Holden Caulfield as Protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye Essay

In J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden Caufield, describes in detail the parts of his life and his environment that bother him the most. He faces these problems with a kind of naivety that prevents him from fully understanding why it is that he is so depressed. His life revolves around his problems, and he seems helpless in evading them. Among others, Holden finds himself facing the issues of acceptance of death, growing up, and his own self-destructiveness.

Not many fictional leads have a social or behavioral disorder. Typically, the only popular book that comes to mind that includes a main character with ADHD is Percy Jackson and the Olympians, but that’s only because Percy tells you upfront that he has been diagnosed with the disorder. However, he’s not the only one. While the book never informs the reader of his diagnosis, Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye clearly shows the symptoms of ADHD, including being distracted, talkative, impulsive, and having a tendency to stray off topic. ADHD

    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.

The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist Holden Caulfield is shown in this book to display multiple different personas. Holden has a tendency to tell lies, acts in a careless, self-destructive manner. However, Holden has also shown a personality in which he acts in a caring, empathetic demeanor, shown in scenarios such as his outlook towards the prostitute, and his refusal to allow his sister to come along with him to the cabin in the woods. Furthermore, Holden Caulfield’s attitude and problems mainly stemmed from his refusal to accept his brother’s passing, as Holden had exhibited a deep connection and love for his brother. These incidents collectively show the storyline of our troubled protagonist as he progresses

Two things that share commonalities are happiness and society. They are forces that interact with one another greatly. For example, in The Catcher in the Rye, these two influences affect Holden Caulfield significantly. They have a large impact on how he views the world and other people. Whilst Holden “served the author’s purpose: to scrutinize the cruelties and banalities” of society, The Catcher in the Rye remains a work that may helps others understand the path to happiness (Coles).

Holden Caulfield, of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a teenager struggling to transition into adulthood, which is indirectly affected by his relationships with his family and the people around him. The story is told in any way Holden wants and he chooses what the audience can see making him an unreliable narrator. Some of the aspects that largely affects Holden’s relationship are his superiority and the way he was raised. However much of the drawn conclusions can only be inferred from what Holden chooses to reveal.

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.

In The Catcher in The Rye by J.D Salinger, the main character Holden Caulfield is shown to be someone who is against society. Throughout the book he wants to isolate himself from the world and calls everything and everyone that he sees with words such as “phony”, “moron” or “too good”. Some could say that Holden just wishes the world would change to the way he wants it to be. However, there is evidence that Holden is a misfit and that he is the problem, not society. The evidence that supports this are his experience at school, his thoughts of the graffiti with vulgar words, and his red hunting hat.

In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield’s life is composed of a great amount of contempt; he perceives society through pessimistic lenses, continuously dismissing its ways. Trying to veer off his path to adulthood, Holden often holds people accountable for their “phony” ways. He aims to “save” the children from such an outcome that he makes it his responsibility. The pivotal moment of which he transcends to maturity occurs is when he witnesses the children reach for the gold ring. Rather than blindly believing that he can save the children from sinking into the “evils” of the world and maintain their innocence, he ultimately decides to let them make their own decisions and grow up.

The character of Holden Caulfield has been built by Salinger to represent the stereotypical juvenile delinquent. He wears his hat backwards (p.15), swears using words like “goddamn” (p.18) and “crumby” and uses a lot of slang such as “chew the rag” (p.23) meaning to chat and “bucks” (p31) meaning dollars. Holden also involves himself in fights (p.36-39), smokes and flunks out of school these are all actions of rebellion against the expectations of adults. These behaviors highlight Holden’s attitude towards himself and others, and how others may perceive him as a person. Of course, we only appreciate this

Holden also has several redeeming qualities that keep him from being the rouge that many censors and critics wanted to label him in the fifties. As mentioned previously, Holden feels deeply for others and spends much of his time trying to understand them. For example, he admits to being a virgin and attributes this to the concern he has for the girls he is with; "he feels he would be taking advantage of their weakness if he had relations with them. " (Lettis, 6) "They tell me to stop, so I stop. I always wish I hadn't, after I take them home, but I take them home anyway." (Salinger, 121) He is also brutally honest, a quality children possess and adults seem to lose as they age. Holden dislikes things he

In the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist Holden Caulifield views the world as an evil corrupt place where there is no peace. Holden has a phony phobia that restricts him from becoming a fully matured adult. In Holden's attempted journey in becoming a fully matured adult, he encounters many scenarios involving friendship, personal opinions, and his love of children. His journey is an unpleasant and difficult one with many lessons learned along the way; including the realization that he is powerless to change the world.

The author has put in plenty of themes, messages, ideas, issues, and motifs. The character, Holden Caulfield is alienated from society, is experiencing the painfulness of growing up, thinks that the adult world is full of phoniness, and is sick of hearing about the American Dream from his teachers. JD Salinger has created a book that has raised plenty of questions and controversy towards the readers. The Catcher in the Rye shows how a teenage mind works. JD Salinger has used a stream of consciousness writing style where the character (Holden Caulfield) talks in first person as he presents his thoughts and feelings to the readers. The setting has taken place in the early fifties and the book uses a lot of profane words. The New York

Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, introduces us to Holden Caulfield is one of my favorite characters because of his immaturity and confusion, or lack of understanding of his own mind. He tends to change opinion, say strong remarks, and act very childish throughout the book. Because he hasn’t grown up. He hates most of the things he comes across during the novel. His challenge is understanding the reason things are the way they have to be and why he has to act a certain why. He doesn't understand the conventions of society so he

Jerome David Salinger’s only novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is based on the life events shaping main character, Holden Caulfield, into the troubled teen that is telling the story in 1950. The theme of the story is one of emotional disconnection felt by the alienated teenagers of this time period. The quote, “ I didn’t know anyone there that was splendid and clear thinking and all” (Salinger 4) sets the tone that Holden cannot find a connection with anyone around him and that he is on a lonely endeavor in pursuit of identity, acceptance and legitimacy. The trials and failures that Holden faces on his journey to find himself in total shed light on Holden’s archenemy, himself.