Abstract

American initiation story, a variant of Bildungsroman, is a literary genre that mainly focuses on the development of the protagonist’s mind and character. The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, is always considered a typical American initiation story. This paper begins with a brief introduction of Bildungsroman and American initiation story, and then analyzes The Catcher in the Rye in the perspective of American initiation story from three respects: structure, characterization and point of view, and finally concludes the important and unique position of The Catcher in the Rye in development of American initiation story.

Keywords: The Catcher in the Rye, American initiation story, structure, characterization, point of view

摘    要

美国成长小说是起源于18世纪欧洲的德国成长小说变体，主人公内心和性格的变化和发展是这种文学体裁的关注重点。塞林格的《麦田里的守望者》被认为是美国成长小说的代表作。
本文首先对德国成长小说及美国成长小说作简单介绍，然后从美国成长小说叙事结构，人物刻画以及叙述视角三方面分析《麦田里的守望者》作为美国成长小说的特征，进而指出塞林格对美国成长小说的继承和发展做出的卓越贡献。

关键词：《麦田里的守望者》；美国成长小说；结构；人物刻画；叙述视角
 
1．    Introduction
    J. D. Salinger, one of the most influential short-story writers and novelists in America, is famous for his craftiness of dealing with the mental and emotional struggles of adolescents. Salinger, born in a rich Jewish family in New York, joined the army in 1942, and retired in 1946 to concentrate on writing. His best known novel The Catcher in the Rye, first published in 1951, is considered “a classic of twentieth-century American literature” (Alsen 74) and has been translated into many languages, which enjoys a worldwide reputation and evokes strong sympathy among young people.
    The Catcher in the Rye is a book mainly about the protagonist Holden Caulfield. He has been expelled from school because he has flunked four courses in the examination, and then wandered around New York City. In the hope of finding truth and goodness, he only finds hypocrites and facts that the society is also full of phoniness and obscenity. So in the end，he is sent to a West Coast clinic where he receives psychological treatment. Holden Caulfield becomes the representative of the “Beat Generation” in America after WWII.