Group items tagged

Hilda Kirkwood's purpose is to review and talk about the short story called Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger. She explains how Salinger's writing style and techniques add to the overall effect of the short story he wrote. She also touches upon the themes of the story, which I found interesting because it was similar to the themes of the Catcher in the Rye. Kirkwood sets up her criticism in a somewhat organized manner. Her ideas and thoughts are not logically in order, however, they all relate to each other and connect very nicely. The author provides direct quotes from the story to further enhance and help her explanation of the plot and characters. She is able to focus on Salinger's writing style while still be consistent with the specific details from the book. In my opinion I think there is enough evidence to support the author's case. She includes many examples from the story to help support her case on Salinger's techniques as an author. Kirkwood concludes that Salinger is an amazing writer and his writing is unique. Also, the message of Franny and Zooey was to "connect" and somehow the characters weren't able to. Assumptions on the short story may contribute to the author's purpose because the book appeared in the New Yorker, so the author knows the story is worthy writing about. The fact that the author praises Salinger as a writer numerous times throughout the criticism contributes makes the author a little bias. The author is passionate about Salinger's writing style and I can tell simply by her explicit statements on him. I can tell that Kirkwood knows that Salinger is known for writing about being connected because that was his main focus in the Catcher in the Rye.

Argument: Marple argues that there is a similarity between the novels Franny and Zooey and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger. She states that since Salinger already incorporated the theme of innocence in The Catcher in the Rye, then it is inevitable for him to input it in his other novels. Also, Salinger is able to portray innocence and growing up in characters such as Holden and Zooey through their actions and decisions. Evidence: "Franny's quest for purity ties Franny and Zooey to a subterranean theme that underlies most of the work Salinger has published during the last twenty-one years" "There is evident, throughout Salinger's writing, a consistent preoccupation with innocence, a preference for the chaste, complemented by the inability of his adult characters to reconcile physical and spiritual love. It is obvious on a re-examination of Salinger's work that his characters are extremely limited in their choice of sexual expression" "There is certain logic in Salinger's choice of an adolescent protagonist. The chastity of adolescence needs little explanation--idealism will suffice" "What is suggested or hinted at in Salinger's earlier work is full grown in his novel the idealization of the celibate, the chaste, and the innocent" "…it is difficult to see how the avoidance of so obvious a part of human life cannot impede the free flow of Salinger's creative life" Thoughts: Even though the criticism states that "Marple offers a generally positive assessment of Franny and Zooey" she is able to support her ideas through examples and direct quotes. I think she makes some valid points on the theme of innocence found in the two stories and I'll be able to use this criticism as support for my paper. The structure of Marple's argument was organized and coherent with the examples. Overall the criticism is useful and reliable.

J.D. Salingers History directly relates to his historical background. from the age 18 or so he was drafted into WWII and witnessed many a bloody battles including the Battle Of Normandy. connecting to history reveals Seymour Glass, a character of Salinger's who commits suicide, something the war has most likely made him question himself. Throughout he makes connections with his characters on loseing their innocence, growing up toofast etc. All components he himself lived through therefor useing his characters to relay his ideas of society. each character from many of his novels shares like characteristics, the only component that differs from each is their ideas given their setting.

Ron Evans's purpose is to thoroughly explain Holden as a character in Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. The theme of human connection is apparent in his criticism because he states that Holden is in "search for authentic human contact and love" (Evans). The structure of the argument is very organized and coherent with each other. In the beginning of his argument Evans characterized Holden and talks about how he is a "mythic-quest hero". He also describes Holden as a distraught teen on a journey towards self-discovery and realization. Towards the end Evans connects the theme and an element of plot to Salinger's other pieces of work such as Nine Stories and Franny and Zooey. The evidence provided by the author helps his case due to his specific examples and details. Evans uses a few characters from the novel to further enhance his portrayal of Holden. He concludes that Salinger "captured the attention of a generation of readers seeking reassurance during the rough transition from childhood to adulthood" (Evans). His conclusion adds to his bias since he believes The Catcher in the Rye will be read by most young adult readers. Also, the fact that Evans thinks that Salinger influenced an entire generation contributes to his bias and assumptions.

Argument: Salinger's switches between "internal/ external focalization" as a tool to limit the reader from delving into the fictional world of the character.
Claim: The writing creates a sense of urgency for the reader for internal focalization and the opposite for external.

Evidence: "... The Catcher in the Rye: there the use of "internal focalization" puts the reader into Holden Caulfield's mind, creating the impression of a subjective or a "figural" perspective."

Argument: Salinger's greatest struggle has been his search for right living and how to define the right path through his art. Claim: Salinger's characters have a great dissastisfaction with those around them. Evidence: "Salinger's art, especially the later fiction, is an attempt to dramatize his own version of right living. Ultimately his 'silence' becomes the culminating gesture when his life becomes the message, a testament of the values his art hitherto professed. "

Claim:"where his Zen interests coalesced with his emerging themes, where he gave new life to the American short story." Argument: J.D.Salinger reveals what the new American life with the characters and families who chooses to make in his novels. Evidence: "Thornton Wilder published a magazine piece on the declining moral standards of America's youth, and John Cheever, as if to chronicle these uncertain times, published The Enormous Radio and Other Stories--featuring such emblematic titles as "The Season of Divorce," "O City of Broken Dreams," and "Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor." Nine Stories tapped into this ambivalent milieu [(being in a area where there is a positive and negitive feeling towards one person)]: the stories dealt with genius, spiritual integrity, moral corruption, and the occasional ability of innocence to transform our lives."

Argument: The extra-linguistic components of words are used to help define meaning. Claim: The Bible, in example, is now being studied using lexical semantics which focuses on the meaning of an individual word not in context with the surrounding words. This in turn focuses on the semantic, individual meaning, of the word to define the surrounding text instead of the text defining the single word. Evidence: "As such, a word, or combination of words, could, at least in theory, have a different meaning from genre to genre." "We can apply a semantic approach to Scripture and believe that we have understood what God wants us to know." http://www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v5/i1/semantic.asp