Catcher In The Rye Role Model

When there is a lack of parental roles in a teenager’s life, things do not always go as planned. Baby, from Baby Driver, and Holden, from Catcher in the Rye, have both experienced loss. Which has both caused a lack of proper parental an adult role models in their life. When Baby was a young child, he was in a car accident with his mother and father. This causes the passing of both parents. Since then, Baby is part of the Foster Care system. His inability to cope has lead him to become the getaway driver for criminals. This career path causes Baby to get in trouble with the law. When Holden was younger, his brother Allie died. This causes a rift in the family and breaks down their dynamic. Holden got kicked out of his school and began acting …show more content…
In this sense, disappear means die. “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. Please Allie.” And then when I’d reach the other side of the street without disappearing, I’d thank him” (Salinger, 257). Holden’s depression takes over his thoughts, which is why he is turning to Allie for support. He feels as though he is disappearing because he has lost all direction and quality of life. Without the support of his brother and family, Holden feels lost and alone. All he has are his thoughts. Following a robbery, Baby was instructed to dispose of the car that he uses as the getaway car. When at the junkyard, the image of cars being obliterated to tiny pieces reminds him of the car accident he was in as a young kid. In the accident, both of his parents had died, leaving him to the care of others and himself. This leads Baby into a vacuous hole of flashbacks. He recalls his fondest memories with his mother and father. As Baby zones off into the smashes pieces of metal that he once was behind the wheel of, an image of his parents come to mind. Baby is trembling feverishly. An image of his mother comes across, and she's gesturing. She's …show more content…
Although both Holden and Baby make bad decisions to cope with their past, their coping mechanisms are different. Holden attempt to act like a “mature” adult while Baby partakes in crime. After his expulsion from Pencey, Holden is all by himself on the streets of New York. He does not have a close and trusting relationship with his family ever since his brother, Allie, died. Holden lacks strong adult figures in his life that can shape his values and view of the world. To cope, Holden attempts to act like an adult that he does not have in his life. “After old sunny was gone, I sat in the chair for a while and smokes a couple of cigarettes” (Salinger, 129). Holden believes that in order to receive respect, he must act like a typical adult. Not only to receive respect, but he also thinks by embodying an adult, it will help him manage his clinical depression. Holden believes to do so, he must drink, smoke, and have sex. He may not have sex, but he does drink and smoke. Holden uses this as a distraction from what the real problem is. Deep down, he cannot deal with his emotional pain and suffering. Although Baby lives in a foster house, he is still responsible for himself. Baby still tries to make ends meet as well as pay for a grand theft auto accident, he got into for his current