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Catcher In The Rye Character Analysis

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Evolution; a word commonly tied to the process of growing and changing into an improved version of what used to be, a word so perplexing and misunderstood that evolution is commonly mistaken as changing for only the better. In J.D Salinger’s book, Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden, a young man trying to find something to live for, defies the assumed meaning of evolution. The swift progression of Holden’s mental and depressive state throughout the story reveals a lot about the hidden appreciation he holds for ordinary objects and pesky acquaintances, as well as divulges Holden’s immense craving for innocence and adulthood at the same time, which creates a substantial amount of self doubt. Comfort sometimes comes from things that …show more content…

Phoebe, Holden’s younger sister, is introduced as a very intellectual and bright little girl. Holden finds comfort in knowing that Phoebe has always had his best interest at heart, and also relishes on the fact that he can have mature conversations with his sister. Because she constantly thinks up ways to assist Holden with his mental battles, his way of repaying her, in a sense, is to preserve the innocence that she has. Holden cherishes the purity that his sister holds and believes that if he holds onto her childhood for her, then he will gain the sense of innocence that he has been afraid to lose the entire time. In order for children to stay in the untouched mental state they are in, it is assumed that by eluting them from “I went down by a different staircase, and I saw another "F!@k you" on the wall. I tried to rub it off with my hand again, but this one was scratched on, with a knife or something. It wouldn't come off. It's hopeless, anyway. If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the "F%@k you" signs in the world. It's impossible.” (-) During this particular scene Holden is wandering through Phoebe’s school. Once he sees the vulgar words plastered all over the wall and unsuccessfully attempts to remove the words, he then gains the realization that deterioration of innocence is

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While reading the Catcher in the Rye, Holden exhibits depressive acts and focuses on the past. Salinger portrays Holden as a sixteen year old who has the inability to grow up, but is still interested in the adult life, with sexual venture and drinking. While also being focused on holding on to his innocence, and the innocence around

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656 Words | 3 Pages

Holden says that all he want to do is be the catcher in the rye protecting children from falling. The whole novel Holden makes observation around him that are taking away from children's innocence. This is what upsets him the most the fact that everyone will eventually have to grow up. While he is trying to go get Phoebe he is reminded this in the following quote. “I went down by a different staircase, and I saw another "Fuck you" on the wall.

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801 Words | 4 Pages

When he saw the little boy, he thought, “he was making out like he was walking in straight line, the way kids do, and the whole time he kept singing and humming” (115). He wants the children to stay pure and not be phonies like the adults. He believes that most of the children didn’t lose their innocence and act like kids, which Holden wants. When he sees a child with innocence, he pays attention and wants to know more about them. Another example is when he was talking to Phoebe about his dream, “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff…” (173).

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Holden struggles with his exposures to the harsh reality of adulthood, as his perception of innocence is brutually

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2021 Words | 9 Pages

He feels very protective of his little sister Phoebe because she reminds Holden of Allie since they are both younger than Holden and have red hair. For example, when visiting Phoebe’s school, Holden becomes infuriated by the profanity written on the wall and is concerned that other kids, including Phoebe, may see the writing (Salinger 221). Not only does Holden want to prevent other kids from growing up, he wants to keep his own innocence so he does not forget about Allie. Holden notes that “the best thing [about museums] was that everything always stayed right where it was… The only thing that would be different

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481 Words | 2 Pages

It's shown in his attempt to erase the F-word off of public places so kids won’t see it. When his younger sister, Phoebe, asked him what he wants in life, Holden responds with, “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to fall over the cliff” (Salinger 173). Holden wants to be the “catcher in the rye”. He wants to catch the children as they fall into adulthood, when they lose their innocence. He wants to be a hero but doesn’t want the recognition.

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1308 Words | 6 Pages

Holden Caulfield lives his life as an outsider to his society, because of this any we (as a reader) find normal is a phony to him. Basically, every breathing thing in The Catcher in the Rye is a phony expect a select few, like Jane Gallagher. What is a phony to Holden and why is he obsessed with them? A phony is anyone who Holden feels is that living their authentic life, like D.B. (his older brother). Or simply anyone who fits into society norms, for example, Sally Hayes.

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610 Words | 3 Pages

He constantly thinks about his younger sister, Phoebe, and eventually at the end of the novel he visits her. In the novel Catcher in the Rye Holden’s inevitable development into adulthood and his fears towards it are emphasized by putting him in contrast to his sister innocences.

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643 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the novel, Holden is raptured by the idea of innocence, for he regards it as sacred. He would like to devote his life to safeguard innocence by “catching everybody if they start to go over the

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Values in To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird shows that you should not judge a book by its cover, that actions speak louder than words, and that seemingly good people can be filled with exuberant flaws. There are several examples of characters in To Kill a Mockingbird that are portrayed as bad people in the beginning of the book that turn out to be heroes. Other characters such as Mrs. Merriweather and Aunt Alexandra criticise others and are generally hypocritical, even though they come across as pinnacles of politeness and wholesome values. Because characters such as Boo Radley and Mrs. Dubose are originally shown as bad people and then are shown as heroic and other supposedly good people like Mrs. Merriweather are shown to be hypocritical and callous, this book shows that it is of the utmost importance to thoroughly examine a person before you judge them, and that hypocrisy or other faults of character can be present in people with pious reputations.

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2150 Words | 9 Pages

Holden thinks that most everything is about him in a childish sense. When he sees vulgar words written on walls, he believes that they are aimed at him somehow and thinks that the entire adult world doesn’t accept him. The F you written on the wall is a statement made more towards society and not to one specific person, especially Holden. However, he takes this “F you” very personally and lets it affect his behavior. He backs away from the adult life and thinks about the amazing relationships he has when he was a child.

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1142 Words | 5 Pages

Phoebe is a child and she is innocent. Holden wants to keep Phoebe innocent because his older brother prostituted himself to Hollywood, the place full of phonies. Holden does not want children to lose their innocence so soon, but he realizes that he cannot save them

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1636 Words | 7 Pages

The question of lowering the drinking age has been up in the air for a while now and is now a legitimate question to consider. An eighteen-year-old in US has the right to vote, and serve in the military. If an eighteen-year-old can make up their mind as to who the potential leader of the country should be and take a bullet for their country, they should have every right to purchase and drink alcohol (Cognac). Even though there may be some cons to lowering the drinking age, like there is to anything we do, there is a lot of evidence that show the pros outweigh those. Before federal law mandated that 21 only laws be passed or funding would be pulled from states, there were several areas that had made it legal to drink as a teenager (HRF).

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1035 Words | 5 Pages

From the outset, I have to say that “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger has been one of the most important and influential pieces of literature I have ever read. At its core, the book is a superb coming of age novel which discusses several extremely powerful themes such as the difficulties of growing up, teenage angst and alienation and the superficiality, hypocrisy and pretension of the adult world. These themes resonated deeply with me and were portrayed excellently through the use of powerful symbolism and the creation of highly relatable and likable characters. One such character is Holden Caulfield whom the story both revolves around and is narrated by.

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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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