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Examples Of Bildungsroman In Catcher In The Rye

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The bildungsroman can influence everyone’s future from war vets to dysfunctional teenagers. J.D. Salinger combines his former rebel youth history with his traumatic experience of war to shape them into a coping mechanism for those who fear they have lost all and there will be nothing on the other side. In J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, the novel’s protagonist, reaches the status of bildungsroman when he reaches a pivotal point in the book where he transforms from innocent, immature teenager to observant and aware young adult. The pivotal point to demonstrate Holden as a bildungsroman protagonist is when he encounters Mr. Antolini and gives Holden critical advice. Holden before has been cynical and has been afraid of complexity, describing how he wishes everything to be easily understandable. Rather than admitting to his fearfulness of adulthood, Holden labels adulthood as “phoniness”. …show more content…

Antolini’s house, Holden begins to interpret things much more differently. When Holden decides he is going to hitchhike somewhere out west, Phoebe meets him at the art museum and desperately wants to go with him. Instead of Holden allowing her to go, his response is surprisingly much different, “‘You can’t take anything. Because you’re not going. I’m going alone. So shut up,’” (206). The Holden previous to the conversation with Mr. Antoni might have agreed with Phoebe to let her go with him as they can act like young children together. Instead, Holden does the mature thing and forces her to stay with their parents. Holden previously mentions to her about how he wants to be the “catcher in the rye” and save all of the kids from losing their innocence and simplicity while turning into complex adults. The words said by Mr. Antolini have influenced Holden into learning that everybody has to grow up no matter how much someone tries to stop it so Holden understands not letting her go will benefit her

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1496 Words | 6 Pages

To help his mental state, he sneaks into his parent’s house where he visits with his little sister, Phoebe. Holden tells Phoebe he is leaving town and when she begs to come with him. Holden becomes upset and leads her to a carousel, which is where Holden abruptly finishes his story. Holden explains how he is going to a new school in the fall, yet is optimistic about his

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919 Words | 4 Pages

He goes to Mr. Antolini’s because he feels he can trust and confide in him—it seems to be his final chance to save himself. But Holden’s interaction with Mr. Antolini is the event that precipitates his full-blown breakdown. It completely unsettles him, and leaves him feeling confused and unsure. While most of Holden’s confusion stems from what he interprets as a homosexual come-on from Mr. Antolini, some of it stems from the conversation they have. Both the conversation and Mr. Antolini’s head rubbing serve a similar purpose: they upset Holden’s view of the way things are or the way he believes they have to

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461 Words | 2 Pages

At the end of the book, Holden goes to his little sister Phoebe for acceptance. She is one of the only people in his life that accepts him for who he is. Although he had been kicked out of school again, Phoebe just wants to spend time with her brother. Because she accepts him, he decides to stay in New York with his family, and the experience makes him act like an adult. Once he was with her he felt “so damn happy all of a sudden”(Salinger 233).

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1751 Words | 8 Pages

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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1269 Words | 6 Pages

Antolini helps Holden find his place in life through his understanding and guidance. During their conversation, Mr. Antolini says, “Don’t you think there’s a time and place for everything? Don’t you think if someone starts out to tell you about his father’s farm, he should stick to his guns, then get around to telling you about his uncle’s brace or, if his uncle's brace is such a provocative subject – not the farm?” (240). Unlike others, Mr. Antolini is actually curious and asks Holden about his troubles.

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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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1250 Words | 5 Pages

Antolini. Both of them give him advice, but Holden decides to take none of it and continues to wing it throughout the rest of the novel. This conveys Holden's immaturity refusing to grow up and take responsibility for his own laziness and unwillingness to do what he needs to so that he can succeed in life. During the novel Old Spencer is meeting with Holden and he says “life is a game boy”(Salinger, 8) explaining to Holden that if he wants to go anywhere he needs to play along with the rules, but Holden disregards his advice and instead goes to New York to booze around the city with women staying in hotel rooms, not being mature enough to begin to act like an adult. Then when he goes to Mr. Antolini’s apartment to spend the night, Mr. Antolini tells him that he has to shape up or he’ll end up “ in some bar hating everybody who comes in”(Salinger, 186), not knowing that Holden had been doing that earlier that night foreshadowing that his “terrible fall”(Salinger, 186) is much closer than Mr. Antolini had thought, and that he would become that 30 year old in a bar sooner rather than later.

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629 Words | 3 Pages

Holden felt like he had to grow up and that he had lost his innocence and childhood when Allie passed. Holden as a way of acknowledging his own problems wants to solve problems in others, he does this by wanting to save children’s innocence. One example of this in the book(should site where this was found) is when he is going to his sister Phoebe's school and sees

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1142 Words | 5 Pages

Adulthood is when we mature into a person that continues to live life in reality as we let our childhood and adolescence become a faint memory. The memories, however, taught us lessons of acceptance as we cannot always shape the future. Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye takes a journey through the rite of passage by experiencing the innocence of youth and the phoniness of adulthood.

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1378 Words | 6 Pages

The only motivator that Holden has to continue living is his younger sister, Phoebe, who is extraordinarily intelligent for her age. After he gets kicked out of Pencey, Holden is lost in life. He speaks to many people, seeking advice and comfort, but they are not able to help him find a human connection. Holden’s depression increases throughout the novel, almost to the point of suicide. He criticizes many people and ideas, labeling them as ‘phony’.

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1134 Words | 5 Pages

An important part of a person’s life is when they finally learn how to be more mature and have basically come of age. When a character achieves this quest in a story it is called the Bildungsroman. In this genre of literature, the story displays and demonstrates how the character grows up and becomes an adult. They learn how to be mature in important situations and most importantly they are able to leave behind their ties to their childhood. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is very immature throughout most of the story.

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779 Words | 4 Pages

Furthermore, Holden starts to hate all the adults or loses faith in them, calls them phony. Holden has a second thought of becoming an adult he loses hope in his future and it seems to him nothing in the world matters to him anymore. We can see that throughout the book. He smokes, gets drunk, and does daring acts like getting a prostitute in his room. He also tries to escape all this guilt and grief by wasting time with unnecessary people he calls phony.

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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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563 Words | 3 Pages

When Holden goes for the night to Mr. Antolini 's house, Mr. Antolini says, "Among other things, you 'll find that you 're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior"

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2081 Words | 9 Pages

In this novel, Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is the narrator that goes through a variety of problems. He has dilemmas, but meets/reconnects with people on his quest of life. This novel is more than just a simple story about a protagonist and his life events. This novel follows the structure of bildungsroman. There are four parts to it- character’s growth in social structure, a form of loss, process of maturity, and if the character ends in a new place of society.

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