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Catcher In The Rye Analysis

Decent Essays

Throughout life, we do not want to accept the fact that we all have weaknesses. We strive to be perfect but we can’t be because of setbacks, for example: mental illnesses. In the novel, “The Catcher In The Rye” Holden struggles to connect with people that don’t sympathize with him. He writes from an institution where he receives help from a psychoanalyst, and through this, we learn that Holden is a teenager who suffers from the loss of a loved one, his brother. Although Holden could suffer from psychotic depression, society isn’t supplying the right guidance for his sadness, hallucinations, and paranoia.

Throughout the novel, it’s clear that Holden has a problem that he isn’t aware of. He struggles to connect with humanity, people that don’t sympathize with him, people he considers to be phony. For example, when Holden is at Old Ernie’s and “Everyone clap[s] their heads off, old Ernie turn[s] around on his stool and [gives] this very phony, humble bow” (84). Holden doesn’t understand why the crowd claps so hard and why Ernie turns around, but in reality, it’s normal for a musician to bow after his performance. Another example of Holden’s bizarre behavior, and he enjoys Sally’s company although, “she was quite a little phony” (106). Holden calls Sally phony because he is upset that she doesn’t recognize him on the phone. Within the short conversation, Holden describes the word grand as phony. He dislikes the word, stating people only use it because are phony. Lastly, Sally

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