Summary Of The Catcher In The Rye By Holden Caulfield

While Holden was in New York for a fencing competition, he purchased a red hunting hat and this hat has come up numerous times during important parts of the story. For example, when Holden was writing about Allie’s baseball mitt and after he left Pencey. Holden wears his hat as a way to show who he really is, even though he is not comfortable wearing it in public , “I put my red hunting hat on, and turned the peak around to the back, the way I liked it,”(Salinger 68). Although Holden feels embarrassed when he wears his hat out in public it is a way for him to feel more confident in his own skin rather than being depressed all the time. The red hunting hat is a symbol shown again and again about who Holden really is as a person. It shows that he likes and enjoys doing unusual things, but at the same time is cautious about where he wears his favorite

The red hunting hat mirrors Holden’s resistance to conformity displaying his inner conflict of loneliness or companionship. Holden’s hat protects him and he feels that it gives him uniqueness as he does not agree with many of society’s standards. Salinger strategically places the hunting hat into situations where Holden feels awkward and uncomfortable. During these situations, Holden “puts [his] red hunting hat on, and [turns] the peak around the back the way [he] likes it” (59). The hat gives Holden the comfort and stability he desires in his life, as well as confident as he thinks that he “[looks] good in it” (21). However, the hat also isolates Holden in a protective bubble, restricting him from taking risks that he is not comfortable with. Holden is trying to get out into the world, yet it seems like the hat is holding him back

There is an only event that unites every single human being on the nature. Not everyone can say it is a pleasant experience, but no one can deny that it happened. This single event is labelled ‘growing up’. The transition between childhood innocence and adulthood is long and confusing, often uncovering questions that cannot be answered. During this time the adult world seems inviting and free, but only when we become members of a cruel, society can the happy ignorance of childhood be appreciated and missed. The novel Catcher in the Rye examines how adult life appears complex and incomprehensible to teenagers on the brink of entering it. Through the main protagonist Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger captures the confusion of a teenager when faced

To begin with, Holden’s red hunting hat is a symbol for his protection against the world. The first time that he uses his hat to make him feel secure is when his roommate, Stradlater, punches Holden in the face. His initial thought after he is punched, is to find his hat. He most likely thinks of this because his hat provides a sense of comfort for him, similar to a young child and their blanket. “I couldn’t find my my goddam hunting hat anywhere, Finally I found it. It was under the bed. I put it on, and turned the old peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then I went over and took a look at my stupid face in the mirror (Salinger 45). This evidence demonstrates Holden’s need to feel protected from the world and all his problems, Not only does Holden used his hat to protect himself, he also uses it to try to protect Phoebe, his younger sister. In his attempt to try to shield Phoebe

Throughout the novel, Holden seems to be excluded from and victimized by the world around him. As he says to Mr. Spencer, he feels trapped on “the other side” of life, and he continually attempts to find his way in a world in which he feels he doesn’t belong. The red hunting hat is a symbol of Holden’s individuality. As the novel progresses, we begin to perceive that Holden’s alienation is his way of protecting himself. Just as he wears his hunting hat to advertise his uniqueness, he uses his isolation as proof that he is better than everyone else around him and therefore above interacting with them, even though his perspective isn’t necessarily true. Throughout the text he puts on the hat to get a sense of security. He does this because, he lives in a world of “phonies”, and sometimes it is hard to retain all of your traits and characteristics.

