In Catcher in the Rye very early on in the book Holden admits to being a liar. Yet, Holden embodies most of the archetypal truth-tellers in some form. Holden isn't necessarily deceiving the reader for any personal gain, nor is he flat out insane he's just a kid telling a story. Humans, in general, are unreliable narrators, teenagers especially so. The point of having the narrator(Holden Caulfield) is that it firmly places you into the story and with a perspective.
Preposterous lying is a trait that Holden shows forth throughout the novel. In chapter 3 he warned the readers that he loves to lie and he does a good job at doing it (22). Holden would tell lies over and over again just to protect himself from any hurt or rejection. Another flip side to why Holden lies is because he tends to get bored with certain conversations he has with his peers so lying helps him to check out of reality for a while and in doing this, he tries to impress people and let them feel sorry for him. This makes him feel extremely superior.
One of the major aspects that shape one’s character, are their past encounters. Within the novel, The Catcher In the Rye, J.D. Salinger tells the story through the first person protagonist Holden Caulfield, allowing the audience a glimpse into this seventeen year old’s chaotic mind. It can be implied that as Holden tells his story, he is in a psychiatric facility due to the toll his past has taken on his mental stability. As the story unfolds, Holden seems to reveal he is just a lost boy struggling to find acceptance in an insensitive world of “phonies.” Throughout Holden Caufield’s teenage years, while the loss of his brother Allie has shone a negative light on his life, Holden’s experience with the carousel helps to impact his life in a positive way.
Mason Coyne Mr.Tomlinson English10, Pd.5 14 March 2023 The Fib In books and stories, an unreliable narrator is not what a reader in-visions and not what the readers like essentially. The book Catcher in the Rye is about a teenage kid Holden that has crazy actions such as leaving school, and his home, and never really coming back for a while. Holden reveals to the reader his unreliable narration to the readers throughout the story through his actions of lying, immaturity, and hypocrisy. Basically making him untrustworthy to the readers.
Noah Pedrazzoli Mr. Krajca English 9 HR 30 March 2017 “The Catcher in the Rye” essay Why Can’t Holden pass as an Adult Have you ever felt the pressure of Adulthood closing in and felt that you would never fit in as one? Did you ever feel Childish or immature? In J.D Salinger’s novel “The Catcher in the Rye” Holden Caulfield is in the midst of a mental break down because of the pressure of Adulthood. After being expelled from yet another school, Holden Caulfield goes to New York City to experience the “Adult life”, but he just can’t fit in.
The Catcher And The Rye by J.D. Salinger is an epic novel where our main character Holden Caulfield faces many challenges that challenge him as a young man such as growing up, rebellion, and love. Holden like most teenagers is rebellious but to an extreme nature. After flunking out of his fourth school the last one being Pencey Prep he refuses to tell his mother and father. In wanting to avoid this confrontation he leaves three days earlier taking a train back to Manhattan. Where he goes on adventure that turns him into a young man.
Justin Wong English 2A, Ms. Mitchell Block 7 17 April 2017 Holden Caulfield's Judgmental Qualities JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, characterizes Holden’s tendency to accuse people of acting fake in order to stay within the social norms. Holden feels he is surrounded by phonies, who he judges as hypocritical, shallow, superficial, and inauthentic. He experiences phoniness mainly in the adult world and believe adults such as lawyers and actors are taking on a new identity other than themselves. The transition into the adult world is what Holden fears the most in his life.
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.
In the novel “The Catcher in the Rye”, the protagonist Holden Caulfield demonstrates his unusual behaviour. The narrator introduces the story of an emotionally damaged teenager whose suspicions and personal issues prevent him from being “normal” in a society full of phonies that he does not seem to get along with. It becomes clear that Holden has clouded judgement as he rides an emotional rollercoaster of mood swings with the people he likes, and dislikes. Therefore, it becomes obvious that some of his personal flaws include his distrust, depression, and unreasonable attitudes and thoughts are based on his underlying emotional problems. Holden Caulfield has a variety psychological problems, such as his skepticism, depressive behaviour, and
The Catcher in the Rye Thematic Essay Imagine living a lonesome life, full of fear and little hope of better days to come. Imagine the toll this would take on a person’s life and how they develop as a person. For Holden Caulfield, the main character of J.D Salinger’s classic The Catcher in the Rye this, is his reality. Holden is a sixteen year old troubled boy suffering through major mental issues and living a rather a depressing life for a teenager. Throughout the novel he goes through many hardships that only worsen his depression making him feel hatred towards his seemingly hellish world.
Purpose: To show how a small change in choice could affect holden’s life The Catcher in the Rye is about Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old boy from New York. The novel starts with Holden, writing in his book, hinting that he is in some sort of mental facility .Even though he comes from a wealthy family,because of his loss of interest in studies,and low grades, he gets expelled from all schools he has studied in .Holden leaves his final school, Pency Prep and decides that he will stay in New York City until his parents learn of his expulsion and “cool down” .Most of the novel is dedicated to Holden’s time in the city, Holden lives in a hotel room for a few days during his stay .Holden then starts meeting with people that he used know, some strangers and goes to places with. From his conversations, he
He lies intensely throughout the course of the novel, starting from lying to Ackley at the very beginning of the book. From his sarcastic tone in his conversation with other people, readers can denote his own cynical view on the world. Holden views adulthood as phony, hypocritical and fake while childhood in his mind is a world of innocence, honesty, and joy. That is the main reason why he wants to be a “catcher in the rye” to protect and save all the children from falling into the phony adult world. Holden Caulfield’s despise of fakeness causes his resistance of growing into a more mature person, with the lack of ability to interact with other people, make him a
Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual”. In the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield’s lies become habitual throughout the book. Holden is a sixteen-year-old boy, who has been kicked out of several schools including, most recently, Pencey Prep. Holden’s younger brother, Allie, died when Holden was only thirteen and his older brother is too busy working for Hollywood to care about Holden. Although his mother cares immensely for him, Holden saddens her by failing academically.
Discoveries are often significant as they challenge the individual to reconsider what they previously believed in order to theorise about their world and make new connections surrounding themselves and others, such reevaluation can often lead to the development of a greater understanding regarding morality. This concept is exemplified through J.D Salinger’s ‘Catcher in the Rye’, were a young teenager, Holden Caulfield is constantly reaffirming his passion for preserving the innocence of the youth from “phonies”. The value that he places on morality is illustrated by his persistent quest to stop transgression. However, Holden does not realise he is a phony himself, “Her son was doubtless the biggest bastard that ever went to Pencey... "
Holden’s Struggle To Find Himself: Throughout the novel, The Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden struggles to find himself and who he truly is in order to be happy. His struggles relate to many things that he does or say in particular. Holden lacks with a social status with women and his family, whether it’s a relationship or being antisocial. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield experiences the complexities and struggles involved with both physical and emotional relationships.
