Analysis Of ' Holden 's ' The Great Gatsby '

The 1920s in America, known as the "Roaring Twenties", was a time of celebration after a destructive war. It was a period of time in America characterised by prosperity and optimism. There was a general feeling of disruption associated with modernity and a break with traditions.The Roaring Twenties was a time of great economic prosperity and many people became rich and wealthy. Some people inherited "old money" and some obtained "new money". However, there was the other side of prosperity and many people also suffered the nightmare of being poor. In the novel,The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a wealthy character

Holden’s immaturity causes him many problems throughout the story. Although he is physically mature, he acts more like a child. “All of a sudden I

Dreams are a compelling force in people’s lives. They are what propel them forward each and every day in an effort to reach something better. The American Dream has been sought after by millions all over the world for hundreds of years. This country was founded on the belief that anyone could achieve their dreams. However, in the 1920s these hopes and aspirations began to splinter until they ultimately shattered. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism, setting, and theme to depict the unattainability of the American Dream.

He may still be a young boy but he is very independent and basically lives on his own for the entirety of the book, but his negative outlook transforms independence into isolation. He is incredibly lonely but also pushes people away when he has a chance to get close to them. Such as his date with Sally Hayes which was going very well until he pushed her away with his harsh words, “You give me a royal pain in the ass, if you want to know the truth” (Ch. 17 pg. 173). Just because Sally wouldn’t run away with him and be independent with him he pushed her away. Holden may think he wants to be free and independent but his negative outlook just feeds his loneliness and

Let’s consider once more Holden’s view of adults and his quest. As stated before, his views of mistrust of adults derive from their lack of empathy and their cynicism. Holden's parents for example did not teach him about life but rather they sent him off to a boarding school, creating a communication barrier between them. They also seemed to get over the death of his brother much faster than Holden could. In the book, Allie died of leukemia at the age of 11, which Holden emotionally devastated, since his youngest brother and his role model passed away so quickly. As a result of Allie’s death, Holden broken the windows in the garage and hurt himself; this shows how the death affected him and was an important caused of Holden’s mental state.

Amidst the dense and desolate forests of the Stampede Trail, located in Alaska, lies an abandoned bus. In this decaying automobile lies a blue sleeping bag, containing much greater than what initially appears to be simply an unshaven beard and a pair of dark, sleep-deprived eyes, shaded temporarily by resting lids and a tangled mess of lashes. Instead, here lies an adventurous mind that would no longer have the capability to wander, a mere twenty-four year old life stolen from a brother, a son, a friend, a bundle of ideas that would never be given the opportunity to seep their way into the minds of others. Here lies: Christopher McCandless. Alongside these remains lie plenty

Holden is very immature and cannot act his age for anything. In the beginning of the story, Holden was very immature and self-centered and he often did very immature things, but he wanted to be an adult. This is very contradicting considering that he is very immature. In the novel, Holden states, “Boy! I said. I also say Boy! quite a lot. Partly because I have a lousy vocabulary and partly because I act quite young for my age sometimes. I was sixteen then, and I'm seventeen now, and sometimes I act like I'm about thirteen.” (Salinger 16). This shows how Holden is very immature and needs to start acting his age and this could be dangerous to society. This is why he needs to stay inside the mental facility. In the mental facility, he will be safe and he will not cause any harm to anyone or to himself

Holden contemplates moving out west by himself to fulfill his desire of independence, leaving Phoebe, the only person who truly cares for him, behind in the process. When Holden returns home from Pencey, he explains to Phoebe that he got expelled from school. Phoebe expresses her great concern for Holden’s safety from their father, but Holden reassures her he has a plan. He tells her “In the first place, [he’s] going away. What [he] may do, [he] may get a job on a ranch or something for a while. [he knows] this guy whose grandfather’s got a ranch in colorado. [He] may get a job out there… [He’ll] keep in touch with [Phoebe] and all when [he’s] gone, if [he goes]” (Salinger 165). “I’m going away” makes Holden sound like he has committed to departing. “I may get a job out there” highlights how Holden has thought this through and how he wants to continue with this idea. However, “may” connotes a sense of uncertainty which portrays his corrupt morals because he does not have a definite plan for when he reaches the west, but he will abandon his sister anyways. Holden reassures Phoebe he will still be there for her by saying “I’ll keep in touch”, even though he decided to leave her. Holden’s explanation to Phoebe about moving fulfills his wants and will make him independent, however he will be leaving Phoebe behind, who is the only person who truly cares about him since his parents are never around and uninvolved. Later on in the novel, Holden finally decides to leave for the

