Humans fear the inevitable - that all living beings will die. The topic of death is perceived as a societal taboo in any given discussion, making it difficult for the living to cope with death. Eventually, this cold relationship with death influences people to be ignorant. This is demonstrated in J.D Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, which depicts teenage protagonist Holden Caulfield and his unsuccessful interactions with adults. This is because the protagonist illustrates the general perception of death in society - that age brings people closer to death. This is reinforced in Michelle Knox’s Ted talk, Talk about your death while you’re still healthy, where she explores the consequences associated with society’s attempts to deny the
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This is clearly shown in the mentality of Holden when he compares the dangers of growing up to falling off a cliff. Holden makes himself responsible for protecting innocent children, describing his job “to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff” (Salinger, 173). This quote reveals Holden’s mentality towards the prospect of growing up; he perceives it as something that leads to an unknown situation. His analogy represents a new world - presented with risks and dangers, including death - which youths must face when they grow up. It is clear that Holden sees age as another step closer to death, despite the fact that age does not necessarily correlate with death. As a result, this can lead to consequences that further shrouds death into uncertainty. This is emphasized in Michelle Knox’s Ted talk, in which she believes that the fear of the unknown starts with the parents. Knox states that, “only the adults attended the funeral. My parents would come home looking sad and drained, but they didn't discuss it with us. So I was ignorant to death and of the grieving process” (Knox .32). People learn from their childhood, so if the adults in their life continue to avoid the discussion of death, then this can only elevate the fear of it. Knox says that she “was ignorant to death and of the grieving process” because death is shrouded in questions left unanswered by adults. Humanity does not necessarily fear dying but more so the unknowns. The discussion of death is helpful towards confronting the unknowns of death for the living; however, this discussion needs to be more acceptable in
This is clearly shown in the mentality of Holden when he compares the dangers of growing up to falling off a cliff. Holden makes himself responsible for protecting innocent children, describing his job “to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff” (Salinger, 173). This quote reveals Holden’s mentality towards the prospect of growing up; he perceives it as something that leads to an unknown situation. His analogy represents a new world - presented with risks and dangers, including death - which youths must face when they grow up. It is clear that Holden sees age as another step closer to death, despite the fact that age does not necessarily correlate with death. As a result, this can lead to consequences that further shrouds death into uncertainty. This is emphasized in Michelle Knox’s Ted talk, in which she believes that the fear of the unknown starts with the parents. Knox states that, “only the adults attended the funeral. My parents would come home looking sad and drained, but they didn't discuss it with us. So I was ignorant to death and of the grieving process” (Knox .32). People learn from their childhood, so if the adults in their life continue to avoid the discussion of death, then this can only elevate the fear of it. Knox says that she “was ignorant to death and of the grieving process” because death is shrouded in questions left unanswered by adults. Humanity does not necessarily fear dying but more so the unknowns. The discussion of death is helpful towards confronting the unknowns of death for the living; however, this discussion needs to be more acceptable in