Holden's Isolation In The Catcher In The Rye

In J.D. Salinger’s, Catcher in the Rye, Holden excommunicates himself from everyone he knows because he does not like who they present themselves to be. Holden is extremely closed minded about everyone he knows and he does not understand how to communicate with others; however these actions put Holden in a state of self-alienation. Salinger uses Holden to show how loneliness can leave people in a fragile state and if not helped then it could lead to death.

J.D. Salinger’s, “The Catcher in the Rye” explores the idea of an outsider through character, Holden Caulfield, a student at Pencey Prep who struggles to find similar interests as his peers and gain acceptance from his surrounding environment. From the beginning of the novel, Holden displays a lack of interest in his academic studies. Having failed four out of five classes at Pencey and facing similar difficulties at “Whooton school and Elkton Hills,” (pg.16) leads to his expulsion from the prep school. Adjusting to the strict academic expectations is not the only thing Holden fails to do, he is also unable to form relationships with other students. During a fencing meet, Holden loses his team’s equipment at the subway causing them to forfeit the

In the beginning of Catcher in the Rye, Holden was extremely selfish and didn’t ever consider other people’s opinions and how they might feel. As the story has gone he has continued to move along he has failed to realize that not all people are phony and mean. He goes on the date and as they are going in to a cab he thinks, “I sort of hated old Sally by the time we got into the cab, after listening to phony Andover bastard for about ten hours” (140). Holden is trying to be friends with Sally, but realizes that it’s not going over well. Holden is beginning to realize that the people he is trying to be friends with are not working out for him because he does not allow himself to blend with people. He is getting himself deeper into isolation and

    In J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher In The Rye, Holden is excluded and isolated from the world, due to his confusion about life experiences, adult world curiosities, and his discontent with society. He says to Mr. Spencer that he feels trapped on "the other side, where there aren’t any hot shots"( Salinger 8). He always attempts to discover his way in the world in which he believes he doesn't belong in. He enjoys being the one that stands out and is distinct standing in an average crowd. He claims that "All morons hate it when you call them a moron"( Salinger 44). He is against most of the people in his life because he believes that they are selfish and stupid. He feels unique by being different from everyone and as the novel progresses, we begin to recognize that Holden's alienation is his method of protecting himself from the world. One example is the red hunting hat, which sponsors his

A disparate situation is presented to readers in The Catcher in the Rye. Early in the novel, Holden expresses the reason for his difficulties in school as his being: “always surrounded by phonies.”(Salinger 13) Holden is correct; he is completely incapable of relating to his peers. However he takes no time to consider potential solutions to his problem. During his conversation with Mr. Spencer, Holden communicates that he deals with his troubles by simply quitting; putting minimal effort into academics and socialization. Since Holden never addresses his emotions directly, he fails to realize

In the book “Catcher in the Rye” three major themes stood out for me as a reader. Holden’s pessimistic language, alienates him from the world. The speaker demonstrates separation and incongruence; “athletic [bastards] stick together,” Holden portrays a sense of animosity towards groups of people sticking together due to how he is not able to do the same this also demonstrates alienation. At the end of chapter six Holden provokes his best friend Stadler by saying “You moron,” using this absurd language demonstrated hatred and insult which was the cause estrangement. Finally Holden exhibits how he was ostracized “don’t do one damn thing…way you’re supposed to” even though he didn’t show rude language, the meaning was blunt and impolite. Holden’s alienation was thought to occur due to his brother death and the absence of his family however it portrayed that he was different and did not want to make contact with others.

This quote is significant to The Catcher in the Rye because it displays the ongoing theme of isolation throughout the novel. Holden clues the readers immediately by illustrating that while everyone is off at the football, he prefers to be by himself. Holden often isolates himself from others because in his mind he believes everyone is fake from just observing them and doesn't take the chance to connect with them.

