Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye focuses on societies acceptance. Holden Caufield attends Pencey, a prestigious school with very high expectations. At Pencey, Holden is excluded by classmates, and frowned upon by the faculty. He sometimes separates himself from his peer group by not becoming involved in school activities. Although Holden participates on the fencing team as the equipment manager, he makes a point to not fit in by losing the equipment. Holden shows that he does not fit in, and does not want to. At the very beginning of the story Holden is expelled from Pencey for not meeting their academic expectations. As he reflects on his final day at Pencey, he says "They kicked me out. I was flunking four subjects and was not applying myself at all. They gave me frequent warnings to start applying myself but I didn't do it." (4).
New York City is where Holden ends up after Pencey. Even in New York, Holden feels singled out and ostracized. In a hotel he was staying at, he ran into a pimp who offered him a prostitute for five dollars. Holden accepts, but the next morning the pimp confronts him and tells him he did not pay enough. After a scuffle, in which Holden is injured he leaves the hotel. He feels as if he cannot go to another hotel for fear the same thing will happen. He says "I had no place to go. It as only Sunday and I couldn't go home till Wednesday-or Tuesday at the soonest. And I certainly didn't feel like going to another hotel and getting my brains beat out" (106-107) This shows how very vulnerable Holden is. He does not want to go back home, because he does not belong there at the moment, so he stays in New York.
Holden needs the support of the world around him. He came from a generation that could not find their identity, and a society that left people with so little choice that they became bitter and angry much like Holden. Holden's lack of guidance by his parents" leaves him to turn to the society he lives in, yet he cannot fit in, because society is not a good teacher.
The Road to Acceptance "I could get a job at the filling station somewhere, putting gas and oil in people's cars. ... The novel is about Holden's "Odyssey" through New York in search of his true self and acceptance from society. ... He is someone that desperately needs love and acceptance from people for being who he is. ... He thinks "the society neglects me? Then I"ll reject society." ...
As sick and superficial as it may sound, appearance plays a large role in your acceptance into society. A beautiful or handsome individual is taken under the wing of society, despite the real person that may lurk below the skin. ... The character Safie is a prime example of acceptance based on appearance. ... This is because society embraces the beautiful. ... Acceptance is reached only after confrontation, and this is one theme raised by this novel. ...
Fat People and Their Acceptance into Today's Society With nearly twenty percent of the U.S. population falling into the category of obesity, is this country being faced with a widely spread epidemic? Or are those individuals just another facet of American society? Some see overeating as a disease that has plagued our society with no hope of being cured any time soon, while others see it as another aspect of American culture. Authors Greg Crister, Mary Ray Worley, and Hillel Schwartz touch upon these topics in their works, "Too Much of a Good Thing," "Fat and Happy: In Defense of Fat A...
Acceptance Homosexuality in our society today has become more openly widespread than ever, yet many still view it as something new and strange. ... So, why does society put an emphasis on homosexuality as being "dirty" or "evil"? ... If one admits that one is a racist society condemns he or she; however, a fear or dislike of homosexuals seems to break a common ground for most heterosexuals in our society. ...
Keywords: Technology Acceptance Model; cross-cultural studies; E-Mail; IT acceptance; IT diffusion; IT adoption; IT use 1. ... TAM was derived from TRA to model user acceptance of IT. TAM posits that perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease-of-use (PEOU) affect the acceptance and use of IT. ... [Table 2 about here] Effect of Uncertainty Avoidance on Technology Acceptance Hofstede defines uncertainty avoidance as: "the degree to which members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity" [16]. ... Effect of Other Cultural Dimensions on Technology Acceptance The...
Society even goes as far as make them look funny or strange in the eyes of others for not having found someone. ... But society goes out of there way to make it apparent that not being with someone is wrong. ... It's what is expected of you and so it becomes a taboo in American society to remain single. ... Is this conflicting situation built upon society just a product of misconstructions? ... Because of its deep embedded ness with our social structures, society has been able to play wit...
In the contemporary world, the foundation of an ideal society is love between the people that live in it, as it plays a tremendous and inescapable role in the cohesion of an ideal society. ... This essay will examine the roles that love plays in the modern society. ... Love enhances acceptance of a person in the community. ... The influence of love is a vast, as well as sufficient force with respect to society; the ideal society is one which is governed by the power of love. ... Love is one of the most-significant aspects that exist in our society. ...
Women found their organization of hope when the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance was found in 1969. ... Discrimination is a priority for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. ... It basically provides the facts for obese people in our society. ... If their more groups like these more women will feel acceptance among their communities. ... I am just pleased that the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance has had much success with all of its members. ...