JOURNAL ARTICLE

Holden Caulfield on the road: migration and its impossibility in J. D. Salinger and Jack Kerouac.

  • Published In: Creativity (2639-5614), 2025, v. 8, n. 2. P. 519 1 of 3

  • Database: Humanities Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: STROE, MIHAI A. 3 of 3

Abstract

A close relationship between literary works by J. D. Salinger and those by Jack Kerouac have occasionally been noted by several Salinger scholars. However, both critics of Salinger and Kerouac have not meticulously analyzed the literary texts and discussed the specific sections being similar and their manner of interaction. Considering both authors seem to have acknowledged the other's work, it is imperative that novels by Salinger and Kerouac be examined comparatively to identify the similarities more concretely. Through the comparative investigations, I will discuss that a migration, which is deeply involved in Kerouac's On the road (1957), is a significant motif that also underlies Salinger's The catcher in the rye (1951). It will finally be argued that an analogy between the two novels can be found in their representation of migration, which is one of the essential elements that strengthens their implied mutual relationship. Key words J. D. Salinger; Jack Kerouac; The catcher in the rye; On the road; migration; American literature [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Creativity (2639-5614). 2025/07, Vol. 8, Issue 2, p519
  • Document Type:Literary Criticism
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:26395614
  • Accession Number:192969321
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Creativity (2639-5614) is the property of Addleton Academic Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.