Friday, 16 December 2016

What elements of setting are symbolic?

In the book The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, he uses lots of symbolism to take the character and reader back to an important time in their life or to inform the reader why it's significant to them. In the book, he uses referring to the setting when he went on his date to the Radio Music City Hall and when he goes and visits Phoebe.

What is symbolic about Holden going to the Radio City Music Hall is that he hates and despises it because he thinks that the Rockettes are all phonies and are trying to manipulate the audience This occurs because Holden's arrogance takes over and thinks that he is always right so he dislikes them and has no respect for the art. This is symbolic because it reveals Holden's truth about what he thinks about the stage arts and demonstrates his lack of care for "phonies" who are trying to "manipulate" the audience.

Another element of a symbolic setting is when he leaves they city and goes to his house to see Pheobe to pay her some money. When he goes there he is first anxious about seeing his whole family but, tries to be only focused on seeing Phoebe because she is the only one awake and his parents would have realized that he was out of school. This is a symbolic setting for Holden because it is an emotional moment for both of them because it is the first time they have seen one another in months.  Lastly, it is symbolic because it shows that he is rejoicing with his sister and is shows him telling the truth to Phoebe that he dropped out of school.


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