Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Sexism In Holden Salingers The Catcher In The Rye

â€Å"All of a sudden, this girl came up to me and said, â€Å"Holden Caulfield!† Her name was Lillian Simmons. My brother D.B. used to go around with her for a while. She had very big knockers†(salinger 96). In â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye† Holden is portrayed as a whiny teenager that slacks off on his homework and performs illegal acts such as drinking and purchasing prostitutes. On top of that, another inappropriate characteristic Holden has is being sexist. The book itself is also sexist because of the way the main character thinks about women, the way the main character treats women, and the roles women play in the novel. Though Holden is still a maturing boy that is hyped up on testosterone, he thinks about women too provocatively. Any women she†¦show more content†¦So that I’d tell old D.B. about it†(Salinger 97). So either way she loses in this scenario, either being rude and getting made fun of and sexualized, or being nice and pres umed to just wanting to look good for D.B. and not actually caring. The way Holden introduces Lillian is unfair and gives her a bad wrap throughout the rest of the story. The last idea to keep in mind is the roles the females are given in the book. Mrs. Antolini, for instance, is forced to do all the chores at home. â€Å"Coffee, Gentlemen, finally,† Mrs. Antolini said. She came in carrying this tray with coffee and cakes and stuff on it. â€Å"Holden, don’t you even peek at me. I’m a mess†(Salinger 204). Mr.Antolini makes Mrs. Antolini prepare for Holden’s arrival, even though it is his guest and not hers. And on another occasion Holden gets ahold of not one but two prostitutes. He calls one by phone and gets rejected, the second time however he is offered in person by the elevator boy, Maurice. Holden agrees to purchase her for â€Å"a throw†. To his surprise she was as young as him. â€Å"She was very nervous, for a prostitute. She really was. I think it was because she was young as hell. She was around my age†(Salinger 105). The fact that this book condones prostitution as a social norm is atrocious. It shouldn’t be an option for women to sell their bodies in such a ma nner and this book makes it seem like a common choice women make. Holden did however make fun of D.B. by saying he was aShow MoreRelatedThe Role Of Women In Catcher In The Rye1013 Words   |  5 Pagesbackground for your question. My research question is: To what extent does J.D Salinger’s novel Catcher in the Rye explore the range of female potentiality in society through Holden’s interactions, thoughts and comments regarding women. This question is still in progress as I am not sure it can successfully reach and essay of 4000 words. Nevertheless, this is the topic I want to base myself around. Catcher in the Rye is a novel that every sophomore had to read as part of their curriculum. This novel

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