A recurring theme in J. D. Salinger's stories concerns people who don't fit in with the traditional American culture. His main characters are super-intelligent humans who must choose between the phony real world (American culture) and a morally-pure, "nice" world. Salinger's characters unlike the rest of society, are caught in the struggle between a superficial world and a conscious morality.. They do not conform to the material happiness; but search for a spiritual happiness. The …showed first 75 words of 1011 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1011 total…characters has become happy or the turning point of the character's lives. The works of Salinger show the quest for happiness through religion, loneliness, and symbolism. His writings deal with characters fulfilling their quest for happiness. He would have the character's accomplish their quest by going through obstacles, in which they learned about their lives. He employed the religion, loneliness, and symbolism as means for the characters to understand how to obtain happiness in life.