in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a teenager who is in alienated in society due to its pretentious values. Holden suffers from loneliness and alienation because he is unable to associate with the phonies in society. Holden also plays a crucial role in depicting the judgmental values of society in which he chooses to not take part of. Early into the novel Holden faces the alienation in the culture he is surrounded in. When planning on meeting his former history teacher Mr. Spencer, Holden decides…
belittled during typical everyday encounters. In the case of teenager Holden Caulfield, this phobia of exclusion is the norm. Holden’s suspicions often end up disconnecting him further from the support of others. The Catcher in the Rye by: J.D. Salinger is about the social and internal struggles faced by Holden Caulfield. It all begins shortly after Holden is kicked out of Pencey Prep, a school in which he feels lonesome and outcasted. Holden has difficulty conforming to societal norms and, as a…
Introduction Holden Caulfield was a mysterious and a rather inept person. It seemed that he could not function in normal life. He had an attitude that was pessimistic and unhappy. He hated most things and referred to most people as “phonies.” There was one thing however, that was expressed in the book by J.D. Salinger, that Caulfield loved. Holden cherished innocence. Caulfield represents the core of all men and women. At the bottom of every one’s heart, there is a great void; a hunger and…
Holden Caulfield is the main character and the narrator in the novel “The Catcher in the Rye”. Holden tells his life story and is currently going through psychiatric care. At the beginning of his story, Holden is a student at Pencey Prep School (Private School). He is expelled for failing the majority of his classes except English. Holden visits his old teacher Mr. Spencer before he leaves Pencey. Mr. Spencer gave Holden advice but the irresponsible sixteen-year-old ignored the advice that he…
In Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a symbol of the younger generation who rejects America’s culture of conformity unlike his parents. The older generation of parents tried to defeat the spread of communism by conforming while the teenagers felt a disconnect to society. Caulfield uses the word “phoniness” to display his affection towards conformity. Caulfield would love to experience a human connection similar to his but does not find such thing. The youth during this time…
conformity is present in the main character’s journeys in very similar ways. In Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden Caulfield struggles with conformity throughout the novel as he is often pressured to do things he is opposed to but society deems acceptable and expected of someone his age, many of which he conforms to. Throughout the novel, Holden is characterized as a very hypocritical character, which often highlights his unintentional conformity. For example, he often…
Sometimes, traumatic events in a young person’s life can force them to grow up faster than others. For Holden Caulfield, however, innocence and childhood is something to be cherished, since the world of adults is filled with “phonies” and people he doesn’t agree with. After the death of his little brother Allie, Holden struggles to retain his childish nature while growing into an adult. J. D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is a unique coming-of-age story that presents a theme of…
dwells with them and affects who they are on the daily. For Holden Caulfield, his traumatic experience was his little brother’s death by cancer. Due to the trauma taking place when Holden was young, it led him to be dishonest, to distance himself from others, and to feel alone. Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger incorporates the theme of alienation to further construe that subsequent to the trauma he endured, Holden believes that most people or events he experiences are…
in the Rye”, by J.D Salinger emphasizes the idea of what phony is. It is the word used to describe someone or something that is not genuine. Through the novel’s main character, Holden Caulfield, it is brought to light what living a phony life means to an individual. Catcher in the Rye is told from the perspective of Holden who thought of almost everything and everyone as phonies. Through his perspective, the reality that people can’t avoid being phony is shown. The attributes of the characters…
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…