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Catcher In The Rye Adolescence Quotes

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“Then I lit another cigarette… I must’ve smoked about three cartons that day” (161). Catcher in the rye book by J.D Salinger is about a teenager named Holden Caulfield and is based on Holden failing college (Pencey) and having a rough time living around New York City until his parents find out that he failed at his fourth college. This book is written from the perspective of J.D Salinger and counters many issues regarding adolescence such as freedom and responsibility that Holden can’t handle leading to nervousness and depression. This is shown through topics such as drug usage, smoking, drinking, prostitution and J.D Salinger’s meaning to Catcher in the rye though it contradicts with the idea that he is nice towards Phoebe (Holden’s younger …show more content…

The main reason he does this is he has no support and no one to talk to. This led him to depression, which teenagers struggle with because of no support from parents. An example of this is when the prostitute comes into his room and he explains his feeling in the book “I felt much more depressed…” (95). This reinforces that he is certainly depressed and wants to talk to anyone. To relate this it shows that due to him living alone, as he failed his college and didn’t want to return home until his parents received the letter, due to this, it can cause depression as you don’t have anyone to talk to and you are left alone, this suggests that growing up is bad due to you not having mental/ physical implication of any close members due to a specific event in time. Not only does Holden spend his money on calling a prostitute, but he also involves himself to ask others to smoke with him due to desperation needs and support, this suggests that being alone can lead to an incorrect …show more content…

Holden is a heavy smoker partially due to his mum being a smoker herself. The cigarette plays an important part in Holden's life as he has an indirect reason behind it. Holden smokes in occasions where he is nervous or when he has difficulties, this provides a symptom of growing up is harmful, as though it focuses on him being nervous but it can also cause other diseases, such as asthma. This relates back to freedom, as if you were restricted you will choose what is right for your body. An example of him smoking is when he is hungry, “I felt pretty hungry as soon as I had a cigarette(105).” His feelings are shown due to him smoking such as hunger, this informs that he doesn’t have someone to take care of him when he is hungry or in any other situations. This provides proof that he needs support, meaning that he can’t handle the freedom and responsibility. Leading onto the meaning of the book in the perspective of the

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Night by Elie Wiesel, is about Elie’s journey through the Holocaust. this book is also about the first hand person account of the suffering in the Holocaust. In the novel Night, the events of the Holocaust cause Elie’s relationships to change. One of the relationships that changes is the relationship with his father. Before they are sent to the ghettos, his relationship with his father was they were not always open with each other.

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As the book starts Holden describes his childhood and how he has been kicked out of several school and once more again from his currently school, giving a sense of irresponsibility and no care in the world. Holden later on mentioned slowly the loss of his brother due to leukemia and how he reacted outrageously by breaking the windows of his garage home. As a reader one would view that behavior as abnormal, but Peter Shaw descried it as a normal behavior for a fictional character in the 1950s and by mentioning that Holden, “is presenting in a somewhat different manner than are the sentimentalized young people in other novels if his period” (par. 3), admitting that Holden was somewhat of an outcast of a character even for its time he is still considered normal. Shaw also challenged the reader’s view of Holden by emphasizing that Holden is not a real person, but a fiction character developed in the 1950s and in fact a mad psychological character is normal and made the reading rather more interesting and acceptable during that time. As readers someone may come across as understanding Holden’s behavior due to a loss and everyone mourns differently and as Shaw said, “ the one period of life in which abnormal behavior is common rather than exceptional” (par.

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Holden’s growing up seeing irresponsible drug use, affected the normalization of it which affected his use of drugs as he matured. Seeing these actions by his mother daily enforced this trauma upon him. This shows how his mothers drug addiction, in his childhood home, affected Holden to normalize this idea while maturing through his life. Salinger expresses how childhood trauma affects Holden's mindset when growing up through his character interactions in more ways than one. When faced with intimate situations and sexual interactions among women, Holden becomes frightened.

