Salinger s Influence On His Contributions - 2154 Words

Salinger had a fairly typical childhood growing up in the 1920s. He was born on January 1, 1919 to Sol Salinger and Marie Jillisch (McGrath). Born in New York City, he spent most of his childhood there (Telgen 117). When he was growing up, academic excellence was not one of Salinger’s priorities (117). After failing several prep schools, he finally graduated from Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania (117). Yet, with an IQ of 115, he never did finish his post-secondary education (Hipple 106; Miller 551). In 1937, Salinger traveled to Austria and Poland to learn his father’s business, but he was dissatisfied with it and returned to America (McGrath). Although unremarkable, his childhood did impact his literary contributions.†¦show more content†¦D. Salinger also contributed other short compositions. He officially began his writing career when he took a short story course at Columbia University, where he had an opportunity in publish in Story magazine (Te lgen 117). After that, his literary career became increasingly more popular, appearing in numerous magazines (117). However, several of Salinger’s stories from the 1940s have never been republished because he refused such republications (117). He published Nine Stories, Franny and Zooey, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters, and Seymour: An Introduction, and â€Å"Hapworth 16, 1924† in 1953, 1961, 1963, and 1965 respectively (McGrath; Miller 552). Salinger is recognized for his vivid depiction of young Americans during the post-WWII era as they are searching for their future (Mulligan 351). Despite his limited collection, Salinger is arguably one of the most popular American authors of the 20th century. Published in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye faced major criticisms for its controversial depiction of teenage angst. After WWII ended, the US emerged as the most powerful nation in the world, with 30 million children born in a period of 18 years following the war (Kallen 24-25). By the 1950s and 1960s, many of these children were going through their teenage years (24-25). The Catcher in the Rye reflected their unexplainable sensations and changes of adolescence (24-25). The Catcher in the Rye was considered a controversial book in the