I'm Crazy

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…

Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye and the film Dead Poets Society, both of the main characters Holden and Neil have strained relationships with their parents. For Holden Caulfield, he struggles with the fear of telling his parents that he was expelled from boarding school due to the expectations of his parents. Then, for Neil, he struggles with finding his own path that is separate from his father’s ideas, but cannot confront the strictness of his father. Within these two sources are…

For many teenagers, the thought of growing up and navigating the responsibilities of adulthood is a troubling thought. It is a time where maturity is tested, and autonomy is necessity. A time when some of us feel most alone. Unfortunately, this reality is no different for Holden Caulfield as his rejection of adultness leaves him wandering the streets of New York City alone. Throughout the novel “the Catcher in the Rye”, J.D Salinger plays off many aspects of Holden’s quirky and immature…

Dharani Nachiappan Ms. Catenacci ENG 4U1 08 April 2015 Salinger’s Fascination of Forlornness in The Catcher in the Rye The Catcher in the Rye is known internationally as an influential and analytical narrative. It follows the story of Holden Caulfield who goes through a series of events that make him feel alone and neglected in the world that he is living in. Many themes are present throughout the novel but the most recurring and dominant theme is forlornness. This is the feeling of…

labeling them as “phonies.” In Holden’s view the perfect job would be, he states, “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff. . .That’s all I do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be.” He wants to keep all the children-children. He never wants to grow up and face the hard grown-up world, and he does not want them to either. In a way, Holden is jealous that his brother never…

end up killing Lennie, other people and animals would up dying in Lennie’s hands. If he didn’t kill Lennie someone else would. Lennie ended up killing Curley’s wife trying to make her quiet, as revenge Curley wanted to end Lennie’s life. “I’m gonna get him. I'm going for my shotgun..” (pg. 96). George didn’t want someone to kill Lennie and wanted him to die peacefully. Before he shot Lennie, George told him to imagine the farm of his dream that he wants. “Look across the river, Lennie, an’ I’ll…

The Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger, objects the academic and social norms of the time period. Salinger expresses his disapproval through Holden Caulfield, a reckless teenager, who feels a strong sense of hatred for adult society in the book. Holden Caulfield was also supposed to give an insight of what he thought were the right methods of dealing with children being rushed into the corrupted adult world. Holden poses as an excellent example of how children can be disturbed by the unethical…

For example when Stradlater, Holden’s roommate, got in a fight with him, Holden, “All that blood and all sort of made me look tough. I’d only been in about two fights in my life, and I lost both of them. I’m not too tough. I’m a pacifist, if you want to know the truth.”(Salinger, 46) Therefore, Holden is enjoying the fact that he looks tough because he has blood on his face. He contradicts himself by calling himself a peaceful person. These are the kind of contradictions…

huge hints that further show signs of mental illness. “That's all I'm going to tell about. I could probably tell you what I did after I went home, and how I got sick and all, and what school I'm supposed to go to next fall, after I get out of here, but I don't feel like it. I really don't. That stuff doesn't interest me too much right now. A lot of people, especially this one psychoanalyst guy they have here, keeps asking me if I'm going to apply myself when I go back to school next September,”…

Literary Analysis Essay contrasting Into the Wild and Catcher in the Rye with phoniness of the adult world When someone is thinking of the idea of phoniness, they might recall something like diamonds, teenagers antics, or TV shows. However, in Into the Wild and Catcher in the Rye, the two main characters Chris McCandless and Holden Caulfield think of adulthood and adult society as phony and constantly criticize it. Even though they both try to move away and not experience adulthood,…