Holden Caulfield's Journey

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.

In literature, a character’s unique perspective on common human experiences can both engage the reader, and vastly contribute to a text’s endearing value and significance. The Catcher in The Rye offers a rich portrayal of such themes as, the impact of alienation as a form of self-preservation, resistance to change, and the psychological effects of unresolved grief. By telling the story directly through the first-person narration of Holden Caulfield, Salinger offers an unusually in-depth perspective of an emotionally complex character, who is struggling to find his place in the world. Unlike many coming of age stories, the reader of Salinger’s novel is left with a strong sense that Holden will continue to struggle with the protective wall of

Although Holden “hardly even know[s]” James, he sees him as someone who is real and not phony, admiring his resistance to lie (Salinger 171. The deaths of Allie and James cause Holden to contemplate suicide in order to escape the world of phoniness he lives in. Consequently, Holden’s constant thoughts about suicide lead to his own loss of innocence and advancement toward adulthood.

Regardless of the time, place, or culture, every generation has unique challenges they must face in order to adapt to the environment around them. While specific situations may vary, the internal conflicts and negative thoughts that one may address during their transition to adulthood are universal. In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the story revolves around the difficulties of Holden Caulfield and his reactions as he navigates through New York City in the 1940s or 1950s. As the novel progresses, the author uses the personal struggles and uncertainty in the life of an adolescent boy to spread awareness about the dilemmas of humanity and the darker perspectives of the world. The consistent cynical outlook combined with the briefly

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.

The ducks are first brought to the reader’s attention while Holden is visiting his teacher, Mr. Spencer, regarding his removal from Pencey. While conversing with Mr. Spencer, however, Holden’s mind drifts elsewhere. His mind drifts back to New York as he wonders to himself if the lagoon in Central Park is frozen over, and if so, where do the ducks go? A direct parallel can be drawn from the ducks in the lagoon to Holden’s present situation. He is mandated to leave Pencey, but has no idea where he belongs after leaving. Just like the ducks in the lagoon, “Holden is essentially homeless, frozen out” (Trowbridge par. 1). Holden’s life has not been filled with an abundance of stability and now what little he had is gone, albeit due to faults of his own, and he sees an unsure and hazy future. Holden inquires about the state of the ducks to the driver of the first cab he catches in New York, and the driver believes that he is kidding. Later on, he asks another cab driver if somebody came around “in a truck or something to take them away” or if they flew away “by themselves” (Salinger 81-82). Knowing what happens to these ducks, knowing that they are safe and secure even though the lagoon is frozen would provide Holden with a sense of comfort about his current state of affairs. What seems to be a ridiculous and meaningless question to the

J.D. Salinger, the author of the Catcher in the Rye, was a skilled writer. Salinger wrote about a wide variety of characters throughout this novel, many of these characters had a complex personality. Holden Caulfield is the main character in the Catcher in the rye. Holden is a unique character and he shares very little traits with the other people he encounters throughout the novel besides his younger sister, Phoebe. Holden and Phoebe Caulfield have two very different personalities but they share some distinct similarities. Holden is a gloomy, pessimistic, and unstable teenager. Phoebe, on the other hand, is a lively, optimistic, and innocent child. Throughout the novel Holden spends his time trying to act mature while Phoebe is living out the childhood he never had. Phoebe and Holden have very different personalities and outlooks on life. While the two have such opposing traits, they have a similar background and upbringing.

After being kicked out of school time after time, 4 times to be exact, Holden shows signs of depression. The death of his younger brother Allie adds to this equation. As a 16 year old boy he sure doesn’t act like it. Wondering where the ducks go while the central park lagoon is frozen over is something that a simple

Holden’s loneliness was a more concrete manifestation of his alienation. It is both a source of great pain and a source if his security.

Second, isolation is a theme shown over and over throughout the novel. Holden challenges being alone by trying to make connections with others but he seems to fail frequently.’’Well ..take me to the Edmont then, I said.’’Would you like care to stop on the way and join me for a cocktail?’’is a quote from the novel and it shows how desparingHolden is to talk to someone. Many people or teenagers feel a connection of isolation and the struggles being faced with trying to make friends or at least a decent conversation with another individual even with technology at our

A highly controversial novel, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, originally written for the entertainment of adults, soon grew to serve as a model for teenagers and their social culture throughout the 1950s. The story catches the essence of teenage angst and estrangement through following the short forty-eight hour recollection of young Holden Caulfield’s life. The novel illustrates the idea that Holden Caulfield suffers from trauma and depression, leaving the lost sixteen-year-old tormented by his past and the plethora of pain that follows.

