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Character analysis the catcher in the rye
Analysis of Holden in the Catcher in the Rye
An essay about the catcher in the rye
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The book “The catcher in the rye “ by J.D Salinger shows a teenagers journey through horrible days of misfortune. The main character, Holden, have interesting ways of dealing with his problems. It is anything from loneliness to his way of alienating for self protection. J.D Sallinger has chosen a special way of illustrating Holden’s life in forms of an iceberg, the inside of him is much larger than you think. Holden knows about how people feel about him but does not want to realise it and therefore uses a special technique to protect himself.
An example of this from The Catcher in the Rye is shown in the quote, “...practically the whole school except me was there.” (P. 5). Holden is referring to the football game taking place with all of the school there except him. Interestingly, it’s not because he was excluded, but instead it is own decision not to go to the game. This shows the emotional baggage he carries in the form of his conscious decision to isolate himself from others.
When an individual is lacking understanding of their environment, that’s called immaturity. When a person is immature, their reputation is affected. In many ways a person that is immature is not trusted by other people, nor trust people either. The novel “Catcher in the rye” takes place in Pennsylvania at his former school in the late 1940’s and the novel is told from a first person view.
Holden Caulfield is smart, Holden has intelligence that not many 16 year olds have. For someone like Holden, it's hard to behave himself and to keep himself in school, he is yet again thrown out of another school. Holden got kicked out, because he only decided to pass one class out of four. Holden has responsibility issues, that he sometimes has to own up to on his own. As a high school Counselor it's my responsibility to step up and take part in helping your son succeed throughout his childhood life.
Alienation In The Catcher In The Rye In J.D Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye, loneliness is the main topic of the book. The main character Holden Caulfield is an outsider from the beginning, which makes it easier for him to feel lonely. In the book he talks about the things leading up to him getting expelled from Pencey Prep, a private school, and the events that occur after. Holden Caulfield desperately wants human companionship but since he isn’t mature enough and he dislikes human interaction, he ends up being alone.
In an attempt to pass time after his breakfast, Holden has the idea to stroll around the city. He visits broadway to purchase a record for Phoebe, he eventually chooses a vivacious record with a unique and brash sound. Holden believes that Phoebe is special and wants to showcase his beliefs to her by giving her a record with music that corresponds with her individualism. Consequently, Holden’s mind begins to meander for a while when he starts to admire Phoebe’s maturity and intelligence. It is only until he overhears a young boy in the middle of the street singing “If a body catch a body coming through the rye” (Salinger 115), that Holden is brought back to reality.
The novel The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, delves into the theme of alienation as a form of self-protection, through three main motifs which are embodied by the protagonist, Holden Caufield. Holden is a teenager struggling with finding “real” relationships, resulting in him continuously retreating into loneliness and frequently lying to most people he encounters daily. These actions carried out by Holden reflect the three main motifs of the story which are loneliness, relationships, and lying/deception. The nature of Holden’s actions within the novel displays his enigma of emotions, as he wants to speak to others and create relationships with them, but also says they are “phony” which pushes him back into his shell of isolation.
To achieve true peace and comfort, rather than trying to find love and comfort from others, an individual will search for someone who will give them a sense of belonging. This is seen through the novel, “the Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger where the persona, Holden, is seen searching for someone or a relationship. For example, the Holden tries to form many relationships including romantically, make friends, and with family members. Thus, to belong with a sense of peace and comfort, Holden attempts to interact with others.
As the novel proceeds Holden utse of alienation as means of protection . Holden, describing the world to be “phony” including those who reside in it. With very few not being. Holden portrays himself as an outcast and does so by using alienation as means to achieve it.
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).
Mary Shelley, in her book, Frankenstein, has a reoccurring theme of isolation, in which she isolates the main character, Victor Frankenstein, from the rest of society in order to create a creature. Likewise, the creature that is created is also isolated from the rest of society as he is rejected from his creator as to his appearance. The theme is present throughout the novel as it reinforces Victor’s downfall from a normal boy to a grown man intrigued with creating life as he slowly becomes a madman that everyone soon fears. Isolation causes a loss of humanity as it affects the mind and body. Isolation from society does not teach social interaction, causes regret about oneself, provides one with negative feelings, and causes regretful actions.
The innocent actions some take later in life will reward some, and deteriorate others. Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger delays his evitable process of growing up partly because of the tragic events that transpired earlier in his life and his ignorance to reality. However , Chris Mccandless differs from Holden in the fact that he fully understands reality but protests to greed of humans and the material possessions of man and still facing the gruesome consequence of his immaturity. Seymour Glass does not relate to the accepted adult community and further isolates himself from his peers. Although he appears immature, he actually is struggling from PTSD from the war and the picture his has for the violent adult man.
Isolation and Depression: A Vicious Cycle Grief. Depression. Isolation. What do you think when you hear those words? Holden Caulfield has been through a lot, from being kicked out of several schools to being so depressed he wonders why he should go on living. Holdens family keeps pushing him away and that’s where he learns his tendency to push people away who he cares about.
In The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a rebellious and angsty teen who suffers from internal and external conflict. Holden continously tries to create a conflict where there is none. However, after he creates these issues he is unwilling to face them. Holden’s internal conflict is his inability to accept responsibility for his actions, while his external conflict is the tension between him and anyone who succeeds. In this manner Holden continually pushes people away and refuses to accept the existence of these conflicts until the end of the novel.
Zhu1 Katherine Zhu EAE 1D Ms. Sivel December 1st The Catcher in the Rye: The Pursuit of Endless Childhood The main setting of The Catcher in the Rye is New York City, Holden Caulfield, the protagonist’s hometown. He decides to wander around the city before heading home, to prevent his parents from noticing that he’s been expelled from his school.
