How Does Holden Use Symbols In Catcher In The Rye

Holden then asks if it's possible to join a monastery without being Catholic, but Ackley finds that question annoying. Even as he tries to have company, Holden is talking about escaping society. His loneliness and desire for alienation are at themes that play a major role here. In the hallway, lonely and tormented by the suspicion that Stradlater may have had sex with his long-time friend, Jane, Holden then decides to leave Pencey and stay for a few days in New York until his parents find out he's been expelled. He packs and puts on his hunting cap. While crying, he shouts "Sleep tight, ya morons!" and leaves Pencey. I think Holden's loneliness and anger about Jane possibly sleeping with Stradlater drove him to leave Pencey and his society to be alone in New York. His crying may also indicate something more than just typical sadness, something more like

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.

Throughout the novel, Holden attempts to find the true from of himself as he struggles with the social interactions around him. Due to the struggle and confusion that arouses from it,

It is very disturbing that he says “sex appeal” instead of “beauty” because it really shows what his thinks of her. He starts flirting with her and says many lies to get her interested. Later on he says, “Then I really started chucking the old crap around… I had her glued to her seat”(50). Once again he is very disrespectful and rude and it is also very inappropriate to think like that to a mother of a classmate. On the other hand, he is very generous to the nuns that he meets on the train to Manhattan. It is very surprising when Holden does so many nice things to them such as pick up their basket, respect their beliefs and talk very gently because before he kept complaining about everything. Holden acts like a real gentleman, which could be because he sees the innocence in them. Holden admires them for trying to help others because later on in the novel the reader finds out that he wants to protect children from danger. During on point he says to them, “To tell you the truth, it was sort of embarrassing, in a way, to be talking about Romeo and Juliet with her. I mean that play gets pretty sexy in some parts, and she was a nun and all, but she asked me, so I discussed it with her for a while”(100). This is the only time that he is uncomfortable talking about sexual things because he respects that they are nuns and does not want to say something impolite. Holden even donates a lot of money when they did not ask for any and after

Holden’s guiltiness towards mediocre things makes him a more sensitive stressful teenager that becomes more rebellious by each chapter. Another example of Holden feeling guilty would be the time he describes how he moved his suitcases to make it look as though his roommate had the more expensive ones. Holden seems to feel guilty for having expensive suitcases and sorry for his roommate, who has cheaper bags. A second example of Holden’s personality changing because of feeling guilty all the time would be the time Holden is eating breakfast. While he eats bacon and eggs, two nearby nuns only have coffee and toast. Holden feels really bad about this, saying, "That depressed me. I hate it if I’m eating bacon and eggs or something and somebody else is only eating toast and coffee." This again, shows how Holden apologizes for his money and is guilty about having more than others.

In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger tells a story of a young boy, Holden, who never quite understood his stance on life. Throughout the novel, Holden struggles to adapt to the inevitable transition into adulthood, often worrying more about others than himself. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses connotative diction, repetition, and specific diction to convey Holden’s struggle of accepting life changes that led him to becoming mentally unstable.            To start off, Salinger illustrates Holden’s nature by using connotative diction.

A concept Holden had observed from the start of the novel was the materialism and egotism of people around him. There are numerous situations where this is displayed and he detests these ideas. For instance, Holden exclaims that almost everyone he encounters

Reveals about situation: This is a complete revolution from the last chapter. Previously, Holden described his love for Jesus, but his hate for organized religion. However, he is now giving nuns money for their next collection for charity. This proves that even if Holden disagrees with someone, he still respects them, their beliefs, and their actions. Additionally, it proves that Holden in fact has a big heart and cares about those he is around, even if he may not show it all the time.

Another significant factor in Holden’s life was the suicide of James Castle, a schoolmate form Elkton Hills. This is shown when Holden returns home and is conversing with Phoebe in her bedroom. Phoebe asks Holden to name one thing that he really likes. At that moment all Holden can think of is about two nuns he met at the train station and James Castle, “The funny part is, I hardly even know James Castle…” (171). Holden kept replaying the incident just before James died. James “was a

Holden's lack of religious knowledge is not the only thing that Holden is intolerant of; he also is intolerant of most people. Holden's lack of respect for nearly

He is not intensely preoccupied with academic achievement like many more modern teenagers, having failed out of several prestigious preparatory schools, but he is clearly intelligent and tends to dwell on“heavy” topics like death and loss of innocence. His cynicism and sensitivity, in addition to the trauma he experiences from losing his brother Allie, suggest that he has depression or another untreated mental illness, an interpretation which is common among readers and supported by Holden’s visit with a psychotherapist at the end of the novel. Despite the risks he faces through having an untreated mental illness, shown when he is warned that he is “riding for some kind of a terrible, terrible fall” through self-destructive behavior, the conformist culture and social niceties of the 1950s prevented him from being able to discuss his thoughts for a large portion of the novel. (186) This culture, specifically the “phony” prep schools, is clearly toxic for Holden and likely contributed heavily towards his negative mental state, and therefore the negative image he often has of

Many novels cannot be fully understood and appreciated if only read for face value, and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is no exception. The abundant use of symbolism in Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is of such significance that it “proclaims itself in the very title of the novel” (Trowbridge par. 1). If the symbolism in this novel is studied closely, there should be no astonishment in learning that The Catcher in the Rye took approximately ten years to write and was originally twice its present length. J.D. Salinger uses copious amounts

     Although Holden is extremely cynical and struggles with relationships, he is not all bad. Inside he is moral and generous. He was very charitable when he gave a considerable donation of twenty dollars to the nuns. Holden has a strange way of loving people.

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.

Holden is a profoundly negative person, he is constantly judging other people, calling them ‘phonies’ and criticising them. For instance when he says “I was surrounded by phonies.” of his time at Elkton Hills. (CITR, 14) Throughout the novel, Holden repeatedly behaves immature and makes irresponsible and destructive decisions, even if he knows it is the wrong thing to