Holden Bowler

In “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is evolving throughout the novel by gradually reaching a point where he can no longer cope with the truth of reality, causing him to mentally break down into a state of instability. For example, Holden is out on a date with Sally when he suddenly asks her “‘Here’s my idea. How would you like to get the hell out of here? … Honest to God, we could have a terrific time! Wuddaya say? C’mon! Wuddaya say? Will you do it with me? Please!’”…

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). Holden pictures himself as a “big” figure catching thousands of children before they fall off a cliff. Falling off…

The Catcher in The Rye has over 65 million sales and sells about 250,000 copies per year. This book portrays the life of JD Salinger (the book’s author) in Holden Caulfield (The main character). This book has been read by almost everyone in the United States and for a good reason. The Catcher In the Rye’s main character Holden is able to relate with any reader. There is no definite explanation for the book, JD Salinger left it up to the readers to decide what the book meant to them. Each…

childhood to adulthood. In J.D.Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is a perfect example of these people who have a hard time transitioning to adulthood. While he fears change, and disdains adults, he is also too physically and mentally grown up to stay in childhood. Thus Holden is trapped and lingers between childhood and adulthood. Holden fears change both in him and around him that is associated with growing up. To start, Holden is afraid of physical changes that are happening around…

become overwhelmed. This overall cycle is usually associated with teenage adolescence. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is extremely scared of entering adulthood, which is caused by his loss of innocence as a child. Holden’s fear of becoming an adult causes him to have an obsession with preserving youth and the innocence that comes with it. Holden uses what he describes as “Phoniness” to show his true fear of becoming an adult. Phoniness describes the one-dimensional…

catcher in the Rye” Holden caulfield is a teenager who is scared to grow up out off his innocence to adulthood. He seems to run away from many of his problems. He wants to be heard, however he doesn't want to listen to what others have to say. He wants to save kids from growing up and going into adulthood as he thinks the adulthood is cruel. I believe “The Catcher in the Rye” is still relevant to today's teens as the actions taken by holden are the same as many teens now. Holdens behavior…

for lack of academic success, the cynical adolescent, Holden Caulfield, returns to his hometown, New York City. There, Holden roams meaninglessly, trying to postpone his arrival and news to his family that he has once again failed to succeed in his schooling. Silently suffering over the death of his beloved brother, Allie, Holden builds up his inner turmoil toward adults and the phoniness they have created as they entered adulthood. Although Holden realizes that he himself is slipping into the…

is able to connect and identify with Holden as a struggling hero, who is on his downfall. Though, the relatability of the character can conceal different hidden traits, that Salinger gave Holden. From the start of the novel, it is clear that Holden is mentally unstable as he reveals his past. After the death of his younger brother, Allie, he was no longer able to communicate with others; this was the start of his mental breakdowns. Soon following, Holden had failed four different boarding…

Throughout the novel, “Catcher in the Rye”, J.D. Salinger takes the reader through the labyrinth of the protagonist and narrator Holden Caulfield’s mind. The novel parallels easily to many of the battles teenagers still face today, such as, the upheaval from childhood to adulthood and the feelings of uncertainty when faced with making choices that shape their future. As Salinger highlights Holden’s struggles to find his own identity in a world of “phoniness”, he also emphasizes Holden’s struggle…

In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield strikes up a conversation with two New York cab drivers about the ducks in Central Park. He asks his first cab driver if he “happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over? Do you happen to know, by any chance" and throws the same question at a second cab drive a few chapters later. In his breakdown moment, he stumbles drunkenly around the park looking to see “what the hell the ducks were doing, see if they were…