Coming_of_Age__Catcher_in_the_Rye_and_Boyz_N_the_Hood_(1993)

JD Salinger uses different language techniques, mainly through Holden’s languge, to explore coming of age in Catcher in the rye. In the beginning of the book Holden is already shown running away from realty. When he says “I didn’t know why I was running, I just felt like it” it shows us that Holden is clueless and afraid. In “Boyz n the Hood” John Singleton uses Tre’s relationships, mainly with his father, to explore coming of age, as well as similies and metaphors. In “Catcher in the Rye”, JD Salinger uses the narrative style of writing to help us relate to Holden, writing the novel from Holden’s point of view asking us to believe that Holden’s telling his story to a doctor or counselor. Holden constantly uses phrases like “I really was” as if he wants us to believe him. Another main expression “that kills me” is used to indicate that something amuses him. These and other expressions like “phony” give the impression of an individual speech style. In “Boyz n the Hood” the film is constantly taken at a mid angle shot, helping us relate to Tre. Tre’s father Furious is instrumental in Tre coming of age by teaching him morals and responsibility. This shows us the importance of having a father figure in life. Singleton uses sex as a metaphor for coming of age, with Tre constantly saying he is afraid to have sex and afraid to become a father. This symbolizes that Tre is afraid to mature and come of age. Like Singleton, Salinger also uses sex to symbolize Holden’s fear of coming of age as Holden is afraid sex will “take away his innocence”. Both characters have major influences in coming of age whether it is a person, a moment or something completely different. In “Catcher In The Rye” both Physical & Emotional relationships offer Holden an opportunity to break from his isolated shell. They are also representative of what he fears most about coming of age, complexity, unpredictability, and potential for conflict and change. Phoebe is one of Holden’s main influences in coming of age. Phoebe reveals to Holden how different coming of age is from Holden’s idea. Holden has trouble dealing with this kind of complexity. As a result, he has isolated himself and fears intimacy. Although he runs into opportunities for both physical and emotional intimacy, he ruins them all, wrapping himself in an armor of critical cynicism and bitterness. Even so, Holden desperately continues searching for new relationships, always undoing himself only at the last moment. In “Boyz n The Hood” Tre’s father is his main influence in coming of age, teaching him morals at a young age and guiding his decisions even until the end of the movie when he convinces Tre not to partake in Ricky’s revenge shooting. Tre’s surrounding also play as a motif to Tre coming of age. After gunfire is heard at a late night party, Tre decides that he can not be like his friends and stay in Los Angeles, with all the crime, saying “I’m getting the f**k out of LA, f**k this s**t, n****s be getting shot up every day and s**t”. As previously stated, the camera is constantly taken at a mid angle shot to help us relate to Tre and his situation. While Tre begins his path to coming of age during the early to middle stages of the film, Holden takes a lot longer to come of age, both characters have a similar attitude to coming of age, with both being afraid however, compared to other people around him, Tre is already more mature then his friends and others around him. In “Catcher In The Rye” The title itself is symbolic. It appears in Chapter 16 when Holden is admires a kid singing “Coming through the rye”, a song by Robert Burns. Holden mistakenly misinterprets the lyrics by thinking they are “If a body catch a body coming through the rye” when the lyrics are actually “if a body meet a body coming through the rye”. Holden imagination when he hears the song and his misinterpretation is symbolic, as his misinterpretation changes the meaning of the song. Holden imagines that kids are falling off a cliff and he has to catch them. Holden wants to catch children before they fall out of innocence into knowledge of the adult world, including knowledge of sex. The hunting hat is also symbolic. Holden wears it backwards, symbolizing his desire to return to the past. Holden and Phoebe exchange roles as the “catcher” and the “fallen” by giving phoebe the symbol of the catcher. Another fascinating symbol is the ducks in the central park lagoon. The ducks vanish every winter but return at spring, symbolizing that change isn’t permanent. The pond itself becomes a metaphor as it is described as “partly frozen and “partly not frozen”. The pond is in transition between two states, just as Holden is in transition between childhood and adulthood. In “Boyz n The Hood” Tre’s clothing is symbolic, at the beginning Tre is shown wearing blue, the colour of the crips, a gang in Los Angeles, however as he becomes older he wears different colour, none of which are gang affiliated, ironically he is constantly threatened by rival gangs. Tre’s father Furious is constantly wearing white symbolizing that he is good person. In conclusion both JD Salinger and John Singleton effectively use different techniques to show coming of age, while JD Salinger uses language effectively John Singleton uses camera angles and metaphors to convey his ideas of coming of Age. While Holden’s process of coming of age is fairly short, only three days, Tre’s path to adulthood is seven years, this is mainly due to Tre’s surroundings, with a crime filled neighborhood and immature friends.