An unknown person once stated, “We ignore the ones that adore us, adore the ones that ignore us, hurt the ones that love us, and love the ones that hurt us.” This can be interpreted as humankind continuously wanting what isn’t theirs and constantly taking for granted what they do have. This quote can be supported through the texts,The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. These two authors use character relationships and theme to convey the selfishness of man and the desire seen in human nature. The Catcher in the Rye follows an adolescent boy as he discovers himself and what he is in the world during a short, lonely journey in New York City. Holden Caulfield is a very intricate character, whose analysis
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A large part of Holden’s character is his relationships to other characters, especially adults/authority figures. Holden’s respect is hard to gain, but mainly he is capable of pushing away those who care about him and instead leans towards those who don’t. Holden’s relationship with his teacher, Mr. Spencer and his peer Sally Hayes, are able to show this characteristic in Holden. Since Holden’s parents distance themselves from him, he has no real stable adult figure to guide him, however Mr. Spencer tries to be this person. A teacher at his old boarding school, Spencer treats Holden as though he is his mentor and truly cares about the boy. However, Holden almost feels suffocated by this relationship and pushes hard against Mr. Spencer. Struggling with a mental battle, he ends up distancing himself from the man. Holden’s relationship with Sally Hayes is similar. As her and Holden get closer and Sally shows him love, affection, and adornment, Holden begins to get almost tired of their relationship and feels the need to end it. These two character relationships prove how …show more content…
Throughout this text, Salinger shows the themes of wanting acceptance and egocentrism. By Holden wanting his parents to be proud of him and himself personally wanting to accept who he truly is, he proves this theme which relates to the quote because this need for acceptance goes hand in hand with “adoring those who ignore us.” The other theme being conveyed, egocentrism, is seen mainly when Holden leaves boarding school without notifying others and when he intends to run away from his family and work on a ranch. Both of these events show how Holden does not regard others and their feelings, which is a very selfish trait. These two themes and two character relationships both support the quote well because they depict the underlying selfish qualities represented throughout this
A large part of Holden’s character is his relationships to other characters, especially adults/authority figures. Holden’s respect is hard to gain, but mainly he is capable of pushing away those who care about him and instead leans towards those who don’t. Holden’s relationship with his teacher, Mr. Spencer and his peer Sally Hayes, are able to show this characteristic in Holden. Since Holden’s parents distance themselves from him, he has no real stable adult figure to guide him, however Mr. Spencer tries to be this person. A teacher at his old boarding school, Spencer treats Holden as though he is his mentor and truly cares about the boy. However, Holden almost feels suffocated by this relationship and pushes hard against Mr. Spencer. Struggling with a mental battle, he ends up distancing himself from the man. Holden’s relationship with Sally Hayes is similar. As her and Holden get closer and Sally shows him love, affection, and adornment, Holden begins to get almost tired of their relationship and feels the need to end it. These two character relationships prove how …show more content…
Throughout this text, Salinger shows the themes of wanting acceptance and egocentrism. By Holden wanting his parents to be proud of him and himself personally wanting to accept who he truly is, he proves this theme which relates to the quote because this need for acceptance goes hand in hand with “adoring those who ignore us.” The other theme being conveyed, egocentrism, is seen mainly when Holden leaves boarding school without notifying others and when he intends to run away from his family and work on a ranch. Both of these events show how Holden does not regard others and their feelings, which is a very selfish trait. These two themes and two character relationships both support the quote well because they depict the underlying selfish qualities represented throughout this