Holden Caulfield Character Analysis

I read the book and watched the John Lennon assassination video and the million dollar question is Mark David Chapman Holden Caulfield? I have to say no he isn’t. I will explain why I came to this conclusion. On the day of the killing, he carried two things with him when he shot and killed John Lennon at the Dakota apartments in Manhattan. He had a handgun and a copy of The Catcher in the Rye book.

One of the hardships Holden must cope with is his inability to come to terms with death, in particular that of his younger brother, Allie. Holden seems to have experienced a

Holden is unable to accept realities of life because of his negative personality. He claims that many people are phony and that they try to do things to make them look better than they are. Holden also thinks of many things as depressing. “It was really nice sightseeing, if you know what I mean. In a way, it was sort of depressing, too, because you kept wondering what the hell would happen to all of them” (p. 123). Holden always finds a down side to a situation. He fails to recognize the good sides of life, and this prevents him from seeing advantages in adulthood that are not present in his life.

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.

Those situations can be either self-inflicted or not. Either way, it is not their fault for their emotions and reactions to those circumstances. Emotions are uncontrollable, therefore becoming depressed or developing anxiety in reaction to a certain condition would not make it their fault. In the book, the death of Holden’s brother, Allie, really changed him. “I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it” (39). Allie’s death was an uncontrollable event, in which Holden had a very natural reaction to by punching the windows in anger. We can see that he has become very depressed and negative, and has lost the ability to form connections. This kind of behavior, from our perspective, needs some serious attention. For moments throughout the book, it almost appeared that he was considering taking his own life due to the severe depression he was experiencing. “What I really felt like, though, was committing suicide. I felt like jumping out the window” (104). Holden is saying that since he is so depressed and alone that he honestly feels like committing suicide. His parents had pushed him away in order to deal with their grief, so Holden was utterly alone. He needed someone to talk to and to guide him through that difficult time in his life, which is where a therapist or a respected mentor could have played a vital role in coping and accepting the loss of his loved

In J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the character of Holden Caulfield does not convincingly embody a compassionate and caring character. Holden, after having a difficult year at school, finds comfort in his memories of his brother Allie. Another instance of Holden finding comfort, is when he spends time with Phoebe. In the same way, Phoebe is supportive when spending time with Holden. However, this takes a turn for the worse, as Holden reveals to Phoebe that he is leaving. Holden finds comfort and love through his memories of Allie, his experiences with Phoebe and the support from he receives from her.

There are quite a few characters who influence Holden Caulfield, whether it be positively or negatively. Three minor characters have had a profound influence on Holden- Mr. Spencer, Sunny, and Mr. Antonelli. The actions of each of these individual characters has had an impact on Holden in some way, shape, or form. The following quote, stated by Holden Caulfield himself, show a complete turnaround in his personality and demeanor- ‘"The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything."’ The quote describes Holden’s vain attempt to protect all of the innocence in the world. Mr. Spencer, Sunny, and Mr. Antonelli, although relatively minor characters in the grand scheme of the novel, did have a major impact on Holden’s view of the world and of himself. These three characters can best be described as foil characters, which is a minor character whose actions parallel the main character’s, therefore illuminating the main character.

He is a very lonely person and loneliness is another factor that depresses him. When he does poorly in school or has an emotional breakdown he has nobody to turn to. Ackley and Stradlater don’t care about anyone besides themselves, his parents are too hung up on his siblings, his past teachers have only criticized what he does, and his favorite person in the world got taken from him by cancer. The one that hit him the hardest was Allie, his little brother. “I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the windows with my fist,” (Salinger 50). His emotions were so outrageous and extreme that you knew he was angry. You knew he was upset that, in his mind, one of the purest people in his life had been taken away from him in one of the most unfair ways. Holden also never got closure because he wasn’t allowed to go to his funeral which adds even more to his pain and emotion of being stuck. Allie’s death was the main point of Holden’s emotional breakdowns and depression which is really sad because the person who used to make it the happiest, now makes him the

After the incident, Holden was hospitalised, given psychological treatment, and missed Allie’s funeral. This scene shows that Holden cannot deal with his emotions very well. For example, Holden prefers to deal with his emotions physically, by breaking all the windows, than mentally. In addition, The loss of Allie brought Holden into depression especially because he was not given a lot of time to mourn before being re-enrolled to school. His depression disconnects him from people, and every attempt to try to regain connections has left him with trust issues.

In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger a journey is depicted through acceptance, identity, mortality, youth and knowledge. The story is told in flashback by seventeen year old Holden Caulfield who is allocated in a mental hospital. Holden is a depressed teenager who faces his sexuality, death and phonies. All of his concerns are elevated by being kicked out of his Prep School Pencey for failing all of his classes besides one, English. However Holden chooses to run away from reality and drowns himself in liquor and cigarettes, he does not realize that there are other outlets to escape from reality.

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.

My Patient, Holden Caulfield has a family of six including his parents and himself. He has a ten year old sister Phoebe, older brother D.B. a screenwriter at Hollywood, and a younger brother known as Allie who had died of leukemia around eleven years old. Holden had attended at four schools including Pencey prep and was later expelled for failing most of his classes except for english. “This is about the fourth school I've gone to. " I shook my head..."Boy!"(Salinger 9).

Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye only likes the innocent parts of people. Throughout the book we are given examples of how Holden has different feelings based on who he is talking to. Three important characters in the book give three different personalities that add up to the overall conclusion that Holden is crazy.

Throughout the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden, the main character, describes a series of events that occurred to him up until he ended up in the hospital because he caught tuberculosis. In the end of the novel, the reader discovers that Holden’s physical and emotional distress is what pushed him to become sick in the first place. Holden is also accompanied by a psychoanalyst to help him cope through his emotional problems. The protagonist’s personality is very rare because he understand that the adult world is full of fraud and crooked people, therefore he considers everything around him depressing and unreal. An analysis of Holden’s behaviors, actions, and relationships throughout the novel portray that is was necessary he ended up

Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in J. D Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, is a conflicted young man, being pulled between the life adults want him to live and the life he still hasn’t figured out yet. While teachers tell him school is the path to success, he remains disgusted with the entire institution itself. While people try to make connections with him, he pushes them way as if they were nuclear missiles waiting to blow up his entire world. All of these emotions tied up into one teenage boy have the makings for a disaster. What kept Holden from reaching this point, during his journey back home after flunking school at Pencey Prep, was his encounter with two nuns at breakfast one morning .