Last Day of the Last Furlough

forced into becoming an adult after the death of his brother, Allie. With no one willing to protect him from the harsh realities of the real world, his youth was taken away from him, making him feel the need to protect the innocence of children. One day while arguing with his sister , Phoebe, she suggests that Holden doesn’t want to be anything, that he is completely nothing. But he responds to her claims and states he wants to be “the catcher in the rye”, who catches kids before they fall over…

An estimated 17 million adult Americans suffer from depression during any 1-year period, and between 44-70% of them do not receive any treatment, according to American Association Suicidology. As a result, it is evident that a number of people aren’t able to receive the treatment they urgently need. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, displays a perfect example of a teenager going through chronic depression and his use of different coping methods which eventually leads to a mental breakdown.…

Vin Diesel once said, “It's insecurity that is always chasing you and standing in the way of your dreams.” In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden struggles with insecurity and accepting his own personality and intellect. We get glimpses of these very traits Holden which is insecure about through his observations of certain people he looks up to, namely his brother Allie and his old friend Mr. Antolini. It can’t be a coincidence that the people Holden admires happen to embody ideal…

Holden’s Failed Social Interactions In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield’s failed social interactions are a result of his cynicism to Ackley and jealousy towards Stradlater. Because of Holden’s hate towards accepting someone, his social interaction with Ackley fails. Holden has a fair friendship with Robert Ackley but judges his personality when, “He was one of these very tall, round shouldered guys-he was about six four-with lousy teeth. The whole time he roomed next…

The loss of a loved one creates a significant, long-lasting effect that leaves a deep impact on those grieving. These numerous repercussions begin to shape the person trying to deal with this traumatic event. In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, the main character is an exceedingly saddened and lonely teenager named Holden Caulfield. Holden finds himself wandering through the city of New York in search of answers. Due to the death of his younger brother, Allie,…

free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind.” (Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind) Patrick Rothfuss analyses how childhood innocence and the lack of responsibility can be irresistible. For some, transitioning from the simplicity of youth to the daunting reality of adulthood can be a demanding task. Holden Caufield in The Catcher in the Rye and Seymour Glass in “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” are two such people. As he…

In JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a boy aimlessly traveling New York City after being expelled from a classy boarding school. Holden poses a great deal of trepidation when it comes to sexual relationships, especially those of Jane and Sunny. Furthermore, Holden tends to misjudge the maturity of his fellow characters. The combination of this misconception, the tension between sexual trepidation, and an adult life with adult relationships, results in confusion for him. In…

The Treatment of Women by Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye Women, the existence and treatment of, have been a controversial conversation for decades. Before the feminist movement, women were housewives. They were mothers, they cooked for their family, and cleaned the home. These stereotypes have had a negative impact on the way men view women. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield’s opinions on women are shown through his interactions with the female gender. As Holden Caulfield…

Throughout our lives, all human beings are forced to navigate from the world of our carefree simplistic childhoods to the more terrifying complex world of adulthood. For most people, this journey is fearsome and full of struggles and obstacles that they must overcome in order to venture to the other side. No matter how difficult this journey is, growing up and becoming an adult is necessary for our life experience. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character Holden…

Salinger, through his style and intentional choices, creates a sense of intimacy between Holden and the novel’s audience. Over the course of just a few days in which the events of the plot transpire, Holden experiences both love and loss, innocence and guilt. Despite his kind and well-meaning nature, Holden’s troubled past make addressing maturity and, life in general, a challenge for him. Aside from…