Catcher In The Rye Analysis

Holden’s struggle with school is a universal experience for teenagers. Students struggle to maintain great grades and stay connected with social aspect as well. In Catcher in the Rye, Holden gets kicked out of 4 schools and at his most recent school Pencey, he failed 4 out of 5 classes Holden does not have many more options for schools and as a result is struggling. Many teenagers can relate with Holden because 20% of high school students never graduate and over 1.2 million teens drop out of high school per year just like Holden. More studies show that 49% of students reported feeling a great deal of stress on a daily basis. When students have no more motivation it causes their grades to dramatically drop and the stress to pile on. Holden

Spencer told him that. Holden’s explanation of why he is passing one class only is typical as a teenager. Salinger’s message in this quote is dedicated to teachers. Salinger wants to send a message out there to teachers that teenagers are more pressured when they receive lectures from their teachers rather than a word of advice. Teenagers suffer because of school constantly. Teenagers have a hard time processing and learning new things everyday. Teenagers are more stressed out when they have to take tests that determines the grade they get. Holden’s struggles in school demonstrates the kind of problems real teenagers are facing.

In the beginning of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is an immature teenager. Holden gets kicked out of his school, Pencey Prep, for failing four out of five of his classes. He says, “They kicked me out. I

The coming of age phase in a young person’s life is a transitional phase which prompts the idea of individualism, decision making, acceptance, moral challenges, disappointment, and individual needs. These years are essential for the overall learning and growing-up part of someone’s life. Coming of age characteristics transpired in the novel The Catcher in the Rye and The Absolutely True Diary of a part-time Indian pertain to, but do not exclude, the acceptance of the complexities and “grayness” of the world, confrontation with the adult world, and the individual needs and desires vs. external pressures/expectations/norms. In both novels, young boys are faced with tough choices that will later help them in the overall transition from

“You'll have to jump.' 'I'll jump.' 'Jump!' Major Danby cried. Yossarian jumped. Nately's whore was hiding just outside the door. The knife came down, missing him by inches, and he took off” (Heller 350). Yossarian ends his dialogue in a cheery and fun way because he is finally going to be free from the oppression of the US military. This also shows his increased morals, because in the beginning, he would have just killed the girl for trying to kill him. He also uses arrangement to show America at the time like, “ Heller's satirical masterpiece tells us something about the madness of America” (Pilger, John). This shows how the novel portrays the insanity of the war at this time and how these people need help or to get out. The main part of the novel is just the insane adventures Yossarian goes on throughout his horrifying experience.

The character of Holden Caulfield has been built by Salinger to represent the stereotypical juvenile delinquent. He wears his hat backwards (p.15), swears using words like “goddamn” (p.18) and “crumby” and uses a lot of slang such as “chew the rag” (p.23) meaning to chat and “bucks” (p31) meaning dollars. Holden also involves himself in fights (p.36-39), smokes and flunks out of school these are all actions of rebellion against the expectations of adults. These behaviors highlight Holden’s attitude towards himself and others, and how others may perceive him as a person. Of course, we only appreciate this

Holden got expelled from school because he was not doing work or actually going to any of his classes, he only did work in one class of his and that was english. “ ‘Five, sir.’ ‘Five. And how many are you failing in?’ ‘Four.’ I moved my ass a little bit on the bed. It was the hardest bed I ever sat on. I passed English all right,’ I said, ‘because I had all that Beowulf and Lord Randal My Son stuff when I was at the Whooton School. I mean I didn't have to do any work in English at all hardly, except write compositions once in a while.’” Here holden explains to his teacher that he only does work in one class and that the other arer “too hard” for him. He also tries to make excuses on why he didn't pass them. So he decided to just quit school altogether and just leave.

Holden, an archetype like no other, does not believe in school. Or more accurately, he doesn’t believe in the phonies that inhabit it. “Phony” is a word used quite often throughout the book, causing it to have a few different meanings. Phony as in two-faced, or a phony as in a follower of society’s standards and beliefs. Or maybe to Holden, one is “phony” if he or she does not entertain his idea of how a person should act. Most of the people he comes in contact with are “phony” and irritate him in some way. Holden can spot a phony a mile away, bringing about a lack of focus in school, but also the softer more vulnerable parts of him that make him anxious for any sort of human comfort. In a world full of fakes, he is all alone, but his roller coaster of emotions attach and detach from some of these phonies he tries to

Holden Caulfield often glides in between the boundary of childhood and adulthood. Holden is able to see the hypocrisy of the adult world and he finds it to be completely asinine. Holden does not understand why teachers would change their behaviour in class and during other activities. Holden labels adults to be phoney because they fake their true intentions to get what they want. Holden’s delusions cause him to want to become the ‘catcher in the rye’ where he would defend any child that comes close to falling to the falseness of adulthood.

The Catcher in the Rye, by Jerome David Salinger, reveals the hardships that teenagers endure as they mature and enter adulthood. In this novel, Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year -old who has been kicked out of several schools, undergoes a gamut of problems. First, at the beginning of the novel, it is clear that Holden has a difficulty accepting himself and others; he constantly defines people as "phony". Secondly, as the novel progresses it becomes evident that Holden does not want to enter adulthood. Both problems lead to Holden's failure in his journey of life.

Holden Caulfield is not searching for any tangible object, but for a sense of purpose within himself. His initial reason for leaving his former school, Pencey State, is so he may return home to his beloved sister Phoebe. However as he ventures on home, he realizes that his true quest is to be free from the phoniness of society. Holden is no normal teenage boy and he goes against society's expectations by refusing to adapt to it. He expects society to conform to him rather than him conforming to society. Holden is desperately trying to follow in his deceased brother’s footsteps, as he never let society hold him

TH: Many people criticize the way J.D. Salinger’s way of writing Holden's character because of the belief that he is immature and too indecisive. He doesn't seem to care about himself or what others think of him at times. His ability to make quite possibly the worst decisions in every social situation baffles the readers to the point where he seems unrealistic at best. At heart though, Holden Caulfield is stuck in the third stage of Maslow's Hierarchy and because of that, is very naive and everything that happened to him is purely because of how inexperienced he is.

Holden repeatedly mentions his admiration for his younger sister, Phoebe. He idolizes her because she represents his

Holden’s main goal throughout the novel, whether conscious or not, is to protect and preserve innocence. He wants the ability to protect others as well as struggles with freeing his own. “The only people who do not lie about their feelings are innocent children- children Holden wants to protect from the evils of adulthood,” (Kallen, 64). Specifically he wants to save his younger sister Phoebe. Holden sees a more pure version of himself in Phoebe.

"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of