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Examples Of Identity In Catcher In The Rye

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A common obstacle faced by many adolescents is the search for identity. While trying to find oneself, it is common for an individual to reach out to society to seek acceptance and a sense of belonging. This outcry for recognition is sometimes endorsed and other times denied. In The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden Caulfield journeys through New York seeking approval from those who surround him. J. D. Salinger displays Holden’s desire for acceptance in the novel when he visits Mr. Spencer to seek closure and a proper goodbye, when he decides to have a conversation with the prostitute instead of get in bed with her, and when he offers his help and donations to the nuns. The first person that Holden reaches out to in the novel is his history teacher, Mr. Spencer. Upon invitation, Holden visits Mr. Spencer one last time before leaving Pencey Prep. He does this because he is searching for a proper goodbye and a sense of closure. He reveals this when he says, “What I was really hanging around for, I was trying to feel some kind of …show more content…

Spencer and the prostitute, he finally receives acceptance from two nuns that he encounters at a diner. While sitting and eating his breakfast, Holden decides to reach out to the two woman by taking their suitcases and offering them a donation. Their purity and kindness toward him are recognized once they strike up a conversation about literature and schooling. Due to the fact that they do not know anything about Holden’s past, they do not expect anything of him and they do not judge him. Holden comments on the fact that they did not ask if he was Catholic or not. Instead, they converse with him and accept him without inquiring knowledge of his beliefs or his past. This is important because it helps Holden feel the sense of belonging and acceptance that he desires. By reaching out to the two nuns and offering them his kindness, he discovers what he has been searching

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697 Words | 3 Pages

Asking each cab driver he has for drinks, even offering to pay for them. This is the first indication of Holden’s willingness buying his friends. At Penecy Prep he does favours for his peers he has no indication of liking. Writing papers for them, letting people borrow his type writer and clothing. His is eager to do whatever it take to be liked by others.

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481 Words | 2 Pages

Holden view his sister as genuine and honest, not a “phony” like almost everyone else. When he arrives back in New York, one of his first thoughts is that he would like to call and speak with her. In the end of the novel, when Holden is getting ready to start his new life he decides he cannot leave without saying goodbye. Phoebe is the only character in the book who he actually cares about and sees no flaws in. He holds onto Phoebe so much because unlike everyone else surrounded by him, she still has her

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656 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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904 Words | 4 Pages

Also, when Holden wakes up to Mr. Antolini patting him on the forehead in the middle of the night, he tells us of similar “perverty” stuff that happened to him multiple times as a child. Therefore, he clearly struggles to trust anyone he both meets and knows, which shows his insecurity and skepticism of others. Another instance of this is Holden’s relationship with D.B. Although Holden says that they were once close, he now considers D.B. as phony because of the work he does in the film industry. In doing so, he loses a close relationship with his brother, just because he feels

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903 Words | 4 Pages

Holden’s failure to embrace the masculine stereotype is epitomized in his idealized and naive views on romance and sexulaity. When Holden enters the upscale Edmont Hotel and sees a young couple on a date, he remarks, “I think if you don't really like a girl, you shouldn't horse around with her at all …. It's really too bad that so much crumby stuff is a lot of fun sometimes” (Salinger 70). Holden’s belief that a man should not engage in a casual relationship with a woman unless he truly loves her, stands in stark contrast to masculine standards which encourage and congratulate men’s sexual exploits. Holden’s asexual beliefs

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917 Words | 4 Pages

In summary, Holden searches for people to belong to in order to feel a sense of peace and

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1851 Words | 8 Pages

Many people harbour a desire to accomplish something specific in life. Sometimes this desire stems from the background of a person, and sometimes desires are developed over time and with age. “The Catcher in the Rye” narrated by Holden Caulfield, who is an overly disturbed teenager, is about the change from childhood to adulthood. Holden, like many, has a burning desire to protect the innocence of children; this desire is tied to the themes of relationships, intimacy and sexuality which are carried throughout the novel. In a stroke of genius, the author, J.D. Salinger, sums up this desire in the title, which is taken from a poem by Robert Burns: Comin ' thro ' the Rye ( 1796).

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1142 Words | 5 Pages

The beginning of Holden’s journey starts with the innocence and naivety of childhood. Childhood is the stage that ignorance is bliss with no care in the world. Holden goes to a prestigious boarding school for boys and he believes that everyone in that school is a phony in some way. Holden is an observant character as he stays in the background, but he can also cause the most trouble. Like a child, he asks many questions and he is very curious to the point that he can be annoying.

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915 Words | 4 Pages

In particular, an instance of Holden’s willingness to die for a noble cause rather than living is his encounter at the Edmont Hotel with Maurice and Sunny, the prostitute who he doesn’t even have sex with. When Holden is confronted by the duo to steal five dollars from him, he speaks out and refuses to pay. His efforts were to no avail though, as he not only gets punched but also his money taken away from him. After pretending to be shot, he finally reveals what he felt like doing, which “…was committing suicide. I felt like jumping out the window.”

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859 Words | 4 Pages

Salinger hints the contrasting view of an adult and an adolescent when old Spencer talks to Holden. Spencer connects life with a “game” (Salinger 8). He makes this comparison to stress the fact that life is amusing and systematic. However, Holden describes life as a “crazy cliff” (Salinger 173). Although Holden tries not to express his emotions throughout the book, fear still seeps through his emotional shield when he discusses about his adulthood with Phoebe.

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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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720 Words | 3 Pages

Holden Caulfield, the main protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, embodies the classic teenager in the process of discovering himself, and how the world works. But, regardless of Holden 's rich, prep school lifestyle, the series of events that have mapped out his life up to this point have utterly affected his emotional well being and perception of the world. Many traumatic events such as the death of holds brother Allie, the death of a class mate, and countless numbers of awkward incidents with adults have all added up to affects Holden 's well-being and detach him from reality. The death of Holden 's younger brother Allie has caused him to confuse his perception of reality and to alienate himself.

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2081 Words | 9 Pages

Holden believes he cannot live up to what his parents expect of him, but he cannot be so sure. He never talked to them to actually Nguyen 5 know what they want. Holden would rather run away from home, without proper preparations, then to just tell his parents what is really going on and how he really feels. His secretive feelings cause him to be alienated from his mom and dad.

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871 Words | 4 Pages

While many argue that Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye does not deviate from the traditional anti-hero attributes and, therefore, does not display any prominent change, an argument can be made to the contrary. Holden Caulfield goes through some noticeable character development and is in a better place emotionally at the end of the book because he speaks with Phoebe. His meeting with Phoebe and Phoebe’s message to him shows him a youth’s perspective on his world, rather than the superficial sincerity of his elderly professor and his favorite teacher that makes advances on him. Additionally, him being able to successfully communicate with a member of his own family puts him in a better place. His time with her lets him see his own self-image of a “catcher in the rye.”

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1081 Words | 5 Pages

Underage drinking is a noteworthy issue at American schools, however little is thought about the degree of liquor use in various arrangements. Across countries, Teenage drinking has been a common problem of this modern world. Underage drinking can offer a diverse effects for us Teenagers, especially accidents which include car accidents, homicides, suicides, falls and burns. Research shows that legal drinkers can handle their self well compared to an immature Teenage drinker due to a lot of reasons both mentally and physiologically. Underage drinkers suffer a wide variety of consequences due to their uncontrolled drinking habit.

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