The loss of innocence metaphors in the catcher in the rye and lord of the flies from cognitive perspective

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ************************ NGUYỄN HÀ MY THE LOSS OF INNOCENCE - METAPHORS IN THE CATCHER IN THE RYE AND LORD OF THE FLIES FROM COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE Sự hồn nhiên bị đánh - Ẩn dụ Bắt trẻ đồng xanh Chúa ruồi góc độ ngữ nghĩa học tri nhận M A Major Program Thesis Major: English Linguistics Code: 8220201.01 Supervisor: Huỳnh Anh Tuấn, PhD Hanoi – 2021 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ************************ NGUYỄN HÀ MY THE LOSS OF INNOCENCE - METAPHORS IN THE CATCHER IN THE RYE AND LORD OF THE FLIES FROM COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE Sự hồn nhiên bị đánh - Ẩn dụ Bắt trẻ đồng xanh Chúa ruồi góc độ ngữ nghĩa học tri nhận M A Major Program Thesis Hanoi – 2021 DECLARATION I, the undersigned, declare that this thesis is the result of my own research and has not been submitted to any other university or institution partially or wholly Except where the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in text of the thesis Hanoi, April 2021 Nguyen Ha My i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support from a number of people First and foremost, I am deeply indebted to my supervisor, Mr Huynh Anh Tuan, for his continuous support, warm encouragement, careful instruction and critical feedback during the process of fulfilling this study The paper would not be completed without his generous dedication Also, I would like to thank all of the lecturers of the Department of Post Graduate Studies, Vietnam National University for their useful lectures and materials which are of great value to my thesis Last but not least, I owe my gratitude to my family for their support and encouragement Hanoi, April 2021 Nguyen Ha My ii ABSTRACT Entitled The Loss of Innocence - Metaphors in The Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies from cognitive perspective, the study investigates the conceptualization and framing of metaphors denoting the theme of fading innocence in the two 1950s coming-of-age classics of world literature The theory of conceptual metaphor proposed by Lakoff and Johnson (1980) and Fillmore’s theory of framing (2009) are employed as the analytical framework for the study In both novels, 24 samples signifying the theme of lost innocence are analyzed These metaphors encompass a variety of frames such as school and education, life, mentality or people/the adults It is concluded that the frame of mentality possess the highest frequency of conceptual metaphors as both novels heavily deal with the inner turmoil of the characters On the other hand, the similarities and differences in the conceptualization and framing of the metaphors also provide a fresh outlook on the distinctive writing styles of each author, as well as unveil the hidden social backgrounds which the novels are based on iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims and objectives of the study Research questions Research methods Scope of the study Significance of the study Structure of the thesis CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Cognitive Linguistics 2.2 Cognitive Semantics 2.2.1 Definition 2.2.2 Conceptualization and construal 2.3 Conceptual metaphors 10 2.3.1 Metaphor 10 2.3.2 Conceptual metaphor 13 2.4 Metaphor and Framing 19 2.4.1 Frame and framing 19 2.4.2 Framing and metaphor 20 2.5 Novels and metaphor in novels 21 2.5.1 Novels and coming-of-age stories 21 2.5.2 Metaphor and framing in novels 23 2.6 Previous studies 24 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 28 3.1 Research design 28 3.2 Data for the study 29 3.2.1 J D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye (1951) 29 3.2.2 William Golding’s Lord of the Flies (1954) 30 3.3 Research procedures 31 iv 3.4 Data collection 31 3.5 Data analytical framework 32 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 39 4.1 Conceptual metaphors and frames in The Catcher in the Rye 39 4.1.1 School and education 40 4.1.2 Life 43 4.1.3 People and the adults 45 4.1.4 Mentality 48 4.2 Conceptual metaphors and frames in Lord of the Flies 53 4.2.1 The boys 54 4.2.2 Mentality 58 4.2.3 Life 61 4.3 Comparison of the conceptualization and framing of metaphors 62 4.3.1 Similarities 62 4.3.2 Differences 65 4.4 Implications behind the comparison 68 4.4.1 In terms of artistic style 68 4.4.2 In terms of social and historical context 70 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 74 5.1 Recapitulation 74 5.2 Concluding remarks 75 5.3 Implications 77 5.4 Limitations 79 5.5 Recommendations for further study 80 REFERENCES 81 APPENDIX I v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 3.1 The analysis of the conceptualization