Catcher in the Rye Holdens Faliure in the Journey of Life

Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D Salinger is a classic novel that is not only controversial but contains relatable characters such as Holden Caulfield. Holden is a 16 year old boy who has gone through so much pain and hurt throughout his life that he has given up in school and during the novel you start to see that he has given up at life itself as well. Holden struggles with depression, unhealthy drinking habits and with failing out of school. These three struggles are very relatable to teenagers these days. In the following paragraphs I will show you the connection between teenagers these days and Holden and the the similarities that make him such a relatable character. Holden is an ideal and universal representation of teenagers.

The irony of Holden detesting phoniness and adulthood is that he acts so much like an adult with his curiosity and experience with alcohol and sex that he misses his own opposition. Holden hates the responsibility, morality, and accountability of being an adult and embraces childhood. This contradicts everything that he desires and to want to take part in. This causes his own corruption and enables a failure to relate to himself.

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

“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly” (Henri Bergson). The transition from childhood to adulthood, immaturity to maturity, is an inescapable reality of life. This transition is characterized by one fundamental aspect -- change. In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, 17 year-old protagonist Holden Caulfield gradually begins to grasp this concept and change his perspectives on life. The story begins with Holden failing out of yet another school; “one of the worst schools [Holden has] ever went to. It was full of phonies. And mean guys” (167). To avoid returning home, Holden leaves school two days early to New York City, where he encounters and interacts with teachers, prostitutes, nuns, women, and his younger sister, from which he gains spiritual growth and emotional maturity. Throughout the course of the novel, readers are able to experience the “madman stuff” (1) that occurs to Holden, and his struggles against death and adulthood in these two days. Ultimately, Holden Caulfield exhibits significant growth in moving from immaturity to maturity when he shows the willingness to take on responsibilities, acceptance of the impossibilities in the world, and overcoming the fear of emotional attachment.

The Catcher in the Rye is one of J. D. Salinger's world-famous books about the disgruntled youth. Holden Caulfield is the main character and he is a seventeen- year-old dropout who has just been kicked out of his fourth school. Navigating his way through the challenges of growing up, Holden separates the “phony” aspects of society, and the “phonies” themselves. Some of these “phony” people in his life are the headmaster whose friendliness depends on the wealth of the parents, and his roommate who scores with girls using sickly-sweet affection. This book deals with the complex issues of identity, belonging, connection, and alienation. Holden senses these feelings most of the time and is guilty about many things in

At the museum that Holden visits while he is waiting for his younger sister Phoebe to come meet him, Holden gets asked by a group of young boys if he knew where the mummies are. Holden tells the boys where the mummies are because he was younger he would go when to see them. Surprisingly, Holden knows a great deal about the mummies, more than he did on his test at Pency. The museum is a reflection of how much he knows and his childhood because Holden really knows more than he thinks he does. Holden would visit the museum as a child with his school to learn about many different things. To Holden, the best part about the museum was, “everything always stayed right where it was” (121) Holden must learn to accept that not everything can always stay right where they are, things must change in order to move forward. His childhood is important to him because it was a source of good

Furthermore, Holden starts daydreaming and thinking about his ideal future. He thinks, “I got excited as hell thinking about it. I really did. I knew the part about pretending I was a deaf-mute really decided to go out West and all” (Salinger, 199). As seen before, Holden is running away from his problems like a child and displays symptoms of helplessness because of his existential anxiety. Instead of facing the problem head on, Holden acts as if he is unable to live his idea self. Ultimately, Holden shows that he is in the path of self hate due to his childish and immature behavior.

            Holden is quite skilled at citing exactly what is wrong with other people.  However he never acknowledges his own faults.  He was sure the entire world was out of step with him.  As Alan Stewart explains, ?Holden seemed to divide the world into two groups.  He was in one group, along with a few other people such as his little sister, Phoebe, and

Holden has several insecurities that are displayed throughout the book that hint at his condition.

There is another lesson Holden had to learn. He needed to learn how to be satisfied with his company. He was always looking for someone to call or someone to talk to. When he finally did have some company, he did nothing but criticize them. For example, Sally Hayes went out with Holden, and throughout the entire time he complained and criticized her. He

In J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, teenager Holden Caulfield travels home to discover himself. In the beginning, Holden has gotten kicked out of several previous schools. He is only sixteen years old and is by far an instigator. While attending a new boarding school, he is already failing four of his classes at his new school. Holden is the informed that he will be expelled due to his academics. Holden becomes very frustrated and goes to seek advice from one of his favorite teachers, Mr. Spencer.

“Phoniness” is something that is attacked all throughout The Catcher in the Rye because it’s something that adds fire Holden Caulfield’s personality. Readers should be supportive, and understanding of Holden or else they’ll end up being just Holden. The problem with Holden is that, “Holden is himself guilty of all the things that make him call other “phony.” (62). He’s very hypocritical; the way he criticizes others are the same flaws that he has. Holden does not hold himself accountable for being a hypocrite because he is not, yet mature enough to put things into perspective. Those who failed in aiding Holden for his conditions failed him; readers should not fault Holden for his condition. Through the complexion of Holden’s character it’s known, “The popularity of the novel suggests, however, that fully literate youth in our society finds it especially easy to identify with Holden.” (63). Holden is looking for someone to understand him which is why he constantly seeks company. He seeks company constantly because “ he is not yet ready to accept this demanding intellectual responsibility.”

The Catcher in the Rye, a novel written by J.D. Salinger, follows the short journey in which a teenage boy is coming to terms with his encroaching adulthood. Holden, the main character, has been kicked out of a private school for the third time. In New York, he is on the verge of a mental breakdown. Holden is reluctant to act on the obvious solution of returning home and feels discombobulation towards the consequences he might have to face. He reflects on the death of his brother and struggles from loneliness because his brother was the only person he really had a connection with. He now has no one around his age to reach out to.Salinger illustrates through the struggles of Holden that the hardest part of growing up the whirl winds a

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, explores the world of Holden Caulfield; a teenage boy struggling with adolescence. The novel is told from Holden Caulfield’s perspective as he takes us through what happens to him after he is expelled from Pencey Prep. Throughout his journey, we observe his ignorant and hostile attitude. However, the most noticeable thing about Holden is his irresponsibility and his incapability of being able to take care of himself. With all this in mind, Caulfield’s outcome is inappropriate because he needs therapy and the help of his family to get to a more healthy, mental state.

Although J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is widely considered a coming of age novel, Holden tries to avoid growing up for a majority of the book. The novel follows the protagonist Holden Caulfield in the days after he leaves Pencey, his boarding school in Pennsylvania, and ventures into New York on his own. Throughout the book, Holden has a simple view of the world in which he sees adult characters as “phonies” and “bastards” while he sees young children as “good”, innocent, and pure. As Holden is exposed to the many challenges of adulthood in New York, he tries to preserve his own childhood and innocence because he sees so many flaws in the adult world. Holden also dreams of preserving the innocence and purity of the children around him, such as his “kid sister Phoebe” because he does not want to see them grow up (66). While Holden’s desire to protect innocence and stop change initially causes tension between his ideas of running away and staying to protect Phoebe, Holden eventually resolves this tension by deciding to stay with Phoebe. However, after Holden decides to stay, his realization that change occurs in a circular motion helps him finally accept the transition into adulthood and let go of his desire to prevent change.