Auschwitz Essay, Research Paper

Many critics consider J.D. Salinger a very controversial writer, for the subject matters that he writes. J.D. Salinger s works were generally written during two time periods. The first time period was during World War II, and the second time period was during the 1960 s. Critics feel that the works during the 1960 time period were very inappropriate, because the problems which he chose to write about. The main characters were generally misfits of society. In most of his works, he has the protagonist of the story go on a quest for happiness. Salinger does not conform to the material happiness; the characters undergo a spiritual happiness. The characters generally start out as in bad conditions, through the end of his works they undergone changes that change them for the better. The works of J.D. Salinger show the quest for happiness and comfort through religion, loneliness, and symbolism. Salinger s works often use religion in order to portray comfort.

In Salinger s Nine Stories Franny Glass keeps reciting the “Jesus Prayer” to cope with the suicide of her brother Seymour. Salinger is able to use this prayer as a means of comfort for Franny (Salinger, Nine Stories). The prayer stands for the last hope for Franny in this situation. Franny would be lost if their was no

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prayer. (Salinger, Nine Stories). Salinger shows us comfort in Catcher in the Rye. Holden Caufield, the protagonist, is very much in despair for losing his girlfriend, so Caufield reads a passage in the Bible. This helps Holden change his outlook on life. Holden was all alone at this point and had no one to turn back on, until he found the Bible (Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye). In both stories the characters had found themselves in bad situations.

The characters in these works have obstacles which they must overcome in order to achieve happiness (Salzman). Happiness is the very substance which all of these characters are striving for in Salinger s works. Salinger uses religion in his works to comfort them so that they can proceed on their quest to achieve happiness. Salinger uses religion as a means for liberation. Salinger uses much of the Zen philosophy, as in the case of Nine Stories, to achieve this liberation (Salinger, Nine Stories). In Nine Stories one of the characters, Seymour Glass, is portrayed as Buddha in the sense that he wants to be liberated as Buddha was in his life. Seymour Glass in Nine Stories has a certain philosophy about life, it is similar to the Eightfold Path used by Buddha when achieving nirvana. Seymour Glass is on a quest to become free from all of the suffering in his life as Buddha was from his life. Seymour follows the Eightfold Path to become liberated from suffering. Seymour achieves “nirvana” by living a good life and end anything that causes suffering. Seymour is able to attain nirvana by committing suicide (Salinger, Nine Stories). Salinger shows us that when Seymour committed suicide

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he let go of all of the suffering that he encountered, thus attaining the happiness he longed for (French, Salinger Revisited). Salinger shows liberation as an end to all suffering, thus creating happiness for the character. (French, Salinger Revisited).

The final function of religion as a means to attain happiness was to gain peace. IAuschwitz “The Young Lion,” Salinger uses religion to gain peace through a fictitious war. In the story many of the soldiers were dying and the countries were in turmoil (Lundquist). The leaders in the story see a vision on the battlefield that changes them, and Auschwitz. Salinger shows how religion can be a force used to create happiness in a story, by creating peace (Lundquist). Salinger is able to Auschwitz happiness through peace. The story seemed very dismal, Auschwitz happiness for the characters by stopping the conflict. In “The Stranger” Salinger creates peace through a war by using more of the Zen Auschwitz creates a “Pact of Peace” which stops the conflict between the Germans and Polish during WWII (French, Salinger Revisited). The “Pact of Peace” was a teaching used by Buddha in the Zen philosophy. Salinger uses Zen, in this case, to stop the conflict between the Polish and Germans (French, Salinger Revisited). In many of Salinger s works the conflict, becomes a source for Auschwitz the unhappiness in the story. Salinger uses religion as a medium to Auschwitz tranquility, consequently the characters to achieve happiness.