growing to maturity, the lonely and arduous trek from innocence to experience, and from adolescence to adulthood.Since the Renaissance, the spiritual pillar of the Western countries—the Christianity has been challenged by increasingly developing modern science and technology. In the late 19th century, the collapse of traditional Christian values resulted in a universal spiritual crisis. Humans can't achieve meaningful communication with each other. And there is no way for men to dispel depression and distress. The result is that many humans live an abundant but unhappy life, the alienation among them gradually deepens, so they suffer from the torments of loneliness and estrangement in this prosperous "wasteland". Holden is unwilling to swim with the tide, that is, he doesn't want to lead a vulgar life. He is not only a poignant escapist but also a staunch seeker. This thesis highlights his escape and quest in the modern "wasteland". He escapes from modern civilization, an obscene but good society and a world of alienation. Holden quests for self-identity, meaningful communication, a martyr's pilgrimage, going back to nature and innocence and love. To a certain degree, children'sinnocent and simple nature gives him warmth and strength, but he eventually realizes that innocent and na?ve childhood is brief and transient, and all his efforts to keep children from growing up are futile and it's inevitable for children to fall off "cliff". Finally he accepts reality and reconciles himself to the phony world by resorting to his compassion and love for humans.From the perspective of social significance, this novel also touches upon the most important and sensitive social problem in China. That is how to deal with spiritual crisis in this new era. Like Holden, many adolescents, even some adults, are now facing the grim problems of growing mature and maintaining a sound soul. Holden's escape and quest may give us enlightenment, that is, we must believe in the existence of all virtues like true love, purity and the spirit of sacrifice, we must cherish our love for nature and humans, we must face life and reality, we must have a strong belief in life and dauntlessly meet all challenges. Therefore we may transcend puzzlement and loss, achieve a sound soul and maintain psychological equilibrium.By adopting the approaches of cultural studies, historical studies, existentialism and other literary criticism. This thesis is focused on the text of the novel analyzing Holden's escape from the modern wasteland and quest for what he cherishes.