Holden Caulfield Character Analysis

In this quote we can see that Holden’s mood changed immediately after he put on his red hunting hat. His unstable sense of self has adjusted from being sad and discouraged to being confident so quickly which is out of the ordinary for normal people to happen. Because of Holden’s insecurity of himself, putting on this hat changes his appearance, which he likes, and makes him feel better about himself at that moment until he takes it off. It’s an ongoing cycle of security and insecurity causing Holden to have this unsure thought about himself as he is not sure who he really is with all these multiple identities. Another great example of Holden’s insecure sense of self is that he has the ability to be vulnerable to the influence since he does not feel that he may be educated enough to make the right decision or the fact that he is too put down on himself to stick up and fight for his decision. For instance, when staying in a hotel he was offered by an unknown man if he wanted to pay for an experience with a prostitute. Because of his state of being, Holden could not answer the way he wanted to, "'Okay,' I said. It was against my principles and all, but I was feeling so depressed I didn't even think" (Salinger

The novel "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger is very interesting novel in which the main character, Holden, intrigues the reader with his unpredictable actions and upfront judgments of his surroundings. Holden alienates himself to try and help protect him from the outside world and conserve his innocence. He constantly proves this to reader many in times in the novel by, telling characters he feels different, wearing clothing that makes him stand out even though it may make him look stupid, and failing to come through in relationships with characters in the story.

After Holden accidentally leaves the fencing equipment on the subway and with his teammates angry at him, Holden goes off to buy a red hunting hat that he finds in a shop in New York. This red hunting hat is symbolic because it represents Holden’s true character. For instance, when Holden returns to his room after visiting Mr. Spencer, he grabs his hunting hat and wears it by swinging “the old peak way around to the back–very corny, [he]’ll admit, but [he] like[s] it that way” (18). This represents Holden’s character as a person who likes doing corny things, such wearing this red hunting hat in an odd, but corny way. However, even though Holden likes this hat, he only wears it in private and not in

Holden tells Phoebe that what he actually wants to do when he 's older is he wants to be the "catcher in the rye". He tells Phoebe the lyrics to the song that the boy was singing, "If a body, catch a body, coming through the rye." Phoebe corrects him telling him that the song he is referring to is actually a poem, and the correct lyrics are "If a body, meet a body, coming through the rye." He acknowledges her, but he believes he is right, being as he 's the older brother and all. Using the lyrics that he believes are right as his inspiration he creates a fantasy world, making himself the

To begin, when reading the novel one seems to come upon Holden‘s red hunting hat many times while reading. This hunting hat demonstrates Holden’s need for safety and comfort. He was deprived of it when he

Adolescence, this is a time where you figure out who you truly are. This soul searching leads to self realization. Holden Caulfield from The Catcher In The Rye by J. D. Salinger, has trouble accepting himself. Throughout his days he would put on a cap just to be someone else. It is his get away place, a place of isolation. A way for him to seclude from the world and become someone he isn’t. This is relatable to numerous teens. Though Holden could be described using numerous adjectives, Holden's character can be perfectly described as ignorant, a liar, and a slacker. He is ignorant because he does not learn from his mistakes. He is a compulsive liar. Finally, he is a slacker because he avoids work. Holden is just like countless people out there who do not apply themselves. You see, Holden could be smart. He could be successful. He just doesn’t have the motivation or ambition to do so.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is the story of Holden, a boy who struggles with emotions and how to tell his parents he got kicked out of school, again. He is always travelling around New York trying to find something to entertain himself and have fun. But you can tell by the subtle hints he drops throughout the entire book he hates change. As he tries to tell people about how he feels he finds himself alone and isolated. Throughout the course of Holden’s journey we clearly see he struggles with isolation as he tries to find comfort in different people, all he can find comfort in is his red hat and Phoebe.

Holden’s red hunting hat is his way of expressing that he is different from everyone else. In the beginning of the book, right after he met with Mr. Spencer, Holden

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger’s protagonist, Holden Caulfield suffers from depression due to the death of his younger brother, Allie. Allie’s premature passing elicits Holden’s cynical views of the world and the “phonies” around him.  Holden isolates himself from those around him in order to shy away from the complexities of life. Salinger uses a hat, a museum, and a merry-go-round to illuminate Holden’s inner turmoil with people, the notion of adulthood, and growing up. Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and the studies of Ego, Superego, and Id are used to show the significance of Holden’s behavior in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is the story of sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield’s struggle to connect with people after losing his brother several years before. Holden’s brother’s death caused a barrier in the understanding and connection between Holden and the rest of the world. As a result, Holden feels both alone and in need of security despite being constantly surrounded by the bustling crowds of New York City. Salinger uses and develops the red hunting cap to represent how Holden protects himself in The Catcher in the Rye.

For example, “I still had my red hunting hat on, with the peak around to the back and all. I really got a bang out of that hat” (18). Holden likes and cares about his red hunting hat. The hat also shows how much it has helped Holden separate himself from other people. Additionally, he says, “Then why she did - it damn near killed me - she reached in my coat pocket and she took out my red hunting hat” (118).

He described the red hunting hat as “one of those very, very long peaks (10, iPad).” The red hunting hut was a unique way to let Holden live in his own world while facing the harsh reality that he denies at first, but later admits to live in. Holden had constantly tried to escape the dystopian society where people are not giving love and attention to him, but the red hunting hat helped him reminisce on events that people did love him or tried to love and to appreciate him. The red hunting hat helped Holden determine the past and the future. The red hunting hat was able to help Holden write Stradlater’s composition about what to write about “anything.

Rather, he is saddened by her sitting in his room in her slip. He imagines her buying the dress she has just taken off and realizes that she is a real person and not just a toy to be used for his pleasure. Holden's desire to understand and feel for other people stops him. Holden also admits to being a coward, but the reader realizes he is just a scared boy trying to act like a man in an adult world. Even so, he doesn't flinch in the face of danger when threatened by bullies, such as his roommate Stradlater or the pimp, Maurice. Much more important than his physical courage is the moral tenacity with which he clings to his beliefs in the face of a hostile society. (Lettis, 5)

Holden Caulfield plays a timeless character in the sense that his way of life is common for the American teenager, in his time as well as now. Today parents dread the terrible and confusing adolescent years of their child's life. In J.D. Salinger's book, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is in this terrible and confusing point of his life. At this point in his life, as well as in modern teenager's lives, a transition occurs, from child to adult. Holden takes this change particularly rough and develops a typical mentality that prevents him from allowing himself to see or understand his purpose in life.

Throughout the novel, Holden adores this hat and has it with him almost everywhere he goes. To Holden, the hat gives him a sense of uniqueness and individuality. Whenever Holden wore the hunting hat he always claimed he “didn’t