Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

1. My experience of reading Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger was  not what I imagined, for example I thought it would be about something more than just about a whiney immature kid. The main character Holden Caufield, is a sixteen year old, troubled minded, inadequate boy. The book starts off where Holden just came back from a hockey tournament, its the big football game for his school Pencey. Although, for Holden he sees it as a penitentiary. He’s not in the grasp of the boarding school, he lacks in all of his subjects except literature. Literature happens to be his strong point, for his motivation of his brother D.B, who is World War II veteran and a Hollywood writer. Holden is a distressed child ever since his younger brother Allie died of cancer, when Allie left so Holden’s soul. Although a little bit of hope stays inside of Holden because of his dear little sister Phoebe which means in Greek “sunshine.” Yet, for Holden he has been very homesick, missing only his sister. Throughout the book, he struggles in the big apple trying hard to live on his way without any help from others. In the end, he gives up and goes back home, his only sanctuary. 
2. In one little section of the book, Holden comes across two nuns who are sitting next to him in a diner at the Grand Central Train Station. They somehow struck up a conversation in which one of the nuns informs him that she is an English teacher. He tells her that his favorite subject is English, and their conversation got intertwined about the topic of Romeo and Juliet. He exclaims that he doesn’t like certain aspects of the book Romeo and Juliet. The one character that really called out to him, was Mercutio. Upon taking my freshmen year, I learned that, Mercutio was Romeo’s former friend who was a very neutral character throughout the book. That is until his unfortunate death, that was indirectly caused by the conflict of the Capulets and the Montagues. Holden however felt related to this character, because he felt a connection to Mercutio’s tragic ending. The way Holden saw him relating to himself, was he feels that even being neutral towards other people’s conflicts, he’s the innocent one being affected. 
3. On page 115, I read something that caught my eye in which I believed is symbolism to the title of the book. “ I got up closer so I could hear what he was singing. He was singing that song, “If a body catch a body coming through the rye.” It made me feel better. It made me feel not so depressed anymore.” Later in the book, as Holden came home to Phoebe she found out he was expelled from school. She became worried and upset, at one point she shouted at him what he’d do for a living? His answer “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in the big field of the rye and all. Thousands of little kids and nobody’s around-nobody big, I mean-except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff-I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.” My question before I ever read the book was “why on earth is called catcher in the rye?” This paragraph explains it all, for it is a symbolism of him wanting to be a child’s savior. 
4. In my opinion, my favorite character is Phoebe Caufield, Holden’s little sister. To Holden, Phoebe was the center of his world. Everything he did was for her, to him Phoebe was his only happiness. When he couldn’t take living in New York City anymore as a grown man, he went back home to see her. Phoebe could tell that something wrong, considering he was home early, she found out that he was expelled and was hurt. Phoebe to me, was everything Holden said she was. A smart, mature, and lovely girl. She seems to understand Holden better then anyone, although towards the end of the book she wanted to be part of Holden’s plan to go to Colorado. Holden told her no and as furious she was she stormed off. Knowing she would follow him, he walked to the zoo where there they made up and he told her he wasn’t going anywhere. The second to last chapter ending took place where Holden and Phoebe are at the carousel, as he watched his little sister take off on a bright colored horse he says to himself “the thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall of, they fall of, but it’s bad if you say anything to them.” This was a symbolize for realizing that you have let children grow up on their own and you can’t stop corruption from inflicting them. 
5. Overall, my experience of this book in which I believe was a troubled teenager bible for those who felt just as depressed as Holden Caufield felt throughout life. Catcher in the Rye was a symbolic book showing that even an average or for this matter a rich kid can even be unhappy too. Sometimes as I was reading this book, many parts stuck out to me and I ask myself “what does this have to do with anything?” Later in the book it begins to slowly explain and answer all my questions. This young kid thinks he’s an adult but in reality he’s just a lonesome mental child. He’s stuck in his past, where every little thing he witnesses seems to depress him. Sometime in the book he catches up with an old friend who happens to have a dad that is a psychoanalyst. In the last chapter he hints to the fact that he is sick and is currently in a mental asylum. 

