Presentations- John Nay

John's presentation also dealt with the five conflicts of Antigone. The work in which these conflicts are described is J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, a book which I regretfully admit I have not yet read. The conflicts center around the life of Holden Caulfield, who uses cynicism in an attempt to avoid the pain of growing up and entering the adult world. His anger against the phoniness and superficiality of the world represents the individual vs society, although Holden often wonders if he himself is guilty of the phoniness he so despises. His close relationship and traumatic loss of his brother signifies the living vs dead, with Allie's death also being seen as the loss of innocence for Holden. The conflict of Man vs Woman is most noticable in Holden's doomed relationship with Sally Hayes, but could also be found with his younger sister Phoebe, whose maturity and role as his personal "catcher" also provide the Old vs Young conflict. The final conflict of Man vs Gods could refer to Holden's loss of faith after Allie's death, but without reading the book I'm not sure of Holden's religious convictions before his brother's death.