Fear In The Catcher In The Rye

    Holden Caulfield, the main character in J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher In The Rye, feels that he needs to protect people around him, because he failed to protect his brother Allie from death. Holden feels that he has to care for those close to him. He watches over Jane, Phoebe, and even Mrs. Murrow when he meets her on the train. Holden tries to shield these people from distress. He does not want to fail anyone else.

He is terrified of being alone in the chamber he is in when the poem takes place. The "sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain thrilled me-filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before"

The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J.D. Salinger. It is narrated by Holden Caulfield, a cynical teenager who recently got expelled from his fourth school. Though Holden is the narrator and main character of the story, the focus of Salinger’s tale is not on Caulfield, but of the world in which we live. The Catcher in the Rye is an insatiable account of the realities we face daily seen through the eyes of a bright young man whose visions of the world are painfully truthful, if not a bit jaded. Salinger’s book is a must-read because its relatable symbolism draws on the reader’s emotions and can easily keep the attention of anyone.

Everyone jokes about having an existential crisis, but in reality, the root of the problem is the unspoken existential anxiety that affects all people. Existential anxiety is the anxiety caused by the morality of a person’s life span. This causes them to think about what purpose they have in life, or how they are significant to society. In J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, a young man named Holden Caulfield, recalls his memories of a weekend alone in New York. During this time, Holden attempts to cope with his existential anxiety through immature, childish impulses, causing Self-Hatred, but becomes Self-Compassionate due to his growing awareness of the effect he has on people around him.

People rebel for a cause. In the book “The Catcher in the Rye” , the protagonist, Holden Caulfield is living in a school called Pencey Prep. Holden is failing all of his classes except English, and he often curses and smokes cigarettes in his dorm. One of Holden’s main problems in life is the death of his brother Allie. Allie, who died of leukemia 3 years prior to the events of the book, was the only person who deeply understood Holden. When Allie died, Holden broke all of the windows in his garage while breaking his own hand. Holden even states that he tried to break his family’s station wagon, but his hand was broken. This event shows that Holden really cared about Allie and that his death had a huge impact on his life. The death of

moral respect when he is very nice to a kid who really has no friends

Over the course of Tom Robinson’s trial, Mayella’s state of mind shifts from anxious and nervous to distress and panic due the aspects of guilt and fear. When Mayella is called to the witness stand, and asked to provide her testimony, she is very uneasy, uncertain and hesitant towards her claims. As the questions grow more specific and complex, Mayella has a difficult time answering and struggles with providing the truth.

The definition of existential anxiety is the negative feeling that arises in a human being. In the novel, Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden narrates events that happen after his school, Pencey, kicked him out for his deficient grades.With signs of this anxiety, he quickly finds himself in a state of depression caused by his struggle of growing up. Overwhelmed and afraid, Holden runs the other direction when he is hit with the idea of aging and his immature and innocent characteristics allow him to wander astray. Holden deals with his existential anxiety from his greatest fear, but throughout the story, we distinguish him experience phases of self hate from childish impulses and attempting to move towards the

It has been said that "Fear can’t be the driving force. " In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee reveals fear as a contagious disease. In Maycomb County, fear dominates the minds of its residents by locking them in their comfort zone and forcing them to act selfishly. This demonstrates how fear is a disease that affects one’s decisions and prevents them from thinking straight.

After reading The Catcher in the Rye, I feel the main theme of this novel is the relatable fear of going into adulthood. To start with, Holden’s goal is not trying to achieve maturity like most protagonists of a novel if anything it is to avoid maturity at all costs. For example, when Holden goes to the National Museum of History his thoughts about the Exhibits in the museum goes to show his fear of complexity, he continues explaining in detail that no matter how many times you go the Exhibits don't change at all but the person does and he wonders if it's the same for his sister Phoebe as it was for him also thinking he isn't depressed about that but he isn't happy about his sister having to grow up either as well as “Certain things

Society is never perfect, there has never been one that has. Countless problems come from every society, some less than others. There is always good when there is bad, and what is bad to some may seem good to others. In the 1950’s many things deemed socially acceptable are not in today's standards. Even so, the author realized what was wrong with his society and used Holden and his experiences to reveal the problems occurring in everyday life and how disgusting they seemed to someone from a different point of view.. The Catcher in the Rye has a focus on addressing the problems of the culture in the society of the 1950’s, using examples of women, children, and people in general.

Throughout the existence of Earth, the Human Race has endured and persevered through impossible challenges, yet one dark parasite has managed to cling for dear life. The immoral leech of fear persists in its presence within humanity, and is best examined through Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In the novel, the narrator, Scout Finch, and her brother Jem progress through their childhood while witnessing a trial scene that embodies many of the life lessons depicting how humanity acts. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee uses characterization and symbolism to show that fear has corrupted humanity. Even though world religions and common sense calls for humans to have empathy, Humans often resort to racism as an outlet of fear of change.

The poem “Our Deepest Fear” is a paragraph that was taken from her first book “A Return To Love”. Marianne Williamson’s life is connected to the poem because she had her share of ups and downs. When writing her first book she shared how a nervous breakdown changed her drastically. Her breakdown re-orientated her life. Williamson shares “And as we let our own light shine, We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, Our presence automatically liberates others” (19-22). As Williamson went through her rough situation, she showed no struggle. She continued to push herself to overcome the situation. Her self-confidence began to influence others to overcome their obstacles. She realized that once a person notices what was stopping them from being who they want to be and they change, other will soon realize and follow. She always considered herself as a fighter, which is why she is heavily involved in politics. She fights not only for herself but also for change in the world and for justice. She fought through darkness within her anxieties to break through into the light to be free with herself. After her fight, she began to have more freedom within herself. She believes that everyone has a greater purpose without the sense of fear that is attached to one’s

With the help of imagery, this poem tells the story of a woman beaten down, victimized, and rejected by society. In the last stanza Sexton writes “where your flames still bite my thigh” (18) and “my ribs crack where your wheels wind”, these are powerful pictures that exemplify a woman being accused of being a witch, being tortured like in the sixteenth century when this was deemed acceptable. She uses this comparison to express to just what extent society has beaten down this woman and just how much pain is inflicted.

Aristotle comments in Poetics that the audience can relate to the protagonist through fear. Joe Sachs comments that, “Fear can obviously be an insidious thing that undermines life and poisons it with anxiety,” (Sachs).