Let's Go Crazy

Most children dream of growing up. They dream of becoming a doctor, astronaut, or even a dancer. On the other hand, many adults would love to go back and relive their childhood days over. No worries, bills, stress, just carefree living. J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, is told through the eyes of Holden Caulfield. A teenager who has had his fair share of trouble growing up, and wants more than anything is for someone to understand him. He wants to be grown, yet he hates everything about the…

siblings, his ability to protect the feelings of others, even if it means lying to them, and his need to preserve childhood innocence. Holden’s siblings help guide his morals throughout the course of the novel. For example, Holden making the decision to go to New York after being kicked out of Pencey Prep wasn’t a rebellious act, but was his way of protecting his family from having to deal with the disappointment of him being kicked out of…

The Catcher in the Rye, author J.D Salinger reveals the character of Holden Caulfield as a serious, depressing, and sensitive teenager who has just gotten expelled from a school called Pencey Prep. He does not want his parents to know, so he does not go home for many days. Also, as Holden is growing up into an adult he starts seeing the hypocrisy and ugliness of the world. The author shows Holden’s true personality throughout the story by what he does, what he says, and what others say about…

closet”(84). His reaction towards Ernie’s ego and personality exhibits his annoyance for big-shots who try to impress others with their talents. Holden is not a big fan of the drama that Ernie creates during his performance, as well as the morons who go wild for his music. He states that he would want to play in a closet because of how simple and peaceful it would be, and away from a dramatic crowd of phonies. These crowds create commotion which does not appeal to Holden, as well as…

In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Salinger tries to give the readers a life lesson, or theme. He is very good at conveying those themes in the story and by the end of the book, the reader understood those themes. The two most important themes that Salinger uses are “innocence should be valued”, and “death is inevitable”. Readers of The Catcher in the Rye may see these themes as important life lessons. “Innocence should be valued” is a theme in The Catcher in the Rye. The protection of…

In the Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses various examples of symbolism throughout the novel to let the readers into the mind of Holden Caulfield. The red hunting hat stands for Holden's individuality and independence because he believes everyone is phony, he hates being the same as everyone else, and wants to stand out. Holden is told he needs some form of help and by the end of the book, he finds it. Another factor that plays why Holden wears the red hunting hat is because, the color of…

The Catcher in The Rye and The Perks of Being a Wallflower Compare/Contrast Essay I am going to being comparing and contrasting The Catcher in The Rye and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.In particular, I will be focusing on Holden from The Catcher in The Rye and Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower. One thing that is also similar is that they have a sister albeit, Charlie’s is older. Another thing is that both of these stories take place in the 20th century. But, Charlie’s takes place…

Although now considered an antiquated form of entertainment, the carousel has always represented times of joy and jubilation to the young children who have experienced the delight of riding the rotating animals. However, to Holden, the protagonist of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the carousel from his childhood days now symbolizes Holden’s impractical desire to preserve the innocence of children. During his visit to the carousel with Phoebe, his little sister, he contemplates the…

also continues ask himself a certain question that he does find the answer to until he has his realization: “ I said. "You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over? Do you happen to know, by any chance"’(78)? This was a powerful quote because Holden doesn’t realize it quite yet he was starting to realize that he feels lost and needs to find his way. Here he felt…

Holden Caulfield and Jim Stark Holden is a depressed teen with a negative attitude towards life and people, he wants to protect kids from reality and want to protect their innocence. Jim is a good person who makes good connections with people around him, he has a complicated relationship with his family especially his father who he thinks is a coward. These two characters have important similarities and differences. Similarities include romantic relationships and family.…