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Catcher In The Rye Symbolism

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As people move from childhood to adulthood, the loss of innocence and the subsequent longing for its return go hand in hand. This dynamic helps people understand life, and the surrounding world. In J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, the ideas of innocence and the longing for it are very prevalent. Holden Caulfield is a teenage boy that attends a preparatory school. However, he is at a point in his life where he is no longer just an innocent child. Holden decides to leave his school and go to the city in hopes of finding some small pieces of innocence that are left inside him. In The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger utilizes symbolism to illustrate the longing for innocence.
Sunny and sex are two of the many symbols that represent Holden’s …show more content…

Holden really does not like having to deal with change. Each time he visits the museum, he realizes the museum never changes. Holden says, “The only thing that would be different would be you. Not that you'd be so much older or anything. It wouldn't be that, exactly. You'd just be different, that's all”. Holden is recognizing that he has been changing as a person very rapidly since his brother Allie died. He is having a hard time accepting that, and he wants to be back to the simpler times when he would visit the museum on school field trips. The fact that the museum never changes makes Holden realize that he wishes his life was as simple and innocent as before Allie’s death. He has been in so much pain, and doesn’t know how to cope with how he is feeling. Holden realizes how happy he was as a child, and is getting those same joyful feelings when he is back at the museum: “I get very happy when I think about it. Even now”. Thinking back on the days when he would visit the museum, Holden remembers the joy and innocence he felt. Remembering that makes him long for the uncomplicated days even more so than he thought he did. Holden was truly happy when Allie was alive, but since his death Holden has not been able to sustain that feeling. Salinger’s use of the American Museum of natural History as a symbol represents Holden’s wish for his life to be like before, and for Allie to still be

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The attraction to these women is troubling to Holden because he is convinced that non-serious sex is wrong and he is disturbed with himself for being attracted to the women in the Lavender room and when he arranges a date with Sally. Through the book he is troubled because he repeatedly comments on the “stupidity” of Sally and the lack of attractiveness of other women. He also believes that he has to help children hold on to their innocence. He describes himself as the catcher in the rye who has to catch children from falling off of a hypothetical cliff that symbolizes the loss of innocence. He attempts to save the children and keep them in their innocence but he is never able to save all of them or even

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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.

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983 Words | 4 Pages

This relates back to the idea of Holden's innocence and how it affected his development. Holden can not stop thinking about the death of Allie wishing everything would stop moving showing he does not want to grow up. This remembrance of his childhood trauma affected his development of not wanting to mature during freezing time. Salinger describes how childhood trauma affects Holden's mindset when growing up through his symbolization in more ways than one.

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The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” was about the journey of a adolescent boy finding his way to adulthood. In the book Holden Caulfield was unsuccessful in finding his way to adulthood. Holden’s attitude in the novel throughout his journey was very immature. He also can't accept the fact that innocence can’t be forever protected. Lastly, Holden calls everyone a phony when in reality he is the real phony.

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969 Words | 4 Pages

It wouldn't be that exactly. You'd just be different, that's all” (135). Holden likes the Natural History museum because, it always stayed the same, even though he was changing. This represent how he does not like change, which includes the change of childhood to

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Meanwhile, Holden is still stuck in the past. The change that is occuring in his life is affecting his current emotions and his ability to move forward. When forced with abrupt, unforeseen change, people desire to hold onto the familiar. Salinger uses the death of Holden 's family and friends to show the tragic change that he has to deal with.

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Now, he can look forward to a better future for himself. Allie's death is a traumatic event that deeply affects Holden. He finds it hard to accept that his brother is gone and feels upset and confused about why someone so young and good had to die. Holden feels very sad about Allie's death and because of that, he feels like he doesn't belong and is disconnected from the world around him.

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1804 Words | 8 Pages

For clinical depression, wanting certain things or circumstances in life to stay the same for an extended period of time is one of the various symptoms. Holden is seen displaying this symptom in his relationship and history with the Museum of Natural History. There are various conditions in Holden’s life that drastically change after the death of Allie, but one of the few key things that stay the same is the Museum of Natural History: “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move... Nobody'd be different.

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Zimon Li English 9- Bailey 2/1/2023 Catcher in Rye Essay First Draft In The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, Holden’s mental health collapses from his dependence on Allie and inability to overcome grief. Holden’s inability to deal with Allie’s death causes his mental breakdown. Early on in the book, Holden is deeply traumatized by Allie’s death in their childhood. The loss of someone he deeply valued led him to sleep “in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddamn windows with my fist, just for the hell of it” (Salinger 50).

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Throughout the book, Holden is struggling to get by. The death of his brother Allie has left him in a tough spot. Holden doesn’t exactly know how to deal with this. The different stages of grief are represented through Holden. Holden shows denial and anger when he flashbacks to one of his memories after his brother’s death.

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In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger uses the main character Holden Caulfield to portray the loss of innocence. Holden is a teenage boy who struggles with adulthood and the innocence of being a child. Through Holden's experiences, Salinger shows that the loss of innocence can be painful and difficult, but it is also necessary for personal growth and maturity. Holden's journey towards loss of innocence is shown by several events, such as his expulsion from Pencey Prep School and his roams in New York City. Holden's expulsion from Pencey is a turning point in the novel, as it marks the beginning of his realization that he can no longer hold on to the innocence of childhood.

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Out of all the places he visits in NYC, the two most notable ones are the Museum of Natural History and Central Park. The museum is an illusion of how Holden wishes the world was. In the novel, he says: “Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you.” (Salinger 123).

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