Holden Caulfield's 'Catcher In The Rye'

When Holden goes back to his home to visit Phoebe,because he wants to say goodbye to someone before he goes out west by himself. He gets into an argument with her and he tells her what he wants to do with his life “I keep picturing all these little kids playing ... And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all" (Salinger 173). This shows us how he wants to protect the kids from any sort of suffering in their lives. He wants to be there to save any child that would come too close to crossing a deadly boundary. This is Holden’s fantasy because a catcher would have been able to save Allie or, if he wasn’t able to, save Holden from falling into his descent into loneliness and pain. By the end of the story Holden has given up this fantasy of becoming a ‘catcher in the rye’ and decided that staying home is best for him. Holden has a new way of saving kids, "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 to them." (Salinger 211). This shows the reader that Holden has moved

The death of Holden’s brother Allie at a young age adds to Holden’s negativity as well as stopping Holden from accepting inevitable change. Allie dies immaturely of leukemia. “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” (p. 39). Holden is in the hospital because he broke his fist, and he was unable to attend Allie’s funeral. Holden has trouble accepting Allie’s death because he never said goodbye to Allie. His relationship with Allie is similar to his maturity. Just as Holden is unable to accept his brother’s death, Holden is not able to accept that

In order to reach this last phase, Holden needs to come to terms with the loss of his brother. As the book progresses, he uses Allie as his anchor to reality. This is shown when Holden repeatedly mumbles, “Allie, don't let me disappear” (198) while crossing the streets. This connection only dies after Holden talks to Phoebe during her lunch break. Because of her insisting that she come with him, he realizes that his ideas of fleeing home are absurd and will never work, finalizing his decision of staying in New York. These events represent Holden’s transition in letting go, but the true moment that symbolizes the end of his journey of grief is when he is watching Phoebe ride the carousel. "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" (211). Not only is Holden’s realizing that he is unable to save every single person, but also that he himself will have rough times. These obstacles are unavoidable and are a natural part throughout the path of grieving.

After having been challenged on his previous ways of thinking on his journey alone, Holden begins the gradual process of obtaining self knowledge, maturity, and identity as the values of society are accepted by the protagonist. For that reason, as he watches Phoebe on the carousel ride, he observes that:

After reading the first chapter I have formulated some predictions for the future of the content in The Cather in the Rye. Holden Caulfield starts this novel by sharing details about himself and his life so far. As this narrative continues I forecast that we will see him grow into a mature person. Also, the story may follow his relationships grow with not only Mr. Spencer, but with new friends and possibly a girlfriend. If Holden gets a girlfriend I foresee Selma Thurmer become his new girlfriend, since she was mentioned in a good way at the beginning of this novel. Once I was done reading The Cather in the Rye I realized my predictions were wrong. Rather than following him through a journey of growing into a more mature version of himself.

Holden wants to be the catcher in the rye and save the children from falling off the cliff. This cliff, however, is the real world, and Holden himself is afraid of it so he wants to protect children from it. This is also demonstrated when Holden visits his sister 's school and sees swears written on the wall. This makes Holden very mad, "It drove me damn near crazy. I thought of how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and how they 'd wonder what the hell it meant…But I rubbed it out anyway, finally"(201). Holden was able to protect the children for a short while but a few moments later he sees the same thing written on the wall again. Only this time it is scratched in with a knife or something and Holden is unable to rub it away like before and realizes "It 's hopeless, anyway…it 's impossible" (202) he indicates here that growing up and facing certain reality is inevitable. Holden finally realizes that he can 't protect the kids from the real world when he watches Phoebe ride a carrousel at the zoo. "All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring…this thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let

Holden’s little brother, Allie, had died and Holden is still not over his death. “I get very depressed, I keep saying to him, Holden says, “Okay. Go home and get your bike and meet me in front of Bobby’s house. Hurry up.” (Salinger, 99). There is many moments where Holden thinks of Allie, and even talks to him. Whenever Holden thinks about Allie he gets very upset and doesn’t want to do anything.

Holden is attracted to the privileges that adulthood offers. Drinking, Sex, Independence and Smoking represent aspects of adulthood that Holden is not averse to and is genuinely excited by. After arriving in New York, Holden attempts to act as an adult, but his attempts fail miserably. He tries to order a scotch and soda but is carded and must settle for a coke instead. Holden is content with childhood right up until it forfeits him an opportunity to get a drink. He wants to be an adult, but also wants to be a kid. He seems excited with the freedom but fears the loss of innocence and responsibility that

Throughout all of time, literature has played an important role in people’s lives. Books are more than just stories to laugh at, cry with, or fall asleep to, but books can teach. Books can teach a person a simple task such as baking cookies or an extremely complex one such as solving for the derivative of a trigonometric path and its parabolic motion. Whatever the subject, whomever the reader, books can teach people many lessons. One of the most important lessons that a book can teach a reader is a lesson about himself, about the difficulties of life, and about living a good life. As time has passed, so has literature itself. Older books focused on historical events, fictional poetry, and important figures; however, books now have evolved to

For instance, after a troubling day, he recalls a museum that he often visited when he was younger and decides to visit it in hopes of finding consolation there like he once did. To Holden, the museum is the symbol of his childhood and his fantasy of a world that he could forever live in which would preserve the simplicity of those days. However, Holden realizes the unfortunate brevity of youth and decides to become a guardian angel for the unsuspecting victims of aging, helping them retain their innocence so when in time of need, they can be better solaced by their

Holden Caulfield is a 17 year old boy retelling his dwindle into being institutionalised in a mental hospital. His 16 year old self of whom 17 year old Holden is reflecting on, is plagued with the idea of adulthood being sprung upon him, eating at the carcass

Holden Caulfield is a young man who is trying to make his own way through

This is the story of a 16-year-old boy named Holden Caulfield, who is the narrator of The Catcher in the Rye. He is a student at Pency Prep School which is Holden’s fourth school. He has expelled from three other schools. And again, he is kicked out from Pency Prep because he has failed four out of five of his classes, excepted English. He will return home to Manhattan on Wednesday. He so fed with everyone and everything in Pency. He thinks everyone is phony. He decides to leave that night and not wait until Wednesday. To avoid his parent from the truth the he’s kicked out from Pency, he has to stay in hotel for a few days before returning for his punishment. Holden wears his red hunting hat all the time and everywhere he goes.

In the book, Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger the main character Holden Caulfield is introduced to the reader first by him attempting an opening to an introduction of himself, but him being the cynical guy he is doesn’t really give the reader that, he opens saying how to reader probably wants to know about him and his lousy childhood but that he doesn’t feel like doing that and that it bores him. Though he doesn’t explicitly tell you much, it shows a lot about how he talks and how he doesnt really like anything. On the same first page he says “I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy.” though this quote doesn’t make much

Growing up has always had its struggles, especially to some in their teenage years. It’s a time in some lives where you start to see the world in a different way. In the highly acclaimed novel, The Catcher in the Rye, written by Jd Salinger, three days before he is supposed to be kicked out of yet another boarding school, Holden Caulfield takes a journey. He takes us with him as he looks at the human experience through the eyes of a seventeen year old boy. He takes us through the truth, the sadness and the insight to his pilgrimage.