Let's Go Crazy

The teen-aged years act as a boundary to either permit or prevent one from reaching adulthood. While some find the transition to be smooth, others become stuck in their past, remaining tied to their innocent childhood. Holden Caulfield, in J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, is an iconic representation of the American teenager. Holden dwells in the past due to his personal struggles and the difficulty he has understanding controversial life topics such as death and sex. The Catcher in…

feeling oppressed and forced to go along with society. One’s inner thoughts can be portrayed though minor characters in a novel to enhance the reader’s knowledge of a main character’s inner thoughts and feelings. The way in which women are characterized in the novel…

An obsession with innocence leaves one predestined to be wedged between a world of childhood and that of adulthood. In JD Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye we are introduced to one of the most complex protagonists of literature, Holden Caulfield the antihero. Holden’s fixation with innocence leads him into a desperate search for connections to people who portray childlike and pure characteristics to which he feels he can identify with. Throughout the novel, Holden struggles to avoid conforming…

there may be a few bumps in the road, the end result is the biggest lesson of all. Most times one cannot accomplish their desires alone. In Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer and Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the protagonists, Chris and Holden, each go on an adventure in search of something greater. After rejecting society because it constantly threatens innocence, both Chris and Holden realize that experience is not always negative as they feel the compassion of others. In Into the Wild,…

The Catcher In The Rye is a novel written by J.D. Salinger, which digs into many controversial ideas all throughout. While the audience is being presented with one piece of evidence, there is often something that will immediately contradict this point. Often, this was due to the fact that Holden Caulfield, the main character, was questionable in his thoughts and actions. For example, throughout the book, the audience can find that he calls many people “phonies” but falls into some of the…

There are billions of things that have affected and influenced me in my childhood. My very first handful of friends, the house I was raised in, which had the world’s creakiest floors, even the music that seemed to be blaring in the background of my earliest memories; but what I believe has shaped me the most is the small collection of books I grew up reading. I come from a big family of readers, so I think by now my love for reading is not a choice, but most definitely a hereditary trait.…

Holden’s home goes into a major loss depression after the death of his brother, Allie. Holden’s question of whether the ducks will return or not is exactly the same one he has to ask himself. This very question, along with where they go, also makes others look at him as crazy or childish because most 17 year olds already know the answer. Along with having a connection to home, Holden also connects back to his true individuality and the comfort that follows when wearing his red hunting hat while…

the school and everyone in it. After yelling “Sleep tight, ya morons” (Salinger 52) to his “no longer” dorm, he heads to the train station in the middle of the night to catch a train to New York City. Once he reaches Manhattan, with nowhere else to go and no one to…

Many people fear change because they cannot predict the future. In the novel, The Catcher in The Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield hates when people become phony as they age. He also fears moving on from people. As a result, he hates change because of his brother’s death. Also, he has a tough time because he wonders if his good friend Jane Gallaher lost her innocence. Lastly, his sister Phoebe is still young but has time to lose purity. Holden likes everything pure and perfect and nothing…

Protection Through Depression “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear” (C.S Lewis). In the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, faces severe emotional struggles that are reflected through his actions after his younger brother’s death. An important symbol in the novel is Allie’s baseball glove, and it symbolizes Holden’s deep grief and love for his brother, Allie. Though grief is significantly represented throughout the novel, Holden’s…