Abstract

The Catcher in the Rye is not only a representative of the “Beat Generation”, but also a masterpiece about the teenager’s growing pains. This thesis tries to explore into Holden’s tragedy from the aspects of his rebellion, and his revolt against the phony world. With the aim to reveal that external elements are of great importance to his personality. It also moves the plot forward.

Key words: Holden, tragedy, environment, family, school, society

摘要

麦田里的守望者不仅是垮掉了的一代的代表作，也是一本反映当代青少年成长烦恼的杰作。本文试图透过主人公霍尔顿的叛逆行为，还有他对这个“假模假式”的社会的反抗来探讨他的悲剧结局。以图达到阐述外因对于塑造人物性格起到重要作用，同时也推动了情节的发展。

关键词：霍尔顿；悲剧；环境；家庭；学校；社会

1.    Introduction
     Jerome David Salinger, who was born in New York City in 1919, and died in 2010, held a central place in American literature for about fifteen years after World War II. Salinger grew up in a rich Jewish family. He was sent to study in a military school in Pennsylvania when he was only fifteen. Then he graduated from it in 1936 and obtained the only diploma in his life. He was urged by his father to learn about the meat-importing business in 1937 but soon gave up. He had served as a soldier from 1942 to 1946. No matter in his school or during the war, Salinger never gave up writing. He was good at shaping images of the precocious and excellent teenagers. After the success of The Catcher in the Rye, he became more dissociable, and lived a reclusive life. After 1951, he even seldom published his works. His grotesque personality and private life had once aroused strongly curiosity of people at that time. 
     The masterpiece, The Catcher in the Rye, written in the voice of the disillusioned American teenagers, made Jerome David Salinger indispensable in the modern literature. Apart from plenty of short fictions, like Nine Stories (1953), Franny and Zooey (1961), Raise High the Roof Beam, and Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963), The Catcher in the Rye (1952) is Salinger’s only full-length novel, which reflected many events from his early life.