In The Great Gatsby, the author, F Scott Fitzgerald depicts the post - war roaring 20’s, a time of overwhelming prosperity and a new found sense of hope for the future. While this novel is often perceived as a romance, it is also a criticism on the devastating nature of the elusive american dream. The story of Jay Gatsby is a representation of what had become the values of the individual at the time. With the progression of the early 1920’s the vision of the perfect life, or the american dream, had been skewed. It was replaced with greed, and an abundance of reckless spending in which the wealthier individuals placed their misguided ideas of happiness. In the Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald chooses to expose the hidden truth behind the illustrious concept of the American dream. Through his use of literary devices such as, symbolism, metaphor, and, irony the central idea of the truly unattainable American dream is supported throughout the novel.

A large part of Holden’s depression stems from his hatred of the adult world that Holden believes is full of “phonies.” To Holden, phony people are not limited to purely “fake” people, but also people who act in a stereotypical way. For example, if a Catholic preached to him and asked him if he was a Catholic, they would be “phony” in his eyes, because they behaved in a way that is generally expected of them. However, this view that Holden holds is hypocritical of him, because he is constantly making generalizations and lying at impulse to almost everyone he meets just because he “feels like it” (Salinger 58). Holden cannot control his compulsive lying which shows that his control over his primal instincts is restricted which is likely a

Gatsby cannot be classified as a truly moral person who exhibits goodness or correctness in his character and behaviour. Gatsby disputes most moral damage throughout the novel. Gatsby exhibits characteristics explaining the reason behind moral decay in society. Corruption and lies are responsible for the destruction of humanity. Gatsby’s whole life’s basically is a lie as he created a fake identity for himself. A whole new persona, Jay Gatsby is not even his real name. Gatsby

The goal that that Holden has to try so hard to fulfil is symbolic of his need to differentiate himself from the "phonies" around him. Holden’s image of people is pretty bad because he believes no one acts how they truly feel. Growing up scares Holden because it leads to adulthood. In his eyes once he hits adulthood, it'll eventually lead into the same phoniness as the rest of the adults. His constant avoidance and dodging of people and situations causes him to become more and more distant from normal society and social stability.

Holden would dress in atypical clothes and would flunk out of all his classes in hopes to get the attention he lacked from his parents. His desperation for attention ultimately causes him to be seen as an outsider, and isolates him from his community. He tells his professor, Mr. Spencer, that he feels as if he is “trapped on the other side of life” and how he is trying to fit into a world where he doesn’t belong in. In my opinion, Holden’s alienation is also caused by his fear of becoming an adult. However, instead of admitting to his fear, Holden denounces it by stating adulthood is phony and fake. In the novel, he portrays childhood as a time of innocence, learning, and happiness; while adult hood is denoted as a dark, phony, and unhappy time. He constantly is criticizing adults of being “phony”, when in reality he is the phony one. Holden uses phoniness to represent all of the bad things in the world and uses it as a reason to isolate himself from the world to deal with his loneliness. Holden also isolates himself due to his craving for stability. Holden’s life had been constantly changing; changing boarding schools,

He drinks, he smokes and rebel against both his teachers and adults. Holden is a very negative person and is constantly trashing other people, if not he is lying to them. He likes calling people ‘phonies’, even tough he acts like a phony himself. And this is his hefty scare, he is terrified of growing up, yet he realises it is time for his body is changing and turning him into a man. Holden has had an uncomplicated life if you disregard away from his brother’s death. He comes from a good family, has never lacked anything and has agreeable opportunities. An instead of using this to his advantage, he gets sucked down into a pessimistic and sad vortex. He never feels at home anyplace or feels a strong connection to people. Rebelling is an ordinary thing to go through in your adolescence and Holden has it bad. He is indeed a ‘rebel without a

“The Great Gatsby” is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in 1925, it is set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City from spring to autumn of 1922. The novel takes place following the First World War. American society enjoyed prosperity during the “roaring” as the economy soared. At the same time, prohibition, the ban on the sale and manufacture of alcohol as mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment, made millionaires out of bootleggers. After its republishing in 1945 and 1953, it quickly found a wide readership and is today widely