process of a metaphor 35 Table 3.2 The analysis of the framing process of a metaphor 36 Table 3.3 The analysis of the similarities and differences between the conceptual metaphors in the two novels 38 Figure 3.1 Analytical process of the metaphors and frames 32 Figure 4.1 Conceptual metaphors and frames in The Catcher in the Rye 40 Figure 4.2 Conceptual metaphors and frames in Lord of the Flies 54 vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Rationale In the many facets of linguistics, cognitive linguistics has received the growing attention from scholars and largely become a crucial interdisciplinary branch of linguistics Within it, cognitive semantics emerges as a significant movement that holds language as part of a more general human cognitive ability Conceptual metaphor, from cognitive perspective, is based on the human experience and thus describes the world as people conceive of it It is the bridge joining the human thought and language It helps human beings to comprehend the complexity of the world in relations to more tangible notions The human psychology is always bewildering and that of a youngster is even more mystifying The young are at the threshold of simplicity and intent They are soon to enter adulthood, welcoming challenges as well as losing innocence How they express themselves and how they see the world are what intrigues the researcher More than that, with the aid of conceptual metaphors and the wonder of literature, the theme of innocence appears vibrant and relatable J D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies are the two coming-of-age novels that profoundly explore the theme of innocence and also gain a classic status among readers These are the literary works with not only thought-provoking theme but also a masterful play on words The researcher has chosen one from America and the other from Britain in order to make the necessary comparison The conceptualization of innocence in the two novels may vary due to the mere difference in origin Those differences can open up a whole new kind of revelation on the aspects of culture, artistic value, and the human experience Moreover, innocence, youth, and loss are ideas that seem abstract However, via the conceptualization of conceptual metaphors, they are perceived not only in humbler terms but also encompass a variety of implications The contributions of conceptual metaphors and of the differences in the origin to highlighting the theme are what inspire the researcher to carry out the study entitled “The Loss of Innocence - Metaphors in The Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies from cognitive perspective.” Conceptual metaphors in literary works have been the study subject of countless research Metaphors denoting familiar themes such as love, life, and death have been investigated extensively However, the theme of fading innocence is infrequently discussed The study of conceptual metaphors, as well as of the beautiful theme of innocence, is an intriguing issue worth elaborating Innocence and adulthood are what every human being has gone through at some point Nonetheless, each individual will have unique perceptions on the experience, which can be greatly enhanced by the differences in origin It is hoped that this paper will contribute to the comprehension and interpretation of conceptual metaphors in literature, bringing Vietnamese readers closer to these classics and to the notion of metaphors from cognitive perspective Aims and objectives of the study The researcher aims to give a closer investigation into conceptual metaphors signifying the theme of lost innocence in two world-famous novels about adolescent growth, The Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies In detail, the objectives are as follows  To identify the conceptual metaphors establishing the loss of innocence in the frame of cognitive semantics  To explore how the metaphors are framed  To investigate the similarities and differences conceptualization and framing of metaphors in the two novels in the CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 5.1 Recapitulation Metaphor is omnipresent It appears in everyday conversation and embedded in human thoughts Metaphor is not merely a manner of speaking; it is the product of both language and thought In terms of conceptual metaphors, the essence of the Lakovian approach is a mapping between two domains SOURCE DOMAIN and TARGET DOMAIN; with the equation of SOURCE DOMAIN is TARGET DOMAIN On the other hand, frame is one of the structures of expectation based on past experiences and seen in the surface linguistic form of the sentences, which help interactants process and comprehend stories served to filter and shape perception With this study, the application of frames serves to organize the metaphors into