One Last Breath

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…

When talking with Holden at the bar, Holden’s old friend Luce states, early in the conversation, “ ‘Listen. Let’s get one thing straight. I refuse to listen to answer any typical Caulfield questions tonight. When in the hell are you going to grow up?’ ” (189). Classmate criticizes Holden’s immaturity. Ironically saying he needs to grow up, even though he isn’t any more…

In one instance, Holden displays maturity when he tells his sister she cannot accompany him on his road trip out West, “You can’t take anything. Because you’re not going. I’m going alone” (Salinger, 206). While using immature forms of expression, the general…

Sometimes, traumatic events in a young person’s life can force them to grow up faster than others. For Holden Caulfield, however, innocence and childhood is something to be cherished, since the world of adults is filled with “phonies” and people he doesn’t agree with. After the death of his little brother Allie, Holden struggles to retain his childish nature while growing into an adult. J. D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is a unique coming-of-age story that presents a theme of…

Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye and the film Dead Poets Society, both of the main characters Holden and Neil have strained relationships with their parents. For Holden Caulfield, he struggles with the fear of telling his parents that he was expelled from boarding school due to the expectations of his parents. Then, for Neil, he struggles with finding his own path that is separate from his father’s ideas, but cannot confront the strictness of his father. Within these two sources are…

Spencer advises that “‘life is a game that one plays according to the rules’”(8). However, as he noddingly complies, Holden monologues “If you If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it’s a game, all right—I’ll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any…

I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.” Through the use of figurative language, Salinger highlights Caulfield seeing himself as protector of the children which is a metaphor of him protecting the children from losing their innocence, this metaphor emphasises Caulfield’s obsession of keeping the younger children ‘pure’ and positions the reader to feel positive of…

will never be pure. Holden has profound difficulty in accepting the inevitable, which in turn delays any form of progression towards adulthood. Caulfield’s rite of passage is at last accomplished through the occurrence of independent events that allowed for an epiphany in the form of the Central Park carousel in the last lines of the novel. Consequent release from his pessimistic, childish…

An effective composer will use their texts as a medium to explore significant concepts that impart compelling ideas. One such composer is J.D Salinger, who uses his novel The Catcher in the Rye to follow the experiences of troubled teenager Holden Caulfield as he recounts various incidents in his rebellious life. Through the narration of this journey the composer delves into the noxious impacts of grief on mental health and the fear of ageing due to the inevitable loss of innocence. Salinger…

In the Catcher in the Rye, the author J.D. Salinger uses a variety of symbols to represent the struggles and challenges the main characters and narrator Holden Caulfield faces throughout the novel. Through the use of symbolism, Salinger is able to give additional meaning to the plot beyond what is being described by Holden. Through Holden 's desire to be a catcher in the rye, his goal of protecting the innocence of children is conveyed, but the golden rings on the carousel represents his…