The Story of My Paper: It is Finished

Where, oh, where to begin? This whole paper grew out of an idea that I conjured up while speaking with Professor Burton during our midterm interviews. I was just thinking about what I could possibly write about and the idea popped into my head to start looking at the Modernists. I had always liked them, but I had never analyzed a specific work in detail apart from a few poems and movements. So, from there grew a desire to analyze a novel from, or around, the Modernist era.

I started asking a few questions about the Modernists in a post dedicated to the greatest Modernist writers. I wanted to know more about Hemingway, Eliot and Fitzgerald. I was encouraged by the feedback that I received from Professor Burton and the possibilities for my future paper. After reading various works by the aforementioned authors and studying the Modernist movement a little more in depth, I settled on five potential thesis statements.

Final Paper

Here is my final paper! Enjoy :)

Playing the Devil's Advocate: A Defense of Holden Caulfield

The first half of the twentieth century was marred by the chaos and conflict of the World Wars that tore at the fibers of human morality. Much of the literature of the time mirrored society’s feelings of alienation and disenfranchisement. However, while the juvenile nature and colorful language of JD Salinger’s novel “The Catcher in the Rye” create a tone of alienation, they conceal an underlying theme of Holden Caulfield’s basic desire to find meaning in human connection, faith and spirituality.