Why Holden Caulfield Is Such A Memorable Character

Why Holden Caulfield is Such a memorable Character Holden Caulfield may have a rough outlook on life but there are many things in his life that are dear to him. Holden’s red hunting hat, his sister Phoebe and the Museum of Natural History are some major examples. There are a couple of other things that meant a lot to him like the ducks in the park, his deceased brother Allie, and Jane Gallagher. These things not only help the reader get an understanding of what kind of person Holden Caulfield is but they also show how Holden can be such a memorable character. Another reason why Holden is so memorable is because of the way he interprets other people. Any person who doesn’t act like him he considers a phony. Holden’s parents also have a great

An example from the text is, “I took my red hunting hat out of my pocket and put it on--I didn't give a damn how I looked.” This quote shows how Holden doesn’t care what people think about him. His sister Phoebe has a large influence on Holden and she promotes him to do better in the world. According to Holden, Phoebe is the smartest and funniest kid in the world. He says “If you tell old Phoebe something, she knows exactly what the hell you're talking about. I mean you can even take her anywhere with you.” This quote is addressing how Holden thinks Phoebe is perfect and the best sibling he could ask for. Another valuable to thing to Holden is the Museum of Natural History. Holden likes it there because everything stays the same. He makes a connection between the museum staying the same and a person changing everytime he comes back to see them. Holden states “the best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was.

Holden considers everybody who doesn't have the same personality traits as him, a phony. He also considers everything he doesn’t like phony. For example he doesn’t like this word so he says “Grand. There's a word I really hate. It's a phony. I could puke every time I hear it.” Another example of phony is when Holden started to talk about him getting a cabin and not coming home till he is at least thirty-five. He went on and said “I'd have this rule that nobody could do anything phony when they visited me. If anybody tried to do anything phony, they couldn't stay.” Basically, Holden is saying that if anyone did anything he didn’t like or approve, they would be asked to leave. Holden’s grumpiness is an attributing factor to why he calls everything phony with the other factor being personality. Holden's parents haven’t been there for him much while he has been growing up. Holden has been to three private schools and just got kicked out of his third one, Pencey Prep. He doesn’t want to go back home until his parents receive the letter that he has been kicked out. When Holden was talking about his parents, he said “I thought of maybe hanging up if my parents answered, but that wouldn't've worked, either. They'd know it was me. My mother always knows it's me. She's psychic.” This quote explains how Holden is too afraid to even talk to his parents nevermind go