Influence of Buddhism in the Catcher in the Rye Essay

J.D. Salinger, the author of The Catcher in the Rye, witnessed the atrocities of the Second World war firsthand as a soldier. In doing so, the horrors that he saw gave him concerns somewhat his order of magnitude. The fact that his native society could do such things repelled him. As a result, he began to read ab appear Eastern Philosophy after the war. The east principles he learned close to were appealing to him, so he immovable to model Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye, after Siddhartha Gautama, who is usually known as The Buddha. Siddhartha was a Prince whose father hid from him the atrocities of humankind, barely when Siddhartha eventually did key out p overty, he was dejected.He decided to become an ascetic, a invigorationstyle where matchless supplies himself with minimal materials. Eventually Siddhartha achieved enligh ten-spotment, and he workd the principles of Buddhism. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is innate(p) into a wealthy fam ily and attends a prestigious boarding school, although he is kicked out early in the novel. Salinger makes Holdens life very similar to that of Siddhartha Gautamas. Holdens story mirrors that of the Buddhas because poverty and sickness call them into action, they are displeased by the stem that people are not created equally, and they both rationalise of the path that has been set out for them.Holden and Siddhartha come across the unpleasant things in life for the first time in very different behaviors. Siddhartha is 29 years old when he first sees an old man, after existence sheltered for the early portion of his life, while Holden is just thirteen years old when his younger brother, Allie, grows sick and dies. When Siddhartha comes across poverty, it inspires him to devote the rest of his life to trying to end suffering. On the night that Allie died, Holden slept in the garage and, stony-broke all of the goddam windows with my fist (Salinger 39). Holden is irate because h e couldnt observe Allie from death, the uniform way Siddhartha was displeased by the fact that he couldnt save people either, the people that he was supposed to rule over someday, from poverty and suffering.Additionally, Holden, like the Buddha, enjoys helping out those in need. When Holden sees two nuns in Grand Central Station, he strikes up a conversation, and then gives them ten dollars as a donation. That amount of money is equivalent to around xcv dollars today. Later on, he says, I started crapting sorry that Id only apt(p) them ten bucks for their collection(Salinger 113). Instead of being intellectual in giving his donation, he is unhappy because he knows that what he has given is still not nearly enough to make a secure dent in the poverty of the world. Nonetheless, Holden still strives to protect those who cannot protect themselves from the oppose aspects of life, just as the Buddha endeavors to save humanity for suffering.One of the lessons that Siddhartha Gauta ma taught to his Buddhist fol showtimeing was to reject the traditional class system. The Hindu people of India follow the legal opinion of reincarnation, and that people are born into their favorable class based on how sanitary they lived their previous lives, and thus those who are born into a low class deserve to be there. However, Buddha rejected that class system, preferring a society without classes, because he believed that all men should be treated as equals. Holden as well believes that all men are created equal. In his conversation with his history teacher, Mr. Spencer, Holden says to himself in response to Mr. Spencers remark that life is a game that, If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then its a game,but if you get on the other sidethen whats a game about it (Salinger 8).Holden doesnt think that life should be make better for some people than others just because they were born wealthy or flummox superior traits and abilities than others. He believe s that no matter what someones social status is, he or she should be entitled to the same things as a wealthy person. When he sees the nuns in Grand Central Station, he is depressed when he sees what they are eating. He says I hate it if Im eating bacon and eggs or something and somebody else is only eating toast and coffee (Salinger 110). Holden is from a wealthy family, and is saddened by the fact that not everyone can experience the same luxuries that he can. The Buddha was also saddened by the same thing he could not provide his people with the same conveniences that are given to him. For that reason both Holden and Siddhartha wish to palpate a better way to organize society than the traditional class system.Holden could comfortably choose to apply himself in school, go to college and get a well-paying job. However, the idea of following the path that society has set out for him displeases Holden, and he desires to create a new path for himself. Near the end of the book, Hol den envisions himself hitchhiking out westmost and living in a cabin for the rest of his life. He exclaims, I got excited as hell thinking about it (Salinger 199). He travel in love with the thought of himself rebelling against society the society that was the cause of so much poverty.Likewise, Siddhartha Gautama, a prince, chose not to live his life as royalty, which was expect of him, but rather become an ascetic, denying himself of worldly pleasures, as he strove to find a way to end suffering. Siddhartha set in motion success, and he achieved enlightenment, as well as a way to end suffering, which is what Buddhism is. On the other hand, Holden found it to be difficult to break away from his path that is set in the beginning him. In response to Holdens idea to run away, Sally, a adept of Holden, retorts, You cant just do something like that (Salinger 132). Holden struggles to relate with spouse members of his society, and when they strike down his ideas, he finds it to be ev en harder to connect with them.Holdens journey resembles the Buddhas in three significant ways he is inspired to end suffering, he believes that everybody should have the same opportunities in life, and he is determined to separate himself from his culture. But perhaps J.D. Salinger did not mirror Holdens life after the Buddhas, but after his own. Salinger also saw spacious suffering when he participated in World War Two. He refuted the determine of Western Civilization, wondering how such great atrocities could be committed in it. Holdens clash with his native land bears striking resemblance to that of Salingers. Salinger expresses his beliefs through with(predicate) Holden in the novel.Holden says, I dont think I could survive it if I had to go to war. I really couldnt. Salinger could not stand being in the war, just as Holden cannot stand the thought of being in it. Eastern philosophy influenced Salinger greatly after he served in the war, and in turn The Catcher in the Rye i s influenced by that philosophy. Salinger subtly teaches his lecturers about Eastern philosophy as they follow Holdens journey. Salinger attempts to push the reader into their own journey, in which he or she might wrestle amongst Western and Eastern thought in a similar way as he did.