Growing Pains The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger tells the painful story of a seemingly unloved and lonely teenage boy named Holden Caulfield, struggling to find his way in a world of “phonies” and bullies. After being expelled out of the prestigious Pencey Prep School due to poor academic performance and a lack of effort, Holden leaves Pencey early as an act of rebellion, three days before he is expected home. Living and traveling alone in New York City, he encounters prostitutes, pimps, and hypocrites all while experiencing first hand the cruelty of the grown up world, and losing his mental sanity in the process. Through his journey, Holden is reminded of his own impending fall out of innocence, and into a dog-eat-dog world. Similar
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A clear symbol of his push away from the “standard”, Holden’s red hunting hat serves as a differing factor between him and society. Its outlandish appearance renders the hat as unique, along with the boy who wears it. Holden narrates, “I took [it] out of my pocket and put it on- I didn’t give a damn how I looked”(88). His obvious disregard for what may or may not be attractive to the rest of the population demonstrates Holden’s wish for individuality and segregation away from others. He refers to it as a “people shooting hat”(22), displaying his scorn for those who are in fact “societal norms” and his symbolic intention to rid of them. Along with being a symbol for his uniqueness, Holden’s hat also serves as a source of comfort throughout the novel, reminding him not only of his independence from the world’s phonies, but also of his brother and sister, who both share the same red hair. Holden states how his father wishes for him to attend an Ivy League college, and become a more typical version of success. Yet, Holden flouts this normative goal saying “I wouldn’t go to one of those Ivy League colleges, if I was dying”(85). He believes that attending one of those expensive schools filled primarily with carbon copies of the next student would be phony, an adjective which Holden avoids at all costs. Similar to his distaste for Ivy League schools, Holden also dismisses the thought of getting a normal job, like his father who is a corporate lawyer. Holden only desires to become the catcher in the rye, explaining, “If they’re running and don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day…I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be”(173). Not only does this display Holden’s rejection of society and its common jobs, but it also shows his fear of growing up, another common childhood problem, as he never
A clear symbol of his push away from the “standard”, Holden’s red hunting hat serves as a differing factor between him and society. Its outlandish appearance renders the hat as unique, along with the boy who wears it. Holden narrates, “I took [it] out of my pocket and put it on- I didn’t give a damn how I looked”(88). His obvious disregard for what may or may not be attractive to the rest of the population demonstrates Holden’s wish for individuality and segregation away from others. He refers to it as a “people shooting hat”(22), displaying his scorn for those who are in fact “societal norms” and his symbolic intention to rid of them. Along with being a symbol for his uniqueness, Holden’s hat also serves as a source of comfort throughout the novel, reminding him not only of his independence from the world’s phonies, but also of his brother and sister, who both share the same red hair. Holden states how his father wishes for him to attend an Ivy League college, and become a more typical version of success. Yet, Holden flouts this normative goal saying “I wouldn’t go to one of those Ivy League colleges, if I was dying”(85). He believes that attending one of those expensive schools filled primarily with carbon copies of the next student would be phony, an adjective which Holden avoids at all costs. Similar to his distaste for Ivy League schools, Holden also dismisses the thought of getting a normal job, like his father who is a corporate lawyer. Holden only desires to become the catcher in the rye, explaining, “If they’re running and don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day…I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be”(173). Not only does this display Holden’s rejection of society and its common jobs, but it also shows his fear of growing up, another common childhood problem, as he never