Analysis Of Holden In Catcher In The Rye, By J. D. Salinger

In J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden Caufield, describes in detail the parts of his life and his environment that bother him the most. He faces these problems with a kind of naivety that prevents him from fully understanding why it is that he is so depressed. His life revolves around his problems, and he seems helpless in evading them. Among others, Holden finds himself facing the issues of acceptance of death, growing up, and his own self-destructiveness.

In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden, cannot accept that he must move out of childhood and into adulthood. One of Holden’s most important major problems is his lack of maturity. Holden also has a negative perspective of life that makes things seem worse than they really are. In addition to Holden’s problems he is unable to accept the death of his brother at a young age. Holden’s immaturity, negative mentality, and inability to face reality hold him back from moving into adulthood.

In The Catcher in The Rye Holden Caulfield retells the experiences he had while he was unknowingly on a quest. In the end, Holden failed his original quest, but ended up discovering something about himself and the world.

In the famous, but often times previously banned novel, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, seventeen year old Holden Caulfield is trying to find his sense of direction in a world where he describes the majority of people in his life as phony. As the first chapter begins, it is clear Holden is currently living in a mental institution, although the reasoning behind so is never directly stated, the reader can infer it may have to do with Holden's depression troubles. For the most part, Holden's troubles are to blame on his own actions, he fails to realize his irresponsibly is the major cause of the negative aspects in his life. Holden's troubles of being an academic layabout and being reclusive seem to center from his biggest issue

To begin, when reading the novel one seems to come upon Holden‘s red hunting hat many times while reading. This hunting hat demonstrates Holden’s need for safety and comfort. He was deprived of it when he

It causes him to be even more depressed facing this issue, but he needs to solve it. Similarly when Phoebe is on the carousel, Holden is worrying about her falling, but it causes him to recognize that “the thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring you have to let them do it, they fall off, they fall off." (211). This causes Holden to understand that this is life and he must accept everything. One might object that this does not cause Holden to mature. However, to Holden from how he despises the society and avoiding it to now being about to at least admit this issue, not avoiding it and later start to go to school. He might not fully mature, but it is a huge step for him to becoming mature. Children will grow up including Holden and follow the way life works no matter what. Hence, Phoebe induces Holden 's way of viewing the world. Hence, the relationship with Phoebe changes Holden 's perspective of the world.

There is also a sense of self-consciousness that surrounds the hat as well. Holden never fails to mention when he is going to wear the hat and even removes the hat when he is going to be around people he knows, because "it was corny" but he "liked it that way." His self-consciousness of his hat therefore introduces a new component to the theme: Holden's want for isolation versus his desire for companionship.

Holden’s red hunting hat is his way of expressing that he is different from everyone else. In the beginning of the book, right after he met with Mr. Spencer, Holden

Holden first bought his red hunting hat in New York City before they left New York because he left the fencing gear on the subway. The hat is the same color as Allie and Phoebe’s hair color, so that might be a reason why he wears it; He wants to be a kid like Allie and Phoebe. One scene in the novel, before Holden yells down the hallway, he has his red hat turned backwards. This might mean that when he wants to show his true feelings to the world, he turns his his backwards as if he’s removing the protection it offers to show the world what they did to him.

Holden buys the red hunting hat when he's walking around New York after he forgets the fencing team's equipment on the subway. “ It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks… It only cost me a buck. The way I wore it, I swung the old peak way around to the back- very corny I'll admit, but I liked it that way. I looked good in it that way” (17-18). clearly the hat is an odd kind of hat for fashionable purposes but Holden isn't to normal himself. Holden tends to put on the hunting hat at odd times. In one time in particular Holden was in the back of the cab and he put the hat on for no reason. “ I’d put on my red hunting cap in the cab just for the hell of it, but I took it off before I checked in. I didn't want to look like a screwball or something” (61). Holden only puts the hat on when it comes to times he feels uncomfortable or nervous, Kinda like a child would have a stuffed animal bear because they feel protected with

    J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is the chronicle of a young man's metamorphosis from immaturity to unsure manhood. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, is a sixteen-year old boy who leaves the prep school he has been expelled from to escape the frightening reality of dealing with his parents. However, during his visit to New York City he is faced with the harsh reality that he cannot continue to hold onto his childhood. Holden is an extremely complex character and it is only by examining each layer of him that the reader is able to understand his painful metamorphosis.

Holden's hunting hat also shows symbolism of different moods and feelings he may be experiencing. First, the fact that it was a "hunting hat" symbolizes that he is searching for himself. And second, there is a pattern as to the way he wears he hat. When he is in a lost and depressed mood he would "turn peak around to the back" (Salinger 45), when he was in a good mood he would "pull the peak…around to the front" (Salinger 34). There is no specific sequence in these changes, his hat turns with his mood. It is as if the hat is directing him and comforting him in his quest to find himself.

Holden says,” You'd like her. I mean if you tell old Phoebe something, she knows exactly what the hell you're talking about. I mean you can even take her anywhere with you. If you take her to a lousy movie, for instance, she knows it's a lousy movie. If you take her to a pretty good movie, she knows it's a pretty good movie”. Holden considered his little sister smart, even though she was so young. At ten years old, skinny Phoebe was one of the few people Holden felt a connection with. Holden basically tried to find Allie in Phoebe and thus tried to protect and love her in every way possible. Holden’s obsession with Phoebe is an example of his isolation and extreme loneliness. The one person he wanted to connect with on several occasions was much younger, and was out of reach. Regarding Phoebe as a living copy of all that he loved in Allie, he was comforted by Phoebe’s jauntiness and vitality; he yearned to protect her from the ugliness he perceived in the world around them. Phoebe is perhaps the only reminder that Holden still had the capacity to

In the excerpt from chapter twenty-three of Catcher In the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden is with with his little sister Phoebe and suddenly starts to cry uncontrollably. Phoebe tries to comfort him by putting her arm around his neck even though she seems a bit scared. This passage shows the relationship that Holden and Phoebe share with one another. To prove this, Salinger uses character relationship and visual imagery in order to illustrate to the readers the love they have for each other. In the beginning of the excerpt Holden lets the readers know that he is with Phoebe, then later on in the passage we are shown the relationship they have with each other when “she put her old arm around my (Holden’s) neck” (line 6).

The author has put in plenty of themes, messages, ideas, issues, and motifs. The character, Holden Caulfield is alienated from society, is experiencing the painfulness of growing up, thinks that the adult world is full of phoniness, and is sick of hearing about the American Dream from his teachers. JD Salinger has created a book that has raised plenty of questions and controversy towards the readers. The Catcher in the Rye shows how a teenage mind works. JD Salinger has used a stream of consciousness writing style where the character (Holden Caulfield) talks in first person as he presents his thoughts and feelings to the readers. The setting has taken place in the early fifties and the book uses a lot of profane words. The New York