River Rye

A few months down the road I will be achieving a milestone by graduating high school and having a taste of independence. Like Holden Caulfield, I too am close to entering adulthood, but the difference between him and I is our attitude towards change. In the novel, Holden's former teacher tells him that, 'the mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one" (page 188). Through a discussion of various…

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is about a boy named Holden Caulfield and his view on the world. Holden Caulfield is 17 years old and is constantly moving from place to place on account of his frequent expulsions from school for, as he and his teachers put it, “not applying himself” (Salinger, 2). He hates the world and feels that all adults are phonies, including his older brother D.B., who “prostitutes” (Salinger, 4) himself out as a movie writer instead writing the stories he loves.…

In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a teenager who is in alienated in society due to its pretentious values. Holden suffers from loneliness and alienation because he is unable to associate with the phonies in society. Holden also plays a crucial role in depicting the judgmental values of society in which he chooses to not take part of. Early into the novel Holden faces the alienation in the culture he is surrounded in. When planning on meeting his former history teacher Mr. Spencer,…

In the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, perceives the world as corrupt and is full of “phonies” and believed that it’s not the proper surrounding to raise children in, especially when they’re still young and innocent. After the death of his brother Allie, who died when he was young and was free from the corruption of the world, Holden was influenced and felt it was his responsibility to protect his innocence and other children’s as well. He is…

J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye emulates what it is to be alone and gravely misunderstood. Holden Caulfield, the story’s recalcitrant protagonist recounts his dejected fall from sanity. Holden, shows little empathy for others and often rejects himself in an effort to cope with his brother, Allie’s death. The death of Allie propels Holden to adopt an angry/hateful view towards society in order to cope with the loss. On the surface Holden’s incessant ramblings about society’s misgivings…

Lost in a Crowd of Phonies Throughout the novel, Holden seems to be excluded from the world around him. He feels trapped and doesn’t have a sense of belonging. We see this when he says to Mr Spencer that he fells trapped on “the other side” of life , and he continually attempts to find his way in this world full of “phonies”. As the novel develops, it is clear that Holden alienates and guards his emotions as a way of protecting himself. He uses his isolation to prove that he is better than…

In the early 1950’s, “Catcher in the Rye,” was written by J. D. Salinger. The improper writing style was/wasn’t common during its era. The novel was told from a teenage boy named Holden Caulfield in a first person perspective. Holden was a trouble boy and goes against regular standards. Holden see as if the world is against him; which causes him to have a negative outlook. He comes from wealth which may have affected his attitude and personality but created his bad habits. Since Holden see…

Comparing The Perks of Being a Wallflower to The Catcher in the Rye Personal suffering and the ability to manage the expectations of school and life are highly prevalent and recurring themes throughout The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Catcher in the Rye, but the ways that the main characters cope with these issues are very different. Both Charlie and Holden come from privileged backgrounds. And, both characters deal with very tragic events while they struggle to find a way to fit in.…

In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, 16 year old Holden is telling the readers about the events that happen in his life after he is kicked out of Pencey Preparatory school and finds himself back in his hometown, New York City. He gives readers insight to the struggle and depression he goes through that is solely caused by the grief he is dealing with. He is so caught up in the innocence of childhood that he does not want to enter the world of adulthood. Holden claims this world is full of…

Catcher in the Rye is a book about a boy named Holden Caulfield. Now Holden isn't an ordinary boy: He's been kicked out of multiple boarding schools; flirts with older women; and somehow managed to end up in some sort of mental hospital by the beginning of the book. Or chronologically rather, the end, it's all a flashback of sorts; it's Holden telling his story the way he sees it. But Holden's biggest issue is the idea of the word "phony,"—a word so vague and versatile he applies it to…