With Love And Squalor

The critical circle put much attention on The Catcher in the Rye.This dissertation aims to include all Salinger's published novels,novelettes and short stories,and to reveal literary thoughts on ‘love' and ‘squalor' through a close study of characters' relationships.This dissertation starts from the short story For Esmé-with Love and Squalor and discusses the meaning of ‘love' and ‘squalor' in Salinger's literary system.The two patterns of confrontation and guidance of character relation are thoroughly analyzed.And the reason why characters suffer and experience estrangement is revealed by character analysis,which is misunderstanding and disrespect,and alienation from others due to selfcentered egoism as well.Following with the exploration of Salinger's solution to the dilemma – rebuild relationship to the others with love,decrease the attention to the inner self,and try to find the balance of life through the understanding of whole in the eye of Zen Buddhism.Moreover,the influence of Salinger's work on the readers is analyzed,bringing out the effect of the social identification and self-healing.Last but not least,the dissertation straightens out some fierce critics to Salinger's stories,comments objectively on his later writings,and points out the meaning of ‘love' and ‘squalor' in J.D.Salinger's works.