sets, which follow the same main idea and expectations There are 24 conceptual metaphors denoting the theme of loss of innocence in the two novels - The Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies The metaphors are qualitatively analyzed in order to unravel their implications, then compared and contrasted The ultimate goal is to explore the differences between the two novels, revealing the hidden social and cultural picture The metaphors spread into five main frames in total (Education; Life; People; Mentality; and The boys) Some frames are overlapped in the two novels How the authors choose to frame the metaphors is a reflection of their creative styles and their cultures The metaphors in Catcher have largely presented the inner turmoil of the main character in the transition to adulthood MENTALITY is the frame with the highest frequency Conversely, the metaphors in Lord are mainly used to describe the characters, 74 as the generalization of the human race - of human nature - in the race for survival Subsequently, THE BOYS is the frame that covers the largest number of metaphors Overall, metaphors are indeed a product of thought and language, under a heavy influence of the social and cultural forces With Catcher, the babyboomers of the 50s were the inspiration for Holden’s coming-of-age journey Regarding Lord, the loss of British power and the remaining ruins after WWII urged Golding to compose such horrifying fable on the human instincts during the time of chaos 5.2 Concluding remarks How the metaphors denote the theme of lost innocence can provide a great deal of inferences in a variety of fields such as linguistics, literature, and sociology The conclusion of the paper will be presented with regards to the three research questions as follows The loss of innocence is conveyed differently yet quite similarly in the two novels In detail, with Catcher, the theme of innocence is expressed via Holden’s points of view Holden thinks that innocence and goodness are no more when children enter adulthood Metaphors like PEOPLE ARE SELLERS AND BUYERS or LIFE IS A GAME have shown his disdain of the world In contrast, in Lord, the loss of innocence is conveyed via the author’s description of the characters and the surroundings Metaphors like HUMAN IS DARKNESS or LIFE IS A RACE have displayed the dark side of human nature when put to the test of survival The metaphors also share some of the main frames Both novels frame LIFE and MENTALITY as the main planning for the loss of innocence, in which mental health and emotion are mentioned with regards to how they are adjusted in the turbulence of life Other than that, with Catcher, the metaphors 75 are also framed in terms of education and adults They serve to present Holden’s rebellious yet vulnerable mindset towards the world In contrast, Lord offers one more frame with the boys - aimed at portraying the main characters The boys are now the subject of a “human experiment,” standing against the dreamy backdrop of an uninhabited island The differences in metaphor conceptualization have presented not only the variety in creative styles but also the covert social context Specifically, Catcher is written in first person; therefore, the metaphors are more casual, with the inclination to be idiomatic and conventionalized On the other hand, Lord is reported in third person, leaving more room for extensively descriptive writing and highly elaborate narration In return, the metaphorical domains used in Lord are abstract and bear a great power of overgeneralization For example, while people are compared to ANIMALS in Catcher, the human race is referred to as FIRE or DARKNESS in Lord Moreover, the hidden social and historical context is also unveiled thanks to the conceptual metaphors It is known that metaphors are the manifestation of embodied experiences The metaphors can serve as the mirror into the real world The 1950s society of The Catcher in the Rye was full of baby-boomers who were unsure of the future ahead The metaphors consequently mention the inner chaos with plenty of references to MENTALITY, EMOTIONAL HEALTH, and FEELING On the contrary, the 1950s British was trying to win its position back in the race of worldwide power; and in times of war, ruins and chaos were so prevalent that the humanity seemed to fade With LIFE as a RACE or PEOPLE as ANIMALS, the dangers and pains of war - of a world out of order - appear closer and realer than ever 76 In general, metaphors denoting the theme of innocence are expressed via the characters’ viewpoints in Catcher and via the narrator’s descriptions in Lord The framing of the metaphors is overlapped with five main frames in total in the two novels The process of conceptualization also shares several similarities and strikes certain differences These differences