Effects Of Loneliness In Catcher In The Rye

In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger illustrates the impact of isolation and loneliness through the use of conflict and characterization. Salinger demonstrates the detrimental impacts that stem from seclusion through the use of conflict. Following a conversation with Ackley, Holden finds himself within an internal conflict. Holden leaves Ackley’s room in the middle of their conversation, not bothered to listen to what he has to say. Holden walks down a corridor, kicking an empty bottle of toothpaste. Suddenly, he changes his mind about going to Mal Brossard’s room, saying, “All of a sudden, I decided what I’d really do, I’d get the hell out of Pencey– right that same night and all. I mean not wait till Wednesday or anything. I just didn’t

For example, he makes the decision to drop out of Pencey, which he would not have done later on. Many students in real life experience what Holden goes through, meaning the patterns of feeling sad and lonely relate to what one in current society would also experience. When Holden experiences feelings of sadness or isolation, he begins to imagine himself in distress. Following a long night at the bar, Holden puts himself in an internal conflict. Holden stays overnight at a bar, getting himself drunk. He struggles to see clearly, and attempts to hide his drunkenness from other people. “When I was really drunk, I started that stupid business with the bullet in my guts again. I was the only guy at the bar with a bullet in their guts. I kept putting my hand under my jacket, on my stomach and all, to keep the blood from dripping all over the place” (Salinger 166). While Holden is drunk, he imagines himself with a bullet in his guts and tries to turn away the nonexistent attention. Once the effects of feeling sad and lonely enter his mind, the negative thoughts follow along. The author presents the dangers of a sad and lonely lifestyle not only through conflicts, but also

Salinger proposes the effects of feeling depressed and forsaken through the usage of characterization. Holden believes he is not ready to grow up and lose innocence, and he does his best to protect others from it as well. During a conversation, Holden learns that Stradlater took his long time friend, Jane Gallagher, on a date. Holden picks up the fact that Stradlater took Jane’s innocence, which Holden sought to protect, which upsets him. “‘What’d you do?’ I said. ‘Give her the time in Ed Banky’s goddam car?’ My voice was shaking something awful” (Salinger 49). Holden’s character seeks to protect others from losing their innocence and growing into the adult world. His isolation from the real world hinders his vision of society, which is why he stays away from growing up. Holden knew Jane for a long time, and seeing her lose her innocence upset him, proving the impacts of being isolated. Holden also experiences a change in character after losing his younger brother. In the past, Holden had a close brother he spent plenty of time with, which contrasts his current demeanor. When Holden spends a night getting drunk at the bar, his mind races to the thought of his little brother Allie. When Allie died, Holden’s personality changed, as he lost someone he admired deeply. The loss caused Holden to become much more independent, breaking away from society. “I started thinking how old Phoebe would feel if I got pneumonia and died. It was a childish way to think, but I couldn’t