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The Representation of J.D. Salinger's Views on Changes in American 110 วารสารวิจัยและพัฒนา มหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏสวนสุนันทา ปีที่ 5 2556 The Representation of J.D. Salinger’s Views on Changes in American Society in the 1940s in The Catcher in the Rye ภาพแทนในทัศนะของเจ.ดี.แซลินเยอร์ต่อความเปลี่ยนแปลง ในสังคมอเมริกันช่วงทศวรรษ 1940 ในวรรกรรมเรื่อง The Catcher in the Rye Jessadaporn Achariyopas Abstract The findings showed that the protagonist’s The objectives of this study aim to analyze views, J.D. Salinger’s views, and changes in both the protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye American society in the 1940s obviously in terms of conceptual or ideological factors and interrelated. The production of meaning which is narrative techniques which influence the the representation of the protagonist’s views construction of the representation and the was constructed of narrative techniques. J.D. relationship between the representation and J.D. Salinger’s views on changes in American society Salinger’s views on changes in American society in the 1940s were the same antisocial in the 1940s. This area of study might concern perspectives as Holden Caulfield’s which are two theories: namely, a theory of representation phoniness, alienation and meltdown. and narratology. In addition, this research is intended to answer the following three Keywords: Representation, Construction of the questions. Firstly, how is the production of representation, Systems of representation, meaning through language in The Catcher in Phoniness, Alienation, Meltdown the Rye constructed? Secondly, what are J.D. Salinger’s views on changes in American society บทคัดย่อ in the 1940s? Lastly, how is the relationship บทความวิจัยมีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อวิเคราะห์ตัวละครหลัก between the representation and J.D. Salinger’s ในนวนิยายเรื่อง The Catcher in the Rye ด้าน views? องค์ประกอบของความคิดและกลวิธีการเล่าเรื่องที่มี อิทธิพลต่อการสร้างภาพแทน และความสัมพันธ์ระหว่าง Jessadaporn Achariyopas Department of Humanities, ภาพแทนกับความคิดของเจ.ดี. แซลินเยอร์ต่อความ Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Bangkok, Thailand, เปลี่ยนแปลงในสังคมอเมริกันช่วงทศวรรษ1940 กรอบ Mobile: 66+81-754-5020 แนวคิดที่ใช้ประกอบด้วยสองทฤษฎี ได้แก่ ทฤษฎีภาพ E-mail: [email protected], แทน และทฤษฎีการเล่าเรื่อง นอกจากนี้การวิจัยยังมี เจตนาตอบค าถามสามประการ ประการแรกการผลิต ความหมายผ่านภาษาในวรรณกรรมเรื่อง The Catcher วารสารวิจัยและพัฒนา มหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏสวนสุนันทา ปีที่ 5 2556 111 in the Ryeถูกสร้างขึ้นอย่างไร ประการที่สอง ทัศนะของ Catcher in the Rye has been banned in school เจ.ดี.แซลินเยอร์ต่อความเปลี่ยนแปลงในสังคมอเมริกันช่วง districts in Washington, Ohio, Florida and ทศวรรษ 1940 คืออะไร ประการสุดท้าย ความสัมพันธ์ Michigan (Litcharts, 2011)”. Such a bizarre and ระหว่างภาพแทนกับทัศนะของเจ.ดี. แซลินเยอร์เป็น fantastical world view is of outstanding อย่างไร importance chosen for analysis. ผลการศึกษาพบว่าทัศนะของตัวละครหลัก ทัศนะของ For readers, it is possible to accept the fact เจ.ดี. แซลินเยอร์ และความเปลี่ยนแปลงในสังคมอเมริกัน that The Catcher in the Rye has been seen as ช่วงทศวรรษ 1940 มีความเกี่ยวข้องสัมพันธ์กันโดยเด่นชัด the teenagers’ bible. It is because J. D. Salinger การสร้างภาพแทนของตัวละครหลักถูกสร้างผ่านกลวิธีการ as an author devoted the entire story to เล่าเรื่อง ทัศนะของเจ.ดี. แซลินเยอร์ต่อความเปลี่ยนแปลง adolescent subject matter concerning teenage ในสังคมอเมริกันช่วงทศวรรษ 1940 เป็นทัศนะเดียวกัน hero’s behaviour towards the norms of American กับทัศนะของตัวละครหลัก ได้แก่ ความจอมปลอม ความ society of the 1940s. Holden Caulfield as a แปลกแยก และภาวะหดหู่ใจ principal character has brought Americans new alienation which represented a casebook of post-war phenomenon. Evidently, it can verify ค าส าคัญ: ภาพแทนการสร้างภาพแทนระบบของภาพ that the author has provided the reader with แทนความจอมปลอมความแปลกแยกภาวะหดหู่ใจ both denunciation and a controversial perspective on society. However, there is a บทน า better way of gaining a genuine insight into The Catcher in the Rye “has such a literary work and its social context should rely fascinating impact on Americans on the 20th on various analytical methods such as semiotics, century and today because it subverted so many deconstruction, hermeneutics, or representation. conventions and challenged the conservative The Catcher in the Rye can be demystified and values of the late 1940’s-1950s mainstream considered not only by a mere mimetic (Iduncanoo, 2011)”; it depicts an alienated hero reflection of reality in a positivistic fashion but in a corrupt society who chooses values also by a concept of ‘representation’ which involving personal integrity over those involving emphasizes the construction of the text by public conformity. Most studies of The Catcher selection, exclusion, and enhancement of social in the Rye often show that “the protagonist is