Examples Of Dialectical Journal For The Catcher In The Rye

Theme: Individuality
1. “... I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.” (Chapter 22, page 173) This is the passage in which Holden reveals the source of the book’s title. It occurs in Chapter 22, after Holden has slipped quietly back into his apartment and is speaking with Phoebe. They talk, argue, and then reconcile, and Phoebe asks Holden what he wants to do with his life. Holden responds with this image, which reveals his fantasy of idealistic childhood and of his

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

Holden lives in such pain, having given himself to his brother and then watched him die, that he cannot bear to open up to anyone again because of the thought of loss, having to lose something that meant everything. Here, telling someone something means opening up to say something authentic. This is not something he would advise, however, because the closeness and trust involved in this genuine act not only will one day be lost, but also will show that one does not have this closeness or trust with others. By not having trusting relationships with others, one becomes lonely and longs for interaction, but is unable to interact with others because of his/her inability to express one’s emotions. Without this, one will feel isolated like Holden, and live a bitter life. The sole purpose of life is to interact with others and enjoy every moment of it, so that life is not a miserable experience. In the future, Holden will become grateful, and his mental illness will be cured, as long as he learns to trust others and express his