offer a closer look into the authors’ distinctive writing style as well as reveal the hidden social and historical picture of the USA and the UK in the 1950s 5.3 Implications The study of cognitive linguistics in general, and of conceptual metaphors in particular, are especially fruitful in the application to language pedagogy The applied fields range from English as a second language, English linguistics, to English-written literature In detail, conceptual metaphors are based off embodied meanings, with close relation to the human mind, the language, and the experiences Therefore, sometimes the real meaning of a sentence is implied in the overt lexical items being used With the traditional views on metaphors and the traditional teaching methods, it would be hard for students to explore the inferred significance of a sentence, and master the use of English as a whole However, with the knowledge of conceptual metaphors, the thinking and living way of the people are made aware; helping learners to be more accustomed to the English cultures For learners, the additional information on the culture, embedded in the learning of the language is definitely helpful in their study Getting to know the alluring culture is one of the great ways to boost learners’ intrinsic motivation Besides the spiritual benefits, this study is expected to be noteworthy in the learning of vocabulary and literature Specifically, the collocation of words in conceptual metaphors, especially in the idiomatic and 77 conventionalized ones, is challenging yet stimulating and practical in the mastery of English Also, the uses of the two domains get learners to reflect and connect between different lexical items, which ultimately helps them broaden their vocabulary Lastly, the study is focused on novels so the passion for literature is also one factor that the researcher aims at introducing In detail, the paper puts an emphasis on the theme of lost innocence amongst children in the two classics of world literature Besides the love for literature, the researcher wants readers to adopt a more understanding outlook on youngsters; with the hope that consideration and affection will come before judgment and stereotype when it comes to encountering the young For teachers, the awareness that metaphors are ubiquitous which come from two connected domains can guide teachers in the process of lesson planning Teachers can make the lessons more practical and profound by incorporating conceptual metaphors into the teaching of English Moreover, especially with this study, teachers can use it as a lifestyle manual as aforementioned; showing students the appropriate thinking and behavioral conducts towards youngsters, that is to promote kindness Lastly, for translators, it should be taken into their consideration that deeply personal and cultural elements can have great power on the conceptualization of metaphors Therefore, translators are advised to employ cross-cultural communication as well as contrastive analysis to tackle the indepth meaning of a text Of course, the covert implication is always far more significant than the display of the outward lexical signals, and far more difficult to translate; nonetheless, it should be the translators’ ethics - to take the components of culture and humanity into account - to devise the most effective translation 78 All in all, this study on conceptual metaphors denoting the theme of innocence is expected to be advantageous to teachers, learners, and translators of the English language This paper is not merely a study on a linguistic phenomenon; it is also a handbook of pedagogical uses and a lifestyle manual 5.4 Limitations The thesis focuses on how conceptual metaphors signifying the theme of innocence are employed in two novels - The Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies These two are the epitome of coming-of-age stories in world literature The research has limited itself to only “the loss of innocence” expressed in fiction novels Other themes such as family and social connections, or other rhetorical devices such as simile and metonymy, are not emphasized Also, the corpus includes two novels - The Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies The two novels focus on the coming-of-age transition and were both published in the 1950s The former is American and the latter is British The researcher makes conscious exclusionary and inclusionary decisions regarding the theoretical framework used in the study The foundation is based on Lakoff and Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory, with the aid of Fillmore’s framing and a contrastive analysis Richardt’s study on schema is not mentioned in the paper The paper provides solid theoretical background and follows valid research methods, then undergoing thorough