Holden Caulfield, the main protagonist in J.D. Salinger 's The Catcher in the Rye, illustrates the endless struggle of becoming an adult, without actually growing up. Psychoanalytical theory provides a closer lense into the character development of sixteen year Holden Caulfield, a six foot two grey haired child who’s afraid to grow up and face the problems of an inevitable reality. There’s many factors that contribute to Holden’s perplex personality including the absence of his parents, the death of his younger brother and the fact that he has to cope all this while simultaneously migrating from school to school . The ramifications of living under such

Holden’s red hunting hat is his way of expressing that he is different from everyone else. In the beginning of the book, right after he met with Mr. Spencer, Holden

The red hunting is seen as a symbol of protection towards Holden.’’I was sort of crying. I don’t know why. I put on my red hunting hat on and turned the peak around the back, the way I liked it, and then I yelled at the top my goddamn lungs,’’ is a quote from chapter seven and it shows how the hat protects him from the darkness and phonies of the real-life world. Holden feels as if the hat is a sort of armor and he becomes indomitable when he wears it. People today have a special item that makes them feel strong and invulnerable so that is how many people will feel a connection towards Holden.

Holden buys the red hunting hat when he's walking around New York after he forgets the fencing team's equipment on the subway. “ It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks… It only cost me a buck. The way I wore it, I swung the old peak way around to the back- very corny I'll admit, but I liked it that way. I looked good in it that way” (17-18). clearly the hat is an odd kind of hat for fashionable purposes but Holden isn't to normal himself. Holden tends to put on the hunting hat at odd times. In one time in particular Holden was in the back of the cab and he put the hat on for no reason. “ I’d put on my red hunting cap in the cab just for the hell of it, but I took it off before I checked in. I didn't want to look like a screwball or something” (61). Holden only puts the hat on when it comes to times he feels uncomfortable or nervous, Kinda like a child would have a stuffed animal bear because they feel protected with

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.

On the very first page of The Catcher in the Rye Holden Caulfield says “I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty rundown and had to come here and take it easy.” Opening the story this way tells me that at the end of the book something will happen to him that will force him to be hospitalized. I wonder what will happen and why he will be admitted. Because of this when I was reading the book I watched for symptoms and continued making predictions about why he was sent to the hospital and what sent him there.

There are many unexpected changes between childhood and adolescence; one is affected by bodily changes, along with people they know changing around them. Hormones and emotions become uncontrollable, increasing levels of stress and fear during these particular stages of development. The transition between childhood innocence and the brutality of adulthood is long and confusing, often resulting in a loss of self identity. Children tend to look towards the future with great anticipation; whereas many adults tend to constantly reminisce about their childhoods. As a child, the thought is that growing up cannot come soon enough; one cannot appreciate the blissful innocence of childhood until it has passed. The novel, The Catcher in the Rye,

Growing up is a tough decision as you start to get older. You have to decide whether you want to stay and act young forever so you don't have to worry about having responsibility rather than growing up and maturing. The Catcher in the rye epitomize the characteristic of fear, confusion and loneliness of a young teenage boy who is stuck among his past and presents, at the same time he is unease about the future. Holden Caulfield is a young teenage boy who is afraid of growing up.

Have you ever found a book that relates to you? If you feel lost, you are alienated or you are a teenage angst. You are not alone. This character Holden Caulfield is the main character in an extraordinary novel “Catcher In The Rye” written outstandingly by J.D Salinger . This novel is suppose to relate to adolescent because it is a literary realism and coming -to- age story. Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year old boy from New York that have been expelled from flunking classes at Pencey Prep. He is telling his story that takes place only three days. Holden resents the adult world and turns down the doorway to adulthood. He is engaging with the trappings of adulthood, but he doesn't want to grow up . His fear is to lose his innocence. He doesn't want to accept life. If Holden had a choice on what he want to be , he wants to be a catcher in the rye because he wants to save children falling and save their innocence too. Catcher in the rye is relevant to teenagers today because they have the same qualities.

The process of growing from an adolescent to an adult is one of tedious treading and change, often only duly explained to a demographic which has long forgotten the trials of youth by means of literature. To remind a reader that the process of growing up is but an inevitable act of life, full of mistrials and missteps, is to bring back humanity and humility to those who have been so disconnected with sympathy for those who experience what they themselves may have long forgotten or never experienced. Holden Caulfield, the main protagonist in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, is perhaps one of the most iconic characters of American literature. Holden displayed the traits of a developing character, of one who went through a permanent change