Let's Go Crazy

Regardless of how impeccable they might think they are, most adolescents are not finished with the process of developing good character. Trapped between a carefree world lacking in rules and the slightly more stringent adult world, young men and women often struggle with acting in a way that shows their personality but at the same time doesn’t make adults see them as immature. Like many adolescents, Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye hasn’t yet become an adult due to the…

The innocence of childhood is eventually lost and cannot be protected forever. In life, everyone has a fall from innocence, after which no one remains the same. In J.D Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the novel wants to desperately hold on to the innocence in children. Because Holden is often faced with the harsh realities of adulthood and the world, he is compelled to preserve innocence. These feelings come from the loss of his younger brother Allie who died…

when he is in a mental institute. During the time of Holden’s deep ponderings he was talking to Phoebe about his desires later in life. Holden described how he wanted to be the “Catcher in the Rye”, telling Phoebe, “I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start…

young boy displays his uncertainty and constant thoughts about sex and love. In the film Ordinary People, another young boy is caught in a similar situation and shares his opinions about sex and love as well. Holden Caulfield and Conrad Jarrett both go through troubling experiences, but Conrad approaches them in a healthier manner compared to Holden. Therefore, he is likely to feel better. Holden handles his brother’s death in a toxic way, and does not succeed in moving on. One way he handles…

is home with his sister, not simply the facade that he puts on when out in the city and at school. While speaking with his sister, Phoebe, he explains that “what [he has] to do,” if he could do anything is [he has to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—[he means] if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going [he has] to come out from somewhere and catch them” (Salinger 101). This illustrates a growth in Holden’s maturity as his dream involves him being selfless and…

Growing up requires one to go through The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger perfectly portrays how hard it is to overcome the adolescent stage in life. Holden Caulfield, the main character in the novel, can be seen progressively coming to terms with the fact that it is unavoidable to lose one’s innocence. The elementary school, the cliffs, and Phoebe, all demonstrate how the loss of innocence is inevitable. The elementary school is a symbol that the loss of innocence is inevitable…

Almost every person has some type of trauma in their past, something that dwells with them and affects who they are on the daily. For Holden Caulfield, his traumatic experience was his little brother’s death by cancer. Due to the trauma taking place when Holden was young, it led him to be dishonest, to distance himself from others, and to feel alone. Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger incorporates the theme of alienation to further construe that subsequent to the trauma…

which includes the fear of growing up. The submissive mood Salinger uses to emphasize Holden’s reluctance to change things in his life. Salinger writes, “ I said no, there wouldn’t be a marvelous place to go after I went to college and all. Open your ears. It’d be entirely different. We’d have to go downstairs in elevators with suitcases and stuff,” (172). As such, Holden is explaining that there is really nothing to look forward to after he graduates from college because once he does, his life…

put on an image that wasn’t real. When the parents would go to the school for visits, he would shake hands with all of them and as Holden said, “He’d be charming as hell and all”(17). However, his actions toward some parents were not as genuine as he tried to make them be. For instance, when the parents of one of the students were not presentably dressed, “old Haas would just shake hands with them and give them a phony smile and then he’d go talk, for maybe half an hour with somebody else’s…

mystify Holden. After an unsuccessful date with his former fling Sally, Holden decides to run away and tells his sister Phoebe of his plan. Phoebe is furious and resolves to join him on his journey. To calm her down, Holden purchases her a ticket to go riding on the carousel. As Holden stands in the rain watching Phoebe, he is truly happy for the first time. Holden is admitted into a mental hospital to cope with his conflicting emotions. Despite this, he remains optimistic about his upcoming…