eng1501 20ass 202
ENG1501/202/3/2013
Tutorial letter 202/3/2013
FOUNDATIONS IN ENGLISH LITERARY
STUDIES
ENG1501
Department of English Studies
FEEDBACK AND EXAMINATION GUIDELINES
ENG1501/202/3
FEEDBACK ON ASSIGNMENT 02
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Dear student
In this assignment you were asked to find three instances of ‘goodbyes’ that Holden makes in the novel, including the one in the question. You were asked to make notes on these departures, and then to write an essay, using these notes, on Holden’s attitude to loss and goodbyes.
As is the case in most complex novels such as this one, it is not always easy to isolate ‘themes’ and ideas in this way. The ideas of loss and of letting go, of departures and leave takings, run through the whole novel, and are intertwined with other ideas and strands.
If you read the section on the novel in the study guide, as you were instructed to do, you would have learnt that this novel is an example of a Bildungsroman, or ‘a
“coming-of-age” novel. The main character, Holden Caulfield, is moving from a state of “innocence” (in childhood, adolescence) to one of “experience” (in adulthood). The term Bildungsroman denotes a novel of all-around self-development.’ (Study Guide for ENG1501). Reread the section on page 62 dealing with the bildungsroman: you will see in point 2 that ‘To spur the hero or heroine on to their journey, some form of loss or discontent must jar them at an early stage away from the home or family setting’ (p. 62). Holden is at a stage in his life where he realises that growing up means a loss of innocence. What might the loss which has spurred Holden on his journey be?
It can be argued that the greatest loss that Holden has suffered is the death of his brother, Allie. Holden’s inability to come to terms with Allie’s death, to accept the loss, is central to the novel. Instances which underline this include the occasion on which Holden writes about Allie’s baseball mitt when writing an essay for Stradlater
(Chapter
Tutorial letter 202/3/2013
FOUNDATIONS IN ENGLISH LITERARY
STUDIES
ENG1501
Department of English Studies
FEEDBACK AND EXAMINATION GUIDELINES
ENG1501/202/3
FEEDBACK ON ASSIGNMENT 02
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Dear student
In this assignment you were asked to find three instances of ‘goodbyes’ that Holden makes in the novel, including the one in the question. You were asked to make notes on these departures, and then to write an essay, using these notes, on Holden’s attitude to loss and goodbyes.
As is the case in most complex novels such as this one, it is not always easy to isolate ‘themes’ and ideas in this way. The ideas of loss and of letting go, of departures and leave takings, run through the whole novel, and are intertwined with other ideas and strands.
If you read the section on the novel in the study guide, as you were instructed to do, you would have learnt that this novel is an example of a Bildungsroman, or ‘a
“coming-of-age” novel. The main character, Holden Caulfield, is moving from a state of “innocence” (in childhood, adolescence) to one of “experience” (in adulthood). The term Bildungsroman denotes a novel of all-around self-development.’ (Study Guide for ENG1501). Reread the section on page 62 dealing with the bildungsroman: you will see in point 2 that ‘To spur the hero or heroine on to their journey, some form of loss or discontent must jar them at an early stage away from the home or family setting’ (p. 62). Holden is at a stage in his life where he realises that growing up means a loss of innocence. What might the loss which has spurred Holden on his journey be?
It can be argued that the greatest loss that Holden has suffered is the death of his brother, Allie. Holden’s inability to come to terms with Allie’s death, to accept the loss, is central to the novel. Instances which underline this include the occasion on which Holden writes about Allie’s baseball mitt when writing an essay for Stradlater
(Chapter