On one part of Holden’s journey, he travels by train to get to his home town. An older lady comes and decides to sit next to him. After conversing for a while he learns that she is the mother of one of his former classmates, Holden tells her that he was a student at Pencey and says that he know him. She inquires about how her son is doing, if he is having trouble fitting in and whatnot. Having a complicated past with him, Holden decides to give her false information. He uses his lying skills to tell her what every mother wants to hear. Holden knows that her son, Ernest, is honestly not a smart person, nor is he very likeable. Unsurprisingly, she is satisfied with the information, her concerns about her son having a troublesome time fitting

In the book “The Catcher in the Rye” Holden faces alienation as he battles with himself over the troubles associated with his future. These struggles force Holden to isolate himself and embrace a wandering lifestyle. Alienation can happen to anyone including myself and Holden’s struggles closely mirror similar struggles that I many among teenagers face. Alienation is a very real thing in the life of many teenagers such as myself and it particularly affects Holden through his loneliness in New York.

Holden shows us his reclusive and antisocial tendencies many times throughout the novel. “So we got back to Pencey around two-thirty instead of around dinner time. The whole team ostracized me the whole way back to the train.” (Salinger 3) This being that due to Holden's actions he was not allowed to be with the group, but he didn’t even try to get back in, showing that this is a usual thing for him to be alone. Moreover, he isolates himself from the rest of the school and wants to be left alone he really withdraws himself from everyone. “I was standing way the hell up on top of Thomsen hill, right next to this crazy cannon that was in the Revolutionary War and all.” (Salinger 2) This really digs deep because, like many other teens who feel like they don’t belong can relate to this showing how being reclusive can further ensure the humiliation of embarrassment does not occur. The Catcher In The Rye Philosophy , a book dissecting Holden goes deeper into the novel and gives many well thought out explanations of, in the book. “Phonies treat the social norm of being accepted by others as if it were a moral norm, that is, they regard breaking social norms as deserving moral blame.” (Watson 91) This quote represents the reclusive nature of Holden and how he differs from other people who he considers phony. In this, Holden has a reason for his

George Will utilizes an iconoclastic look upon Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye. Will portrays Holden as a classical example of an American whiner. Holden represented the generation of the 1950’s and the struggles endured by the invisible shackles of social pressure. Will calls Holden out on his ever-so-present division of people into “phonies” and the “phoniness” evident in them. Holden is portrayed as an insufferable teenager who complains too much. However, Will does not explain the circumstances, nor the situations that Holden has had to endure throughout his life. Therefore, I do not agree with Will’s evaluation of Holden.

In the 1940’s and 50’s mental illnesses and personality disorders were a social weakness. Those with disorders were generally avoided and considered outcasts, because many held the belief that those with mental illnesses were dangerous and unpredictable. Throughout the story, we see Holden as an unstable character. His attitude is quick to change, and his emotions hit highs and lows constantly. He also shows strong signs of mental distress, which may connect to a deeper issue, such as a personality disorder.

Holden Caulfield is a young man that has struggles in his life. Much like any other man his age, Holden thinks that everyone else is against him. He believes that all the phonies of the world are nowhere near his level of knowledge. Everyone else is out to get him or not worth his precious time. He does not want to make anything of himself. Holden had so much potential. HE grew up in a successful family and was extremely intelligent. But then his brother died and everything changed. His whole family fell apart. His brother moved away, he was shipped away to boarding schools, taken away from his whole family. In a situation like that, losing a child, the best thing to do is stick together as a family and support each other. If Holden’s family had stuck together after the death of his brother, Allie, Holden would have been in a much better place in his life. But he was not that lucky. He flunked out of four prep high schools. Holden could not have cared less about succeeding in his life. His only goal in life is to become the catcher in the rye. (insert book

The need for social connection is wired inside the human mind. In the Catcher and the Rye, J.D. Salinger coveys the negative impacts of detaching from society. If one remains isolated for extended periods of time, the person never find meaning in his or her life. In the novel, Holden’s tendency to limit himself socially makes it difficult to appreciate his life. Specifically, Holden cannot maintain a conversation, he cannot he deal with girls and he dislikes the society.

In Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, we see how evident it becomes amongst Holden, the protagonist’s life. Holden’s characteristics of alienation and being isolated from the outside world are due to his previous experiences and outlook of the society around him. The lack of trust he has for others becomes a direct correlation to his feelings of loneliness and isolation that he experiences throughout his life. We can see this through Salinger’s use of first person with Holden stating “Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody”.