analysis and offering significant results However, it is still only an in-depth study into one tiny aspect of the cognitive field There are certainly limitations in terms of the possible scope, methodological restrictions, and practical realities 79 5.5 Recommendations for further study There is definitely more room for future studies to tackle the issue of conceptual metaphors in the light of cognitive semantics First, the scope of the study can be expanded to a variety of coming-ofage novels, belonging to different periods of time and geographical locations The larger data would also allow for the comparison to be more standardized Moreover, the differences in social and historical context can reveal the utmost important feature of conceptual metaphors - embodied experiences How the metaphors are conceptualized is greatly influenced by how the authors “construe” their surroundings Next, the paper largely employs the theoretical foundation of Lakoff and Johnson’s and of Fillmore’s Future studies are suggested to engage other approaches for a more comprehensive and objective understanding of the subject Kovecses’ view on metaphors and Talmy’s theory of schema are some of the notable frameworks in the field of cognitive linguistics that are also efficient in the study of conceptual metaphors Besides, cognitive semantics with word meaning and conceptual metaphors are equally intriguing study subjects Metaphors expressing other specific themes such as happiness, misery, fear, or humanity would also be fascinating and worth conducting research 80 REFERENCES Books: Beardsley, M (1966) Figurative Language In W L Anderson and N C Stageberg (Eds.), Introductory Readings on Language New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart Winston Croft, W., & Cruse, D A (2004) Cognitive Linguistics Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Evans, V., & Green, M (2006) Cognitive Linguistics: An Introduction Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Evans, V (2007) A Glossary of Cognitive Linguistics Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Forster, E M (1954) Aspects of the Novel New York, NY: Penguin Books Gibbs, R (Ed.) (2008) The Cambridge Handbook of Metaphor and Thought Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Golding, W (2006) Lord of the Flies New York, NY: Penguin Random House Goodbody, A (2018) Framing in literary energy narratives In H Bergthaller, & P Mortensen (Eds.), Framing the Environmental Humanities (pp 1533) (Studies in Environmental Humanities; Vol 5) Leiden, Boston: Brill | Rodopi Hamilton, I (1998) In Search of J D Salinger New York, NY: Random House 81 Hauser, M D (2006) Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong London: Little, Brown Book Group Kovecses, Z (2010) Metaphor Introduction New York, NY: Oxford University Press Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M (1980) Metaphors We Live By Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press Lycan, W G (2000) Philosophy of Language London: Routledge Saeed, J I (1997) Semantics Hoboken, NJ: Blackwell Publishing Salinger, J D (1991) The Catcher in the Rye New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company Semino, E., & Steen, G (2008) Metaphor in literature In R Gibbs (Ed.), Cambridge Handbook of Metaphor and Thought (pp 232-246) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Shanahan, M (2003) Solving the Frame Problem Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press Talmy, L (2000) Toward a Cognitive Semantics, Volume 1: Concept Structuring Systems Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press Tannen, D (Ed.) (1993) Framing in Discourse New York, NY: Oxford University Press Taylor, J R (2002) Cognitive Grammar Oxford: Oxford University Press Watt, I (2001) The Rise of the Novel Berkeley, CA: University of California Press 82 Research paper: Fauconnier, G (2006) Cognitive Linguistics Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science, 1-14 https://doi.org/10.1002/0470018860.s00214 Lakoff, G (1990) The invariance hypothesis: is abstract reason based on image-schemas? Cognitive Linguistics 1(1), 39–74 Le, Thi Khanh Hoa (2015) An investigation into conceptual metaphors denoting “Love” in American and Vietnamese romantic novels from 2008 to 2013 (Unpublished master’s dissertation) University of Languages and International Studies, Hanoi Ma, L., & Liu, A (2008) A Universal Approach to Metaphors Intercultural Communication Studies 17(1), 260-268 Retrieved from https://web.uri.edu/iaics/files/26-Lin-Ma-Aihua-Liu.pdf McGlone, S M (2007) What is the explanatory value of conceptual metaphor? ScienceDirect: Language & Communication, 27(2), 109-126 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langcom.2006.02.016 Neffinger, R (2014) Hippie Caulfield: The Catcher in the