After a heated argument, rough day, or traumatizing event, many of us say we would rather be left alone. When something negative happens to any of us we tend to isolate ourselves, leaving ourselves to our thoughts for a while before blending back into society. This isolation is good for a while, it allows us to clear our heads and think things through before going back into a normal routine. Prolonged isolation however, has been proven to be potentially dangerous. Holden Caulfield isolates himself from the "phoniness" of the world, thinking highly of himself and somehow believes he is different from everyone else he 's ever met. Holden 's way of putting himself on a pedestal harms his social prowess, and isolates him to the point of loneliness. He longs for social contact and in many situations makes a strong effort in order to get to know somebody. After 5 minutes of conversation however, Holden proves to us his social impairment. Holden Caulfield is an example of a person who does not fit into normal social interactions, yet some of his personality exists in all of us.
"The first thing I did when I got off at Penn Station, I went into this phone booth. I felt like giving somebody a buzz […] but as soon as I was inside, I couldn 't think of anybody to call up. My brother D.B. was in Hollywood. My kid sister Phoebe […] was out. Then I thought of giving Jane Gallagher 's mother a buzz […]. Then I thought of calling this girl […] Sally Hayes. […] I thought of calling […]
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a story about the trials of life and the toll it can take on the psyche. I believe that Holden Caulfield is an under credited hero. He is a teenager forced to grow up in a time of turmoil with severe emotional handicaps placed upon him by family, friends and life in general.
The lousy football team was losing again. My date Jean or whatever, and I were getting cold and it started snowing, so we left during halftime. As we were walking back, Jane looked cold and I went to put my arm around her. She shook it off and gave me the phoniest look you ever saw. When we reached the Pencey Prep building, I told Jane to go wait in the annex while I went upstairs real quick. Before my date with her, I need my roommate's houndstooth jacket.
It is very clear that the character of Holden Caulfield morally values authenticity, and it is here where we find J.D. Salinger's most significant challenge to Holden's morality. The novel is told from Holden's point of view and how we see the story must first go through the filter that is Holden Caulfield. We, the readers, are at the mercy of Holden's perception of the events that unfold in the novel, and with this we must question whether or not what we are being told is entirely true. Though Holden does value honesty, the story he is telling is not an entirely pleasant one, and does not always hold Holden in the best light. Salinger gives Holden every opportunity to withhold information or lie about a situation, but we see time and time
Holden Caulfield is alone for the first time, forcing him to not only see the reality of everlasting corruption, but also show him he stands alone in wanting to preserve young innocence. Throughout the book Holden is always putting forth efforts to help everyone, further pushing him astray from society's normalities. While some may say that Holden is always distraught because of his own reckless behavior, I say Holden is trying to counter reckless behavior that is being forced upon the young people in society. In a battle of innocence versus corruption, Holden Caulfield is left an outcast due to his morals and efforts made to preserve a childlike innocence.
When thinking about heroes in American literature, reader's many times think about people who go out of their way to help other people and put their needs above their own. The thing with Holden is he does not do these things. He is the exact opposite, honestly, but he is someone that most teenagers can relate to, so that makes him a hero in American Literature. He does embody many of the qualities that people relate with Americans. Because he has a very negative view of everything, he makes more of a legitimate critique of American society because he does not sugar coat anything.
Holden Caulfield has two main mental states, loneliness and depression; while these are two different capacities, they have direct connections to each other. Holden is not only lonely externally, but internally as well. By purposely isolating himself in order to protect from other mental injuries, Holden’s isolation pressures him into wishing that doesn’t need other people, when in reality, he truly needs them to stay
Dealing with death or accepting death can be one of the most stressful endeavours among young people who have not developed the maturity to cope with it. It is a very fragile time in a child’s life and he or she may not know how to deal with his or her loss in a healthy way. Holden Caulfield, the emotionless 16-year-old boy and the main character in the fictional novel The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, lost his brother Allie from Leukemia at a young age. Holden was traumatized by this and struggles throughout the novel with trying to handle his emotions.