New York as depicted in“The Catcher in the Rye” is filled with extroverts, or what Caulfield calls “phonies” who chew the fat and are an annoyance to Holden. Holden prefers the serene and calm to the bustling city. On the topic of vandalism, Holden said “That's the whole trouble. You can't ever find a place that's nice and peaceful, because there isn't any” ( ). Though Holden enjoys being alone at times, he has been known to enjoy the company of friends, but he still he isolates himself. Repeatedly in the book, the theme seems to be Holden never forming proper relationships with people. In chapter 9 Holden enters a phone booth and thought of the people he could call. His brother who was in Hollywood, his sister who was probably asleep, Jane’s mother, Sally Hayes or Carl Luce ( ). Some of these names are more familiar to him than other but Holden eventually decides to call none of them. Holden felt a little broken realizing how alone he was. This is analogous to scrolling through a contacts list and realizing there is no one who wants to be texted. This metaphor has relevance even today such that modern readers find Holden relatable to their own

In this stage of his journey Holden refuses to accept his call to adventure - his call to adulthood. On his way, a young girl says she is at the museum and asks Holden to tie her skate, “She was a very nice, polite little kid. God, I love it when a kid’s nice and polite when you tighten their skate or something. Most kids are” (155). Holden is still refusing to grow up to be an adult. He is afraid of becoming a “phony”. He is stuck between the innocence of youth and the adult world. In the museum, he doesn’t find Phoebe. He notes that he hates the museum because everything stays the same except for him. In other words, Holden is inevitably changing while he wishes he could stay the same like the figures in the museum. Holden visits Mr. Antolini, his old teacher, in search for advice. He talks to Holden about applying himself and setting goals for the future. Mr. Antolini seems like a possible mentor for Holden but after Holden wakes up from a nap he leaves abruptly, “I woke up all of a sudden...I felt something on my head...it was Mr. Antolini’s hand...he was he was sort of petting me or patting me on the goddam head” (249). Holden, freaked out by the strange actions of Mr. Antolini, leaves the house as quickly as possible. This represents Holden's denial of Mr. Antolini as his mentor. He heads over to Phoebes school and suddenly sees something very disturbing, “I saw something that drove me crazy. Somebody’d written ‘Fuck you’ on the wall...I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it...”(260). Holden is furious because children will read the words and wonder what it means. He is upset mostly because the children will lose their innocence. Readers can relate to Holden’s attitude in trying to keep children innocent for as long as possible. It’s one of the reasons why we don't use bad language around kids or behave inappropriately. Its why we don’t let kids watch R rated

J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye presents a look into the mind of Holden Caulfield, a popular literary icon numerous teenagers have rightfully found themselves relating to at some point. While the familiar emotions of Holden were welcoming for me, his anecdotes and witty remarks proved entertaining as well. The story chronicles Holden’s exploration through New York post-expulsion, with his point of view influenced by his growing alienation with the world. He represents that growing sense of unease at growing up and facing a reality that is not always pretty, and, in his case, a need to save children from having to face that reality. I personally admired the fact that he was not just an angry teenager in the world as stereotypes suggest.

Change is an essential component in the continued success of the human race and thus important in the development of society. As such, society expects people to constantly change and adapt. Readers typically expect to see the development of characters throughout novels, or other pieces of literature. In the novel, “The Catcher in the Rye”, J. D. Salinger deviates from the normal progression followed by most novels by characterizing the protagonist as an individual undergoing temperamental changes and uncertainty throughout the novel. This novel is known to have attracted criticism from numerous reviewers from all time periods, who tend to make the argument that the novel 's main protagonist, Holden Caulfield, does not develop at all throughout the course of the book. However, this is not the case as Holden grows and develops through the book, recognizing specific ideals from the environment that is around him and responding to them. These reactions towards change are seen through Holden 's discovery of himself, relationships with other characters and the actions that he decides to take in given circumstances throughout the book.