Rye’s Influence on 1960s American Counterculture (Published master’s dissertation) Liberty University, Virginia Paradis, C (2004) Towards a theory of lexical meaning as ontologies and construals (Working papers) Lund University, Lund Semino, E., Demjen, Z., & Demmen, J (2016) An Integrated Approach to Metaphor and Framing in Cognition, Discourse, and Practice, with an Application to Metaphors for Cancer Applied Linguistics 2018, 39(5), 625–645 doi:10.1093/applin/amw028 83 Internet sources: Burger, N (1951) Books of The Times NY Times Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/09/13/specials/salinger-rye02.html Conrad, P (2011) Lord of the Flies: can you judge a book by its cover? The Guardian Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/sep/17/lord-of-the-fliesgolding-centenary Golub, A (2010) American Adolescent Forbes Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/30/j-d-salinger-catcher-in-the-rye-popculture-opinions-contributors-adam-golub.html Lee, D (2018) 50 Must-Read Coming-of-Age Books BookRiot Retrieved from https://bookriot.com/2018/04/05/coming-of-age-books/ Quinault, R (2001) Britain in 1950 History Today, 51(4) Retrieved from https://www.historytoday.com/archive/britain-1950 Rohrer, F (2009) Why does Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye still resonate? BBC Retrieved http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8084931.stm 84 from APPENDIX METAPHORICAL EXPRESSIONS IN THE TWO NOVELS THE LOSS OF INNOCENCE A THE CATCHER IN THE RYE No Source text Conceptual metaphor Since 1888 we have been molding boys into splendid, PEOPLE ARE WORKS OF ART Frame school/education clear-thinking young men Old Stradlater was one of his pets PEOPLE ARE ANIMALS Life is a game, boy Life is a game that one plays LIFE IS A GAME life according to the rules Goddam money It always ends up making you blue FEELING IS COLOR as hell Now he’s out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute PEOPLE ARE SELLERS AND BUYERS They stay a rat their whole life PEOPLE ARE ANIMALS But it was just that we were too much on opposite IDEAS ARE DIRECTIONS sides of the pole I people/adults The only way she could go around with a basket PERSONALITIES ARE BODY collecting dough would be if everybody kissed her ass PARTS for her when they made a contribution You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big MEMORY IS ORNAMENT glass cases and just leave them alone 10 I’m in bad shape I’m in lousy shape EMOTIONAL HEALTH IS PHYSICAL FORM 11 And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff EMOTIONAL HEALTH IS A LOCATION 12 I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all YOUTH IS A MOVING OBJECT, or MEMORY IS A MOVING OBJECT 13 Don’t you think if someone starts out to tell you about OPINION IS A WEAPON his father’s farm, he should stick to his guns, then get around to telling you about his uncle’s brace? 14 I have a feeling that you’re riding for some kind of a EMOTIONAL HEALTH IS A terrible, terrible fall LOCATION II mentality B LORD OF THE FLIES No Source text Conceptual metaphor They walked along, two continents of experience and HUMAN IS LAND Frame the boys feeling, unable to communicate The heart of flame leapt nimbly across the gap HUMAN IS FIRE between the trees and then went swinging and flaring along the whole row of them The creature was a party of boys PEOPLE ARE ANIMALS He lay against a log, his mouth gaping, blue shadows HUMAN IS DARKNESS creeping round his lips The usual brightness was gone from his eyes and he PERSONLITIES ARE EYES walked with a sort of glum determination like an old man As if this information was rooted far down in the IDEAS ARE PLANTS springs of sorrow, the littlun wept He found himself understanding the wearisomeness of EMOTION IS A CONTAINER III mentality this life, where every path was an improvisation and a considerable part of one’s waking life was spent watching one’s feet He bound himself together with his will, fused his fear EMOTION IS A PHYSICAL and loathing into a hatred, and stood up OBJECT Ralph was puzzled by the shutter that flickered in his IDEA IS A PUZZLE brain 10 Life became a race with the fire and the boys scattered LIFE IS A RACE through the upper forest IV life ... vibrant and relatable J D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies are the two coming -of- age novels that profoundly explore the theme of innocence and also gain a... teaching and learning of conceptual metaphors in specific - and of English in general - in Vietnam 4.1 Conceptual metaphors and frames in The Catcher in the Rye The Catcher in the Rye is on the account... exploring the similarities and differences in the conceptualization of conceptual metaphors expressing innocence in the two novels The Catcher in the Rye (1951) and Lord of the Flies (1954), in the