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623 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the passage, Holden reiterates memories of Phoebe's past and the “prettiness” that she exudes. Both of which, reveal Holden’s fear of growing up and becoming an adult. Additionally, Salinger’s symbolic use of Phoebe's red hair and her impulsive behavior reveal Holden’s longing for the innocence and carefree life that is enjoyed by his younger sister. Holden’s preoccupation with Phoebe as a child and his dismissiveness of qualities that are like an adult reveals his fear of letting go of youth and a life without responsibility that comes with being a

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This shows Holden is trying to cover up his own vulnerability about not wanting to grow up and instead masks it with immature comments of others to make himself feel younger and childlike. Another example of Holden's critical observations is when he and Jane are intruded on by her mother's husband asking where the cigarettes are. Holden has a very critical opinion of the man immediately. In Holden’s perspective, this man is who Holden believes he should be, and it intimidates him because Holden knows he does not want to be like this stereotypical man. Holden says, “I didn't know him too well or anything, but he looked like the kind of a guy that wouldn't talk to you much unless he wanted something off you.

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To expand upon, Holdens overarching fear of letting other people know the real him is rooted to his ideal that he is not desirable. Significantly, Holden subconsciously is aware of his sadness since he discusses the tumor in his brain, which the reader can connect to his toxic, bitter thoughts that filter through his mind daily. Therefore, every time Holden starts to uncontrollably lie to others, he is also deceiving himself as a way to try to convince himself that he is not as sad as his mind makes him believe. Above all, one of Holden’s origins of his depressive case is by reason of his compulsive

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650 Words | 3 Pages

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During the novel, it comes across many themes. Such as the fear of growing up. We see that Holden doesn’t want to mature, he scared of change and the world being so complex. Although we see the fear in him, he tries not to admit it. Through his eyes, we see that adulthood scares him, where he thinks negatively about.

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1032 Words | 5 Pages

If the book is read solely on its surface level, it just seems like a book about an annoying teenager who just complains about everything, but the messages it carries are actually profound. For example, near the end of the story Holden is upset by some profane graffiti on the wall at a museum that says “F*** you” (Salinger 224). He is upset by it because he is worried some little kids will see it and wonder what it means, and then be curious enough to find out adn have their innocence stolen. He finds the graffiti multiple times in the museum. The profane graffiti, if looked at beyond the surface level, symbolises the fact that Holden can not do anything to stop little kids from losing their innocence.

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619 Words | 3 Pages

Depression Depression is the feeling of severe despondency and dejection or a mental condition. Being depressed is a normal reaction to a lost life, struggle, or injured self esteem. Depression also has many symptoms in which sometimes can cause a human their life. It's okay to feel sad and lonely up to the point when the feelings become overwhelming or when they involve physical symptoms that are long-term. These feelings can lead someone from not keeping a normal and active life.

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1400 Words | 6 Pages

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1142 Words | 5 Pages

The beginning of Holden’s journey starts with the innocence and naivety of childhood. Childhood is the stage that ignorance is bliss with no care in the world. Holden goes to a prestigious boarding school for boys and he believes that everyone in that school is a phony in some way. Holden is an observant character as he stays in the background, but he can also cause the most trouble. Like a child, he asks many questions and he is very curious to the point that he can be annoying.

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837 Words | 4 Pages

Holden struggles with growing up and facing reality. There are many examples of Holden’s immaturity that are displayed in many forms such as facing responsibilities, his speech, his actions, and etc. Holden’s outlook on adult life is that it is superficial and brimming with phonies, but childhood was all about looking pleasing and innocent. He wants everything to stay the same and for time to stop. As Holden progresses in age, he will discover more about becoming mature in the

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866 Words | 4 Pages

Book review – Boyhood The novel ‘’ boyhood ‘’ (1997) is written by the author J.M. Coetzee and is about a young boy and his childhood in South Africa in the town Worcester. The boy in the book is the author Coetzee and his life between the age 10 to age 13 and his way to adjust to the society and to find himself as a person. The book describes the love and the hate that Coetzee has for his mother, and the shame that he feels for his father combined with the isolation from his classmates. Boyhood is not only about Coetzee himself but also about South Africa and the apartheid.

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