The catcher and the rye

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 10th grade February 2008

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Explain how the minor characters are important to the plot.

In the book The Catcher in the Rye, there are four minor characters that are important to the plot. They are Robert Ackley, Holden Caulfield's parents, and Holden's sister Phoebe. Ackley was Holden's roommate at Pency until Holden got kicked out for bad grades. He reflects on Ackley throughout the story and when he does he remembers how Ackley sat in his room and pops his pimples, when he thought about this it made Holden depressed. Holden dreaded to see his parents since he got kicked out of Pency, but that didn't stop him from seeing his kid sister Phoebe. Holden's sister Phoebe made him very happy when he talked with her and he needed someone nice to talk with at that time. All of these minor characters evoke certain emotions in Holden; some of them good and some of them are bad.

Write a book review of the book. Use literary terms as you write your review. Be sure to use specific examples and/or quotations from the book.

This piece of literature is in the realistic fiction genre. It dealt with person vs. person and person vs. self. An example of a person vs. person conflict is when, Holden have deal with a man named Maurice and he was a bellboy and a pimp. When Holden ordered a prostitute he did nothing with her except talk with her. Holden paid her the money Maurice told him in the deal but she insisted that he didn't pay her enough. So the prostitute gets Maurice and he beats Holden up and takes the money he "owed" him. An example of a person vs. self conflict is, during the story the protagonist Holden finds himself getting torn apart by his abuse of cigarettes and drinking alcohol. The book was intended to reach out to its readers by setting up the main character as an universal person that almost everyone could relate to.

I liked this book because the author made the protagonist a universal character that almost everyone can relate to. I would recommend this book to male readers above the age 13 because of the profanity and vulgarity. On a scale of one to ten, I rate this book a 10.