elements. faced with the dilemma of psychological situation. Many critics dismissed this novel as There is no study examining a concept of detritus due to its healthy helping of four-letter ‘representation’ which emphasizes the words and sexual situations, and even today The construction of the text to deconstruct The 112 วารสารวิจัยและพัฒนา มหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏสวนสุนันทา ปีที่ 5 2556 Catcher in the Rye. This can be interpreted to Alicia Howe’s thesis (Alicia Howe, 2008), mean that the door into scholarly arena is still Undressing J. D. Salinger : Fashion and open to conduct a study on such a topic. The Psychology in The Catcher in the Rye and “ important aspect of this study is neither the Teddy ”, examines the discourse concerning post-war American culture nor the portrayal of clothing and psychology which are used by J. D. the adolescent hero’s behaviour towards Salinger to hide more information about the changes in American society in the 1940s, rather principal character’s mental state of being in his it explains the constructed representation of the clothing than in his speech and actions. What protagonist. In terms of milieu, this study focuses Alicia Howe found while reading other works of on J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and the Salinger is clothing. She confirmed: theory of representation. In terms of time, it will “clothing, more than anything be specific to American society in the 1940s. The else – setting, facial features, analysis differs from other study in that mine will body types – is what the author discuss solely The Catcher in the Rye in terms of writes about. Hats, jackets, T- the production of meaning through language shirts, pants and dresses, they which is interrelate with J.D. Salinger's views on are all described in detail and changes in American society in the 1940s. are in every works Salinger has กรณีศึกษางานวิจัยที่ผ่านมา ever published. In essence, Ever since its first publication in 1951, J. D. Salinger uses the hunting hat to Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye has attained create a physical symbol of both popular and literary notoriety as a firestorm Holden’s back and forth mindset of controversy and debate. In their book, between becoming an adult and Literature and Its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable staying a child, between adhering Literary Works and the Historical Events that to popular culture and breaking Influenced Them, Joyce Moss and George Wilson away from the “phonies,” write: “The Catcher in the Rye received almost between childlike immaturity instant popular and academic recognition. and an adult responsibility. In Published on July 16, 1951, the novel made the Alicia Howe’s study on Holden’s New York Times bestseller list within two weeks red hunting hat, she also found and remained there for almost thirty (Moss and that it is a symbolic Wilson, 1997) .” representation of his sense of alienation from society. She วารสารวิจัยและพัฒนา มหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏสวนสุนันทา ปีที่ 5 2556 113 wrote: “thus, for Holden, his integrity.Dormann concluded hunting hat represents his from her studies that The rebellion against the ideal man Catcher represents existential in the 1950’s and his desire to notions. It is pertinent to the assimilate to such a social role. “ultimate concerns” which are He is in fact wearing a hat, a the themes of death, alienation, stereotypical fashion of the day, integrity versus “phoniness”, yet rebels against typical fashions innocence, and experience. by making it a hunting hat Holden Caulfield is interpreted, instead of a fedora(Alicia Howe, to a certain extent, as an 2008).” existential protagonist. The findings revealed that “Despite Apart from Alicia Howe’s study of fashion- his adolescent insecurity and his psychology relationship inferred from The somewhat erratic thoughts and Catcher in the Rye, Sonja Dormann analyzes conversations, Holden Caulfield “Existential philosophy” or “existential thought” can be regarded, to a certain which is represented in innocence, experience, extent, as an existential hero. and existential concerns. Her dissertation Salinger has created an (Dormann, 2010), The Catcher of Zero existential novel – and one Existentialism in Contemporary U.S.-American which has become, quite Literature, adduces evidence that: understandably, a widely read “The Catcher was not even and much loved classic (Dormann, written by an adolescent or 2010).” young adult writer. She believes and asserts that The Catcher is not a story of a Bildungsroman วิธีการ hero with his difficulties and The Catcher in the Rye is demystified through serious problems, but rather one both the theory of representation which involves of a personal identity crisis which the meaning process in culture and narratology is exposed by the protagonist’s whose object is to study
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