ipl-logo

Catcher In The Rye Struggles Essay

993 Words4 Pages

Lonesome…depressed…negative. In the thought-provoking book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden struggles to form relationships after his brother’s death, and becomes careless after flunking out of multiple schools. Holden has no feelings besides negativity towards all of his surroundings. He thinks of everyone as phonies when he himself is phony as well. Holden has many struggles, but they are all mostly formed by his inability to grow up. He believes that everyone is pure and innocent as a child, but they lose their perfection when they grow up. This causes more problems for him, as he believes he cannot grow up either. If Holden were to move to Kwajalein he could put aside all of his struggles and live a full life as a Kwaj …show more content…

Throughout his life, Holden tries to find many people to start a relationship with, but never has the right people to reiterate the want of a friendship. An example was when Holden came across a prostitute, but instead of having sex, his immaturities and need for a friendship had him ask, “Don’t you feel like talking for a while?” (124) The misfortune continued as he was rejected on a drink with his taxi driver. And also, when he met three women in a bar and had no luck striking up a conversation with them as they continuously ignored him. On Kwajalein, Holden would fit in as a Kwaj kid because he would meet people that would love to construct a sturdy relationship with him. Kids on Kwaj love to meet new people and create new friendships with everyone. When kids hear of news that a new kid is coming, they like to find out as much information as possible and greet them at the airport. Kwaj kids like to be outgoing and hangout with big groups of people at a time. They invite new kids and have a big beach day or cookout. Throughout the year the kids at school plan a school-wide cookout full of food and fun. With all of the activities and outgoing personalities of Kwaj kids, I think Holden would be pulled out of his shell to enjoy all the new friendships brought upon

Show More
Related
808 Words | 4 Pages

The loss of his older brother and the absent parents have really affected Holden’s behavior. He lives a life without any care but with exception of younger children. Holden has a fascination with younger children and their innocence possibly because he wasn’t able to enjoy his adolescent years and nor did his brother. Holden mentions “‘Every time I'd get to the end of a block I'd make believe I was talking to my brother Allie. I'd say to him, "Allie, don't let me disappear.

Read More
747 Words | 3 Pages

I think Holden dosen 't mind children becuase they are not as complex and "lousy" as adults. Children mostly go where the wind takes them and that 's Holden 's mentallity. Adults think things too much through and make clear-cut plans, where Holden and children tend to just make it up as they go. Much more carefree. This shows Holdens mentallity

Read More
372 Words | 2 Pages

As I had mentioned before, Holden loves the word “phony” but he hates people who are phony. He believes that the world is corrupt with fake, ungenuine people. For this reason he loves children as they innocent and genuine. I believe this is because he really loved his late brother, Allie, who passed away when he was 10.

Read More
227 Words | 1 Pages

The isolation experienced by Holden Caulfield in Chapters 1 through 4 of "The Catcher in the Rye" has contributed significantly to his negative mindset. Throughout the book, Holden is portrayed as a lonely individual. He has been expelled from his school Pencey Prep, and has nowhere to go until his parents expect him to come home for Christmas vacation. This sense of isolation is shown with his interactions with others.

Read More
744 Words | 3 Pages

When he wandered the city, he attempted to make “friends” with prostitutes, cab drivers, and random people. He stayed at hotels and never communicated with his parents. When he was missing his sister, he snuck into their house to see her, a thing he wouldn’t have to do if he’d told his family in the first place. Holden didn’t give care much for the future, and this shows in the last chapter when he states he might not want to return to school once he is well. Holden’s only desire or career plan was to be a lowly farmer; not exactly a great career choice when your parents prompt you to attend boarding school after boarding school to ensure you have a good career and future.

Read More
2587 Words | 11 Pages

Well, it was something I always wanted to do from the time I was a child. But when I was in grade twelve deciding whether I was going to go to the university for drama, then 9/11 happened. That made me kinda put the brakes on. I wanted to do something that could affect people more--something that was more helpful. So instead of applying to drama school, I went to be a police officer instead.

Read More
1039 Words | 5 Pages

These few lines from the book are a clear indication of Holdens loneliness. Holden didnt have a good explanation as to why he started crying out of blue, only to say himself that he was depressed and

Read More
54 Words | 1 Pages

Growing incidence of sickness of SSIs is yet another area of concern. When the sickness prolongs it leads to the closure of units and unemployment. The mortality of the SSI units is high. This has wider implications including locking of funds of the lending institutions, loss of scarce material resources and loss of

Read More
917 Words | 4 Pages

To achieve true peace and comfort, rather than trying to find love and comfort from others, an individual will search for someone who will give them a sense of belonging. This is seen through the novel, “the Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger where the persona, Holden, is seen searching for someone or a relationship. For example, the Holden tries to form many relationships including romantically, make friends, and with family members. Thus, to belong with a sense of peace and comfort, Holden attempts to interact with others.

Read More
878 Words | 4 Pages

‘’I felt so lonesome, all of the sudden. I almost wished I was dead,’’ a quote from the classic novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger which relates to how some teens felt at one point in their life. The novel was published to attract adult readers and has become popular for its themes, motifs, and connections an individual has with the main character, Holden Caulfield. We tend to feel a connection to the struggles of Holden Caulfield as we put ourselves in his shoes and see life through his perspective. The book is still pertinent due to Holden facing challenges such as loneliness and the inability to make a connection to make with a purpose thus the readers see themselves in Holden.

Read More
1077 Words | 5 Pages

And I didn’t like her much. Nobody did. You had to feel sort of sorry for her, in a way” (). This demonstrates Holden’s failure to understand people and the judgemental thoughts he has. He often has these judgemental thoughts to distance himself from others.

Read More
875 Words | 4 Pages

As Monica Geller once said in Friends, “Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You’re gonna love it!” Growing up and having to face reality is hard. In J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, he illuminates the themes of alienation and the painfulness of growing up through the eyes of a conflicted teen.

Read More
1615 Words | 7 Pages

Holden was in a cab driving and he asks the cab driver “Would you care to stop on the way and join me for a cocktail? On me, I 'm loaded” (Salinger 68). He 's so desperate to hangout with someone that he asks the cab driver who he has known for less then ten minutes and gets rejected. Another example of Holden being so desperate to find someone to hang out with but ends up getting rejected is when he calls up Sally and he meets her. When he and Sally are together, Sally sees someone she knows, another guy.

Read More
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

Read More
830 Words | 4 Pages

Being rather isolated, Holden Caulfield struggles with the challenges involved with relationships as he fails to balance his desire for isolation with his desire for companionship. Although Holden constantly searches for new possible relationships,

Read More

More about Catcher In The Rye Struggles Essay

Related Topics

Open Document