The Dynamic of Holden Caulfield
People change. It is just the way they are. That is also the case in “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. Holden, the main character, undergoes a huge change that is obvious throughout the novel. Holden goes through a series of unfortunate events as he learns his lessons the hard way. From the beginning to the end, Holden finds motivation, happiness, and realizes that he has to let go of innocence. Holden is certainly a dynamic character based on the way his outlook on life changed throughout the novel.
Holden makes a 180 degree turnaround by the end of the book by finding motivation to succeed in school. By the second page of the book, it can be seen what type of person Holden is. Holden states that, …show more content…
Before Holden lost his own innocence, he wanted to prevent other children from losing theirs too. His life goal was to catch kids when they were about to fall, “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they 're running and they don 't look where they 're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That 's all I do all day. I 'd just be the catcher in the rye and all”(Salinger 173). Holden was determined to save every last child from experiencing a “fall.” The fall represents the loss of innocence. Holden desperately holds on to the last bit of innocence he has and wants everyone else to because Allie was innocent and he died before he lost it, therefore he wants to be like Allie. There were many symbols representing holden’s own fall throughout the book. Holden is constantly falling during the book. He slipped on ice, on peanut shells, on a suitcase, and while ice skating. But the most important fall was when he passed out and fell when he was waiting for Phoebe at the museum, “I mean I could’ve killed myself when I hit the floor, but all I did was sort of land on my side. It was a funny thing, though. I felt better after I passed out”(Salinger 205). This last fall symbolizes Holden’s loss of innocence and transition into adulthood because he said that he felt better after he got up. Immediately after, Holden shows that he is actually a changed person when he says, “The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them”(Salinger 211). When Holden watches Phoebe ride the carrousel and grab for the ring, he finally realizes that children need to lose their innocence at some point and it is useless for him to try and stop it. The book
People change. It is just the way they are. That is also the case in “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. Holden, the main character, undergoes a huge change that is obvious throughout the novel. Holden goes through a series of unfortunate events as he learns his lessons the hard way. From the beginning to the end, Holden finds motivation, happiness, and realizes that he has to let go of innocence. Holden is certainly a dynamic character based on the way his outlook on life changed throughout the novel.
Holden makes a 180 degree turnaround by the end of the book by finding motivation to succeed in school. By the second page of the book, it can be seen what type of person Holden is. Holden states that, …show more content…
Before Holden lost his own innocence, he wanted to prevent other children from losing theirs too. His life goal was to catch kids when they were about to fall, “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they 're running and they don 't look where they 're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That 's all I do all day. I 'd just be the catcher in the rye and all”(Salinger 173). Holden was determined to save every last child from experiencing a “fall.” The fall represents the loss of innocence. Holden desperately holds on to the last bit of innocence he has and wants everyone else to because Allie was innocent and he died before he lost it, therefore he wants to be like Allie. There were many symbols representing holden’s own fall throughout the book. Holden is constantly falling during the book. He slipped on ice, on peanut shells, on a suitcase, and while ice skating. But the most important fall was when he passed out and fell when he was waiting for Phoebe at the museum, “I mean I could’ve killed myself when I hit the floor, but all I did was sort of land on my side. It was a funny thing, though. I felt better after I passed out”(Salinger 205). This last fall symbolizes Holden’s loss of innocence and transition into adulthood because he said that he felt better after he got up. Immediately after, Holden shows that he is actually a changed person when he says, “The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them”(Salinger 211). When Holden watches Phoebe ride the carrousel and grab for the ring, he finally realizes that children need to lose their innocence at some point and it is useless for him to try and stop it. The book