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

1. The Crucible by Arthur Miller was a very interesting piece to read. The Crucible is about a small town Salem in Massachusetts in which they convicted witchcraft trials. Those who didn’t confess were to be hanged, those who did confess were to spend their lives in jail. It was very overwhelming to read. It took my breath away to read how these trials were based on people’s opinion. The girls that were accusing other people of witchcraft had the judges in the palm of their hands. Making them believe every word they say, including the leader of them all Abigail Williams. Niece of Reverend Parris who is to believe in them for the sickness of his daughter Betty. I believe that these girls who were caught doing witchcraft didn’t want to be the ones accused, so they blamed other innocent people, so that they may not be convicted of witchcraft. It lead so far for them to accuse people they did not like, for example Abigail Williams accused Elizabeth Proctor for moving her to the high road. Abigail wanted John Proctor to herself, yet he wouldn’t give up himself for her. He was then put to jail for witchcraft and later hanged. He could have confessed and lived another day. Yet, his heart was determined and so was his faith, that he did no such thing. He was hanged that day, and was known for an innocent man. In the end after all the hanging of those poor people, Abigail disappeared with the money of Reverend Parris so that she may never get caught of her tied up lies. 
2. The film version of The Crucible had some differences and similarities. In the beginning of the movie it showed the actual witchcraft taking place by the young girls and Tituba, as for the reading in the beginning took place where Reverend Parris is praying beside his daughter Betty as she sleeps. Another difference, in the film when John Proctor arrives to Reverends house, he sees Abigail. He goes back to his horse to get ready to leave, yet she stops him, kisses him, and confesses her love. In the reading, Proctor was alone in the room where Betty sleeps with Abigail confessing her love, then he witnesses as Betty rises and speaks. In my honest opinion, I believe the most important difference was the ending to the film, as Rebecca, Martha, and John were being hanged they were reciting the Our Father. As for the reading, it ended on the note of Elizabeth watching her husband do the right thing and not confess.  
3. The Crucible was to believe that it was showing a connection to the McCarthy’s Campaign. In the 1940s-1950s a young senator name Joseph McCarthy made a “public accusation of card-carrying communists had infiltrated the United states government.” He was then denied, yet that didn’t stop him. He formed the anti-Communist known as the McCarthyism, the paranoid hunt for infiltrators. Many went to trial, having to give up their passports or go to jail in which they refused to give up the names of other communists. The Salem Witchcraft trials, was said to be similar to the McCarthy’s campaign for they were being accused of something and instead of taking blame they blamed it on others to keep their name safe. By the time it was 1954, all hell was settled down and the trials were no longer continuing, as for the Salem Witchcraft trials was stopped after having to hang more people for their accusations. 
4. In other further studies, many began to question the Salem Witchcraft trials. Many people pondered against the truth of witches, yet as they looked in on it they found the truth behind all the chaos. Other theories were later discovered, one theory indicated a food poisoning called Ergot. It was believed that Ergot was a mold that grew on rye, one of the Puritan’s most important food source. This mold causes you to hallucinate and believe to see things. Some may argue against this for only the girls were hallucinating and no one else in the town. Another theory was said to be Mass Hysteria, the girls of Salem caught a mental illness from the brew they were cooking, having them go delirious. All these theories were still very hard to prove considering there low amount on evidence, the Salem Witchcraft trials is still a mystery to everyone today. 
5. In conclusion of The Crucible, I believe it showed a meaning towards the world. Salem Witchcraft trials was to alert people of their sins and to trust in God. People can say it was a crucial time of the era, for nineteen people were hung and one hundred and sixty were accused. The trials had exploded after the death of John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Martha Corey. During my experience, both watching and reading this play write made it hard to believe it even occurred. For such nonsense and violence that has happened in a small town, woke up the many lives that lived there. I do hope for the future, that something so horrible like the Salem Witchcraft trials to never happen again.