The death of his brother Allie has had a deleterious effect on Holden’s life. For example, when Holden was walking down the street he would say, “Every time I’d get to the end of a block I’d make believe I was talking to my brother Allie. I’d say to him, ‘Allie, don’t let me disappear. Allie, don’t let me disappear. Allie, don’t let me disappear.…
Holden values children’s innocence. When phoebe asks Holden what he would like to be when he grows up, Holden says: “Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around–nobody big, [he means]–except [him]. And [he’s] standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What [he has] to do, [he] has to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff… [He’d] just be the catcher in the rye” (191).…
As Holden continues to have an adventure in New York City, he ends up talking to many different adults and strangers. In the conversation Holden has with them, he usually acts very hypocritical and rude towards them. Before Holden embarks on his journey in New York City he visits his history teacher Mr. Spencer. At first Holden seems polite, since he sits down and grabs a test for Mr. Spencer when he is told to. As the visits goes on Holden starts to mention very rude thoughts about Mr. Spencer in his head.…
Holden's characteristic is confusing, he acts irresponsible and impulsive but sometimes he takes responsibility. In the beginning he talks about how he was the manager of the fencing team but forgets the equipment’s on the subway. Then in Mr. Spencer’s house he takes responsibility for his failure and actions. These two behaviors of Holden is contradicting and shows his struggle of not knowing what is right and what is acceptable by the society. Mr. Spencer advices Holden to take life as a game and play by the rules, to which Holden comments that life is only a game to those of the winning side.…
A few months down the road I will be achieving a milestone by graduating high school and having a taste of independence. Like Holden Caulfield, I too am close to entering adulthood, but the difference between him and I is our attitude towards change. In the novel, Holden's former teacher tells him that, 'the mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one" (page 188). Through a discussion of various themes and issues in the novel, we can conclude the Holden is, in fact, immature.…
In the novel, The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character Holden Caulfield, is a teenager who is rich but suffering from societal problems. Throughout the book, Holden struggles with the idea of children realizing that the world isn’t how they imagined it to be as they grow up. He believes that future generations of kids will grow up as he did, and lose their innocence. Holden has matured throughout the book. He has grown from an immature kid to a mature adult.…
Holden Grows Up Change is inevitable; everyone has to go through it. Some people can deal with it and others cannot. In his novel, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger portrays Holden Caulfield as someone who cannot handle change. He acts like an adult, but he wants to be a kid at heart. With his brother/best friend dead, Holden was left alone and depressed.…
The Catcher in The Rye The picture I decided to create us entitled “Loss” and it is all inside of Holden’s head. Holden believes that innocence is lost in growing up, that is why this image is called “Loss”. From left to right darkness slowly takes over the drawing. The light side is centered with the Museum of Natural History.…
His old friend Sally, does not really want anything to do with him. Holden is a very negative person, who complains most of the time and thinks everyone is a phony. He acts very immature, yet his thoughts contradict his actions. Holden demonstrates this maturity through his thoughts , but does not express them until his love for his sister forces him to.…
By Armish Khan From the moment of birth to the moment of death, individuals during their journey of growing up lose their innocence that they once cherished and aren’t able to escape the reality of maturity. The loss of innocence is an inevitable process that one cannot hold onto merely. Individuals don’t have the ability to preserve their innocence that they did during their childhood because as they grow up, people surround themselves in environments that expose them to the real world. Therefore, growing up is a process that involves being with certain people and through them, one’s innocence is erased and is taken away from them. However, in the novel called “The Catcher in the Rye”, written by J.D Salinger, the main character Holden Caulfield,…
Holden wants to act as the archetypal Hero, wanting to fulfill the task of preventing children from physically falling, and from falling spiritually from their state of innocence, which shows his dedication to the youth and desire to serve others. Overall, even though in his heart he has a passion to save others, Holden’s actions and…
The Catcher in the Rye is a story about a teenage boy named Holden Caulfield and has many themes. Some of them include insanity, phoniness, childhood, and sex. Throughout the story Holden criticizes people and labels them “phonies”. Ironically, in The Catcher in the Rye, Holden acts phony in many ways which one can see through his thoughts, words and actions. Because of this Holden cannot have functioning relationships with others, and it take a toll on him.…
The author Salinger, makes Holden Caulfield this obnoxious, bad mouthing, cynic teenager. “...I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies.” (Salinger p 13). In the novel Catcher in the Rye, Holden goes through many obstacles and is trying to find himself. But during his exploration,we realize that Holden is growing up and is becoming a man.…
Mesmerized by the internal need to preserve the innocence in the world around him, Holden ventures off on a life-changing journey to grasp the unattainable, the need to prevent children from maturing. With the unfortunate past events in his life guiding the way, Holden embarks on a mission to prove to the world that he can make his inflated dream a reality by protecting the youth from the impurities of adulthood. Being the catcher in the rye is more than just a job that Holden wants; it is the occupation he needs in his life to play his part. The heroic deeds Holden implicates into his voyage throughout the novel proves his valor, but he is stricken by an incognizant mentality, steering him away from his objective, and down the treacherous…
Adolescence is a time fraught with the dangers of loneliness. In a person’s journey through this period it is therefore important to maintain strong relationships with other people. Holden Caulfield is a teenager who lets such relationships deteriorate in J.D. Salinger 's The Catcher in the Rye. The novel follows Holden as he leaves his school, travelling through New York City alone in a depressed funk. Ultimately, Salinger uses Holden’s language to illustrate the theme that an absence of close relationships and feelings of alienation and loneliness pose a danger to adolescents.…