Holden Caulfield Changes

Over the course of the novel The Catcher in the Rye Holden Caulfield matured in many ways. He traveled to New York and found out what life really becomes as you get older. He got hurt physically and emotionally, but he also got help from people like Mr. Antolini. This affected him in a couple of ways because towards the end of this novel he decides that it would be better if he stopped hating everyone, and everything, and went back to school. In the Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is considered to have never of changed from the beginning of the novel till the end, however some people believe he did change.

Holden’s parents as it seemed in the book they didn't necessarily fill the large role of parenthood. holden from a young age wasn't given all the attention he needed as a young child . his parents loved him but just weren't present in his life because of the working obligations they had. We can see this when Holden says “ and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me and all..” (Salinger 1). We can see a clear absence of his parent's figures when he gets kicked out of boarding school and they didn't find out until he had the mental break down. At this point, it is clear that Holden Caulfield has an underlying mental condition. He failed out of four schools;

A disparate situation is presented to readers in The Catcher in the Rye. Early in the novel, Holden expresses the reason for his difficulties in school as his being: “always surrounded by phonies.”(Salinger 13) Holden is correct; he is completely incapable of relating to his peers. However he takes no time to consider potential solutions to his problem. During his conversation with Mr. Spencer, Holden communicates that he deals with his troubles by simply quitting; putting minimal effort into academics and socialization. Since Holden never addresses his emotions directly, he fails to realize

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

George Bernard Shaw once said that, “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” In J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher and The Rye, Holden’s fear of change shows us that change, although difficult, is inevitable as one matures from a child to an adult. We see how Holden is overwhelmed with change which makes him enjoy things that stay the same. When Holden is able to look back at this experiences, he matures and is able to grow.

As most teenagers and young adults would agree, growing up is a difficult task to which no alternative is present. Every person must grow up and lose much of the innocence they had as youth, no matter how badly one may want to hold on to it. Holden Caulfield, an expert “catcher in the rye”, seems to think he can thwart time and the natural progression to adulthood by keeping as boyish and innocent as he possibly can. He tries to find acceptance among his peers and his teachers, only to be met with rejection after rejection of his refusal to adulthood. He is, every so often, met with acceptance of his insistence on staying in high school. In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is met with rejections from his peers, such as Robert Ackley, and his teachers, such as Mr. Spencer; despite this, he succeeds in receiving acceptance from

Teenagers lives their life differently. However, when the time of being a adolescent arrives, they all have the same confusion and mindsets. J. D. Salinger’s novel, “The Catcher in the Rye”, is about a seventeen year old boy named Holden Caulfield, who lives his life with complexes and problems of his owns. Holden lives his life according to his favor and commit unreasonable actions. Holden has a difficult time trying to understand what being a teenager is. Holden Caulfield is a typical teenager because he expresses the problems of being a teenager.

Antolini was trying to hinder him from going down the wrong path. Holden focuses on the little details like the gasoline rainbows in the puddles on the street and which suitcase is nicer. He overlooks the obvious, “big picture” which could better help him adjust and focuses instead on little, often-insignificant things he can handle. Moreover, Holden only pays attention to the things he’s interested in and doesn’t pay attention to the teachers or work given at school. This lack of interest has caused him to drop out of four schools and, therefore missing out on knowledge necessary for his well-being and self-discipline. Holden does not like change. Holden needs change, he needs to grow up. He needs to change his thoughts and behavior. Holden says “Certain things should stay the way they are, you ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone (122).”

Holden starts off the story by telling the reader what happened before he was admitted to the current mental institute. He has just been kicked out of his current school, Pencey Prep, for poor academic performance. Holden goes to meet Mr. Spencer, his old history teacher and upon meeting him Mr. Spencer discusses Holden's future. Holden is told by Spencer that .“Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules” (Salinger 8). After having Holden as a student Mr. Spencer is aware of the fact that Holden is directionless and lost. Although Mr. Spencer tries to help Holden by offering him wisdom for the boy’s own benefit,

figure out how to help Holden to understand that he has to apply himself and

This novel may seem very controversial but is actually quite a peculiar learning experience; the name of the novel “The Cather in the Rye,” by J.D. Salinger. “The Catcher in the Rye,” is about a sixteen-year-old boy named Holden Caulfield, who tries as much as he can to stay as a child and never become an adult. Holden is a unique character that makes the reader much more engaged; there are crucial elements that make the novel become into a learning reality. In “The Catcher in the Rye” what seems to be the most interesting thing throughout the novel is how the main character (Holden) develops as a person.

JD. Salinger’s 1951 book, The Catcher in the Rye, shows us how society treated their confused and changing teenagers during their transition into adulthood. The book’s main character Holden Caulfield is being pressured into growing up even though he doesn’t feel ready, to lead an adult life. He is still struggling socially and mourning for his deceased brother whose death turned Holden upside down and into a negative, hopeless person from a young age, which causes him to be distracted, indifferent and to flunk every school he goes to.

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

Holden has a mouth full of cure word, not willing to study. He also smokes and drinks as well. It seems to a normal people that he is weird, while actually to Salinger, he is the idealized person who is real common and natural. The childish characteristic of Holden always makes him notice others’ state of mind and difficulty. He is thus willing to help people around him.

Kipling advices his son to look at the big picture and that will make him a man. Holden shirks to think about what would happen if he got kicked out of Pencey Prep. Holden relates, “They gave me frequent warnings to start applying myself-especially around midterms, when my parents came up for a conference with old-Thurmer—but I didn’t do it. So I got the ax”, (Salinger 4). The tone of voice that Holden relates the story shows a lackadaisical attitude towards school and his parents.