Teenagers are often strictly structured by the society to be on track in life, but some can suffer easily from depression due to their inability to achieve even the basic standard like not get kicked out from school. In Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield demonstrates as an example of a drop out student. As a sixteen years old teenager striving in New York in the 1940s, Holden frequently mentions his loneliness and depression as he repetitively faces problems that he is unable to resolve, which build up his sickness over time. Initially, the motif of “Loneliness” appears when Holden isolates himself from friends and classmates to feel the protection. Then the motif of “Depression” comes in as Holden fails to connect with strangers,
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At the beginning of the book, the motif of “Loneliness” is utilized when Holden behaves as a noticeable antisocial individual around people whom he recognizes. At the last football game of the year in Pencey Prep School, Holden watches the game from the far despite the majority of students is cheering in the stadium. Holden claims that he “[is] trying to feel some kind of a good-by”, and before “[he] leaves a place [he likes] to know [he is] leaving it” (4). As Holden perceives the rapid change of his role in the society, he chooses to stand alone in order to seek the protection of his dismay contrasting to the relief from dropping out like most would expect. With the opportunity to socialize, Holden isolates himself from people as he chooses not to join his classmates who are accepted by the society. Later on, Holden fights with Stradlater over the baseball mitt essay because he is angered by how Stradlater undermines the value of the baseball mitt that symbolizes his childhood innocence. Later when Ackley asks about the situation as he spots blood on Holden’s face, …show more content…
For instance, after Holden spots numerous phonies at Ernie’s pub like D.B.’s ex-girlfriend, Lillian, he decides to leave the pub because “people are always ruining things for [him]” (87). Despite the inessential relationship between Holden and Lillian, Holden’s insecurity arises again as he can longer fake his identity, which ruins his intent to be at the pub. His depression influences him to develop the misconception that people are responsible for his adversity or depression when the real cause is himself. Holden comments on Pencey Prep negatively as well when Phoebe asks him about dropping out. He replies that “[he] just [doesn’t] like anything that [is] happening” there and he “can’t explain” (169). The depressed Holden refuses to acknowledge any happiness at Pencey. His lack of effort to explain his reasons is because he is overwhelmed by depression to the extent that he gives up trying to think about happiness. At another time when Holden delivers his letter to Phoebe through the school, he folds the note numerous times because he “can't trust anybody in a goddam school” (201). Holden emphasizes his concern in trusting society’s representatives yet he recognizes the need to have them in order to facilitate life. The unnecessity of his concern suggests his insecurity to society’s workers, and his inner
At the beginning of the book, the motif of “Loneliness” is utilized when Holden behaves as a noticeable antisocial individual around people whom he recognizes. At the last football game of the year in Pencey Prep School, Holden watches the game from the far despite the majority of students is cheering in the stadium. Holden claims that he “[is] trying to feel some kind of a good-by”, and before “[he] leaves a place [he likes] to know [he is] leaving it” (4). As Holden perceives the rapid change of his role in the society, he chooses to stand alone in order to seek the protection of his dismay contrasting to the relief from dropping out like most would expect. With the opportunity to socialize, Holden isolates himself from people as he chooses not to join his classmates who are accepted by the society. Later on, Holden fights with Stradlater over the baseball mitt essay because he is angered by how Stradlater undermines the value of the baseball mitt that symbolizes his childhood innocence. Later when Ackley asks about the situation as he spots blood on Holden’s face, …show more content…
For instance, after Holden spots numerous phonies at Ernie’s pub like D.B.’s ex-girlfriend, Lillian, he decides to leave the pub because “people are always ruining things for [him]” (87). Despite the inessential relationship between Holden and Lillian, Holden’s insecurity arises again as he can longer fake his identity, which ruins his intent to be at the pub. His depression influences him to develop the misconception that people are responsible for his adversity or depression when the real cause is himself. Holden comments on Pencey Prep negatively as well when Phoebe asks him about dropping out. He replies that “[he] just [doesn’t] like anything that [is] happening” there and he “can’t explain” (169). The depressed Holden refuses to acknowledge any happiness at Pencey. His lack of effort to explain his reasons is because he is overwhelmed by depression to the extent that he gives up trying to think about happiness. At another time when Holden delivers his letter to Phoebe through the school, he folds the note numerous times because he “can't trust anybody in a goddam school” (201). Holden emphasizes his concern in trusting society’s representatives yet he recognizes the need to have them in order to facilitate life. The unnecessity of his concern suggests his insecurity to society’s workers, and his inner