From Spiritual Wandering to Spiritual Epiphany: On the Transition of Characters in J.D. Salinger’s Fiction

Abstract

J.D. Salinger has portrayed a series of tramps in his fictions, who are wandering in the spiritual wasteland. Through the analysis of the characters in Salinger's works from different periods, this paper finds a commonality: they all reach a state of inner spiritual introspection and epiphany through external events amidst despair and adversity, thereby completing the process of self-redemption. The transformation of the characters from spiritual confusion and despair to epiphany also reflects the writer’s own spiritual journey.