Ah, teen angst and the vaguely sweet smell of a summer night. Two forms lay sprawled out on the roof of a house identical to its neighbors and the seemingly endless maze of houses that felt like well made forgeries in a street market. Almost too good to be true, reflective of many of their inhabitants. Living with the mask of normality, so none know their true feelings or struggles.
We all hold something close to our hearts that really means something to us. In Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a 16 year old young man that has gone through some rough times. With a little brother, Allie, that died of cancer at the age of 11, A big brother, D.B., who became big writing children's books so he left for hollywood soon after Allie’s death. Holden has been dropped out of three schools, and is currently attending Pency. Holden doesn't have much to be happy about in his life, not really much to live for. But those few things that he does love, that he does care for, really do mean something special. For instance, Holden’s little sister, Phoebe. Phoebe switches a switch in holden's mind that
Most kids around the world are practically bouncing off their chairs in excitement, because they just can’t possibly wait to grow up. However, there comes a certain time when that innocence will realize what a lengthy, and complex jungle-gym it must climb through to reach this so-called adulthood, and that is no doubt scary. In the novel Catcher in the Rye written by J. D. Salinger, the somewhat deluded hero, Holden Caulfield, begins to learn what it real adulthood is, through the symbolism of The Museum of Natural History, the red hunting hat, and Mr. Antolini. The issue with Mr. Caulfield, is that he is unable to go through this “jungle-gym to adulthood” with any kind of grace, he flails and trips with almost every step, but even if he falls, he still continues going forward. No matter how hard he wants to run back to childhood, he cannot, life pushes him forward, like gravity holds him to the earth.
In J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, undergoes an immense psychological change where he transforms from youth to maturity. The major conflict in the novel which held Holden back from progressing into adulthood had to do with the death of his younger brother, Allie. The way Holden expresses himself and all of the decisions he has made can all be related back to that experience which he has never been able to cope with. As a result, Holden spends the majority of his time alone which only further hinders his ability to find comfort. Finally, his unprovoked animosity towards adults and extreme uncontrollable emotions are a testament to his immaturity. It is not until Holden is watching Phoebe at
Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye constantly gets in trouble by many authority figures, often getting expelled from several private schools. Salinger's portrayal of Holden as this notorious boy would most likely cause many readers to despite Holden for his attitude; however, despite the facade of being care-free that he illustrates, Holden is actually a confused boy following the path to loneliness. Holden's persona causes him to get in trouble for often insulting and judging others by their physical appearance and manners as he tries to fit in the world. As someone who cannot seem to be able to get in, Holden often does the unthinkable and act unaccordingly to "society's norm". Holden is best described
Phoebe Caulfield is Holden Caulfield’s 10-year-old sister who is the voice of reason throughout this novel in Holden’s thoughts and in the advice she gives him in person. Holden’s stubborn character and emotional maturity seem foolish and less charming once we meet Phoebe. Through her thoughts and opinions as well as through Holden’s indirect characterization of her, Phoebe’s character is revealed, which has an impact on the theme of childhood innocence, challenges Holden’s view of the world, and her perspective allows us to better understand Holden’s true character.
Everyone has lost someone dear to them, often during their happiest stage- childhood. It feels like a ceiling crashing down, and affects everyone differently. Holden from J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye took the death of his brother, Allie, terribly and broke all of the windows in his family’s garage. Even his various addictions are likely related to Allie’s death. Through this and other experiences, all of his innocence is lost, and he became extremely aware of the world’s hardship much too soon. Because of this, Holden Caulfield is very protective of the purity of children, especially his sister Phoebe’s, because his was gone much too quickly.
The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger launches a number of themes and mental images in his novel The Catcher in the Rye, and he also places full responsibility of narrating to his main character Holden Caulfield. Throughout the vivid and informal narration, it becomes clear Holden is too unreliable and unstable a soul to hold any real credibility as a storyteller. Despite his lack of credibility, Holden still is able to demonstrate enough sanity to inform the audience the danger of protecting one’s true self through isolation while transitioning in life with red hunting hat. Holden’s biggest fear becoming a phony or someone who has an adult-like approach to life as he too is heading into adult life. On a mission to maintain his childhood, Holden puts up walls with people he brands as phonies.