Catcher in the Rye, All Quiet on the Western Front, A Separate Peace, Great Expectations, and Romeo

Throughout the novel, Holden attempts to find the true from of himself as he struggles with the social interactions around him. Due to the struggle and confusion that arouses from it,

He doesnt want to accept the reality and prefers to live in his own world where adults arent superficial and hypocritical. He can not come up with anything better to live by than his fantasy of being the catcher in the rye and reflects his innocence in the uncorupted youth, and all he wishes to do is protect that spirit. I see where he comes from though because its hard to accept the real world and have to grow up leaving behind that purness. Its something holden didnt want to loose and protet others who might be in danger of loosing it

He is not intensely preoccupied with academic achievement like many more modern teenagers, having failed out of several prestigious preparatory schools, but he is clearly intelligent and tends to dwell on“heavy” topics like death and loss of innocence. His cynicism and sensitivity, in addition to the trauma he experiences from losing his brother Allie, suggest that he has depression or another untreated mental illness, an interpretation which is common among readers and supported by Holden’s visit with a psychotherapist at the end of the novel. Despite the risks he faces through having an untreated mental illness, shown when he is warned that he is “riding for some kind of a terrible, terrible fall” through self-destructive behavior, the conformist culture and social niceties of the 1950s prevented him from being able to discuss his thoughts for a large portion of the novel. (186) This culture, specifically the “phony” prep schools, is clearly toxic for Holden and likely contributed heavily towards his negative mental state, and therefore the negative image he often has of

Adolescence is a time of stressful transition for teenagers. They are straddling the fence between childhood and adulthood. Changes in their bodies, brains, thinking, values, friends, responsibilities and expectations cause events that are usually a time fraught with turbulence, for both the teen and their parents. This is a normal part of human development, and must be endured in order to come out the other side, hopefully well-adjusted, happy, healthy, and

In the bildungsroman Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger employs the struggle of individuality, inevitable maturation, and the childhood corruption of adulthood to reveal Holden’s alienation from society.

This essay is a detailed analysis about The Catcher in the Rye investigating whether it is relevant for youth and

Mr. Spencer tried to tell Holden that life can be fun, and he must grow up when he said, "Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules." (Salinger 8) However, Holden displays a very curious and inquisitive side to his personality after he questions the ducks in Central Park. He is also searching for a deeper meaning to life, which causes some to see him as being very naive and juvenile. Holden lacks the self-confidence that he should have because it is acting very negatively upon his mind. He has the ability to poison his mind with words, and then force himself to believe that it is true. For example, Holden said," Then I read this other article about how you can tell if you have cancer or not. It said if you had any sores in your mouth that didn't heal pretty quickly, it was a sign that you probably had cancer. I'd had this sore on the inside of my lip for about two weeks. So figured I was getting cancer. That magazine was some little cheerer upper. I finally quit reading it and went outside for a walk. I figured I'd be dead in a couple of months because I had cancer. I really did. I was even positive I would be." (Salinger 196) Holden's inability to reassure himself has led him to be very negative about himself. He does not believe that he stands a chance of success in the world, so he describes himself as a failure. Holden has been told numerous times from his teachers,

Everyone wants to know who they are, and why they were put here. People often wonder about their futures and what kind of person they really are. In the novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Catcher in the Rye, both of the protagonists, despite the different settings, the other characters, their restrictions and the different people that they are, are searching for the same thing - themselves.

Teenage years are the time of a person’s life when they really start exploring their identity, who they are and who they want to be. During these years it can be hard trying to figure out who you are and where you belong, with the constant

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 teen years for many adolescents have been proven to be a time of relationship identity, growth and struggle. Such is the case in the abovementioned movie. The adolescents in this movie, tackle issues that are synonymous with being a developing teenager. For instance, peer pressure, academic challenges and parent-teen conflicts were easily visible throughout the movie. Many of the adolescents had a strong tendency to mesh with other adolescents whose character roles and goals aligned with their own. These adolescents are at a pivotal point in their developmental stage (identity versus identity diffusion) where they are trying to develop a sense of self and personal identity. This is essential for their development into adulthood. In addition,

For Erikson (1950) adolescence is a period during which individuals seek to avoid dangers of role diffusion and identity confusion by establishing a sense of personal identity. Individuals have to find answers for two major questions “who am I?” and “what is my place in society?” Identity is a “conscious sense of individual uniqueness” and an “unconscious striving for a continuity of experience” (Erikson, 1968, p. 208).

Adolescence is about fitting in. This is the stage of life where kids are being judged by the way they dress, how big their house is, and even the amount of money their parents make. People aren’t being accepted into social groups because they are judged by what they look like and how they live, instead of their personality. As Shane Koyczan states, “We were being told that we somehow must become what we are not, sacrificing what we are to inherit the masquerade of what we will be. I was being told to accept the identity that others will give me,” (Koyczan). This personal experience illustrates to us that people who don’t fit in are dealing with problem by ignoring it and allowing people to have control over them. Instead of reaching out to people

Identity in life can be influenced by both yourself and others. The clothes you wear, your attitude, and interests are significantly altered by you and the things you see around you, such as trends, ads, news, videos, and more. During World War II, though, your identity was affected by the yourself, the war, and those around you, as you knew few other people than your immediate friends and family. In A Separate Peace, both Gene and Finny, who are very close friends, affect each other’s identities throughout the novel.

Repeatedly, the term adolescence is used described an awkward and reckless period in one’s life; a phase parents dread and individuals struggle to trudge through with their sanity. However, looking past the challenges that may arise at this point in a person’s life, adolescence is a time to explore one’s identity, make decisions for oneself, and take on new and exciting responsibilities. Adolescence is a transitional period from childhood to early adulthood, starting around 10 to 12 years old and ending at about 18 or 19 years of age (Santrock, 2014). Concerning my own life, adolescence is when I started making more decisions for myself such as what I wanted to pursue regarding education and the kind of career I want to work towards, what