Joan Wasser

After the expulsion from his fourth prep school 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…

Responsible parents do their best to make sure their children avoid harmful influences to their young, moldable minds. When some parents at Boron High School in California began complaining about their children reading The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, other people began to question whether it was appropriate for school. Parents argued that the main character, Holden Caulfield, who struggles with depression and other psychological disorders, is too rebellious and promotes immoral behavior…

Holden’s parents impact his behaviour the greatest, as their neglect towards Holden is seen to greatly impact him throughout the novel. His parents are portrayed by Salinger as very dismissive of Holden and his well-being, which intern significantly affects Holden's behaviour. This dismissive nature is clearly depicted when Holden's parents are both unaware that Holden is expelled from boarding school. Furthermore, it also illustrates that Holden didn't feel safe and secure to disclose such…

In, both J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye and Dead Poets Society, the theme of 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…

Phoniness People put on all sorts of facades when interacting with others, seldom showing people exactly what they are like. For Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye, he is not able to see beyond people’s phoniness and uses it as an excuse to pull away from society. Even though Catcher in the Rye was written in 1951 there is certain themes that still have a big part in the world, Phoniness is an example. Int the Catcher in the Rye Holden gets fed up with everyone and their phoniness,…

In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the readers are challenged to analyze what is wrong with the main character, Holden Caulfield. There are several contributing factors to Holden's illness. Possible conditions that Holden could have are, Clinical Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Borderline Personality disorder. Clinical Depression, also known as Major Depressive Disorder is the most severe form of depression. Holden shows feelings of deep sadness that come out…

In the classic novel Puddn 'head Wilson, Mark Twain balances humor with some serious subject matter while weaving an involved tale concerning a slave who replaces her master 's child with her own son. Roxana, a slave belonging to the brother of the eminent Judge Driscoll, replaces his son Tom with her nearly identical son, Chambers. Although no one notices for many years, the truth is discovered by “Puddn 'head” Wilson, an underestimated scholar, and is eventually revealed when Roxana 's “Tom”…