Character Analysis Of The Catcher In The Rye, By J. D. Salinger

People often will only show the side of themselves that they want people to see because deep down, they are scared to reveal their true personality. The reveal can be extraordinarily difficult for people, but some know that the best stories come from people who open up and share their story with the world. In the book, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden, the main character, displays many Character defining moments That break down the complexity of Holden’s character and show how Holden changes over the course of the novel. Holden is the kind of person that will not talk about his past or his true interests with the people around him. Throughout the story, Holden slowly begins to feel comfortable with his audience, but at first, he acts a bit timid and shy. When Holden begins to tell his story, he starts by saying, “If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what was my lousy childhood like”, Holden then goes on to say “that stuff bores me”(Salinger 1). This is an example of how Holden is very shy and conceded, this is simply part of his personality. Holden does show signs of opening up because of the fact that he is talking to his audience at all, because later in the story, Holden elaborates on the rarity of him talking to others about himself because of how it makes him feel uncomfortable. Holden is obviously very conceided, but …show more content…
Holden begins to realize all of the moments in his life that he had ruined be his insecurity and anger directed towards the rest of the world. Holden was the one that took his life into his own hands because even though he wouldn’t admit it, he knew that he needed to change; Holden changed himself to make life for his friends and family easier, and himself