Examples Of Holden Caulfield's Journey In Catcher In The Rye

In J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the author illustrates Holden Caulfield’s journey after leaving Pencey State and traveling to New York from Holden’s first-person perspective. This journey he partakes in is one of self-discovery and acceptance. Though Holden is seen having little to no character development throughout the novel, it is still difficult to fully address who he is. Stemming from his own desire to be stuck in his childhood state of mind and tendencies, Holden creates a complex and disputable persona that challenges who he truly is. Due to his unreliable narration, disorganized thoughts, foul behavior, and immoral decisions made throughout the story, it is unclear as to whether or not Holden even knows himself. Through an

One of the most intriguing bonds he forms is that of Jane Gallagher. A childhood friend of his, Hold has always shown an infatuation with her of sorts saying, “All of sudden, on my way to the lobby I got old Jane Gallagher on the brain again. I got her on, and I couldn’t get her off” (85). Holden's emotions are typically portrayed in a depressive state with a lack of caring but with Jane he shows that he is able to care. Throughout the novel he mentions in many instances the desire to call and reach out to her but in this case it becomes more evident that when he does care for someone, like Jane, he does care for them unconditionally and often times it is hard for him to erase them from his memory. Holden describes a time in Maine with Jane while they sit at home playing checkers recalling, “What she’d do, when she’d get a king, she wouldn’t move it. She’d just leave it in the back row” (36). Jane has a great appreciation for the aesthetics in life and Holden takes notice to this. Not only does Jane line up her kings for the aesthetics but it symbolizes her defense against her purity, a trait that holden to is so desperately trying to hold on to. The back of the board are a representation of their childhood with the kings being the line of defense, protecting their innocence from the vast open board, adolescence. As Holden begins to

He has landed himself her as a result of depressive behavior and downward spiral of inebriated behavior. Numerous times throughout the novel, Holden expresses the phrases “It killed me” and “It depressed me”. Whether these are cries for help or over dramatized reactions to the situations he is in, his drinking is what ultimately lead to his fall. Used as a coping mechanism of sorts, Holden says, “I can’t sit in a corny place like this cold sober” (78). Even in a club full of people and dancing, Holden still exhibits anti-social tendencies with result in drinking. His addiction of sorts has become and reliant when in social situations and leads him to doing foolish/reckless things. Towards the end of the book Holden gets his younger sister a Little Shirley Beans record as a gift but soon after states, “I dropped old Phoebe's record. It broke into about fifty pieces” (170). Holden being in this inebriated state caused him to shatter a precious gift intended for family, though it represents more than a broken record and rather his life. Holden's life is so precious and fragile but yet he is so careless with his actions and it only took him one slip up for his entire future to be shattered, much like the