Holden is the main character from the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger: he is going through the seven stages of grief. The seven stages Holden experiences are: shock and denial, pain and guilt, anger and bargaining, depression, reflection, loneliness, the upward turn, reconstruction and working through, and acceptance and hope. He mainly focuses on three of the stages: anger, depression and loneliness. These stages influence the events and situations that Holden encounters doing the book. Holden gets in many situations because of his uncontrollable anger during his grieving.
Based on Holden’s descriptions and views on Stradlater, it is clear that he is not fond of his roommate. “God, how I hated him” (42). Although Stradlater is not his favorite person on the planet, there is no clear indication that Holden hates him. Throughout their encounter at Pencey, Holden talks about Stradlater’s characteristics in a friendly way. Holden admitted that he thought Stradlater was handsome, he was somewhat friendly, and Holden “didn’t have to explain every goddamn little thing with him” (33).
The Catcher in the Rye In the novel The Catcher in the Rye J.D Salinger writes about a teenager struggling to find his place within the existence of the reality of others. Salinger creates shocking events that lay out the foundation of the the main character Holden Caulfield’s life in the novel. Salinger uses Holden’s characteristics throughout the novel such as Holden’s stubbornness to establish a much bigger theme in the book along with many other symbols.
The character of Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger 's novel, Catcher in the Rye, is an excellent example of a psychologically sensitive portrayal of a child with autism spectrum disorder. Although, Holden is never diagnosed in the novel, his interactions with peers and his particular interests show that he is a young man struggling with this psychological disorder. I find this most interesting because the novel allows the reader to enter the mind of Holden to connect and sympathize with the young man and gain a new perspective to his unique disorder. Similarly, the scientific article written by, Jiri Koutek, discusses the social isolation of a sixteen year old male with high functioning autism who was hospitalized for a suicide attempt. The
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.
Even though he is skeptical of people he considers phony, such as Marty who lies about seeing a movie star, his negativity and judgement of others usually goes a lot farther than what is considered normal. For example, he doesn’t get serious in relationships with others, because he always seems to find flaws in everyone. Another example is when Holden’s history teacher at Pencey, Mr. Spencer, wants to understand why he refuses to put in any effort. Spencer feels bad about failing Holden and reaches out to him, trying to connect with him and possibly influence him positively. However, Holden gets upset and starts talking poorly of him once he hears this, and later excuses himself with a lie he made up to leave, showing both his self-defence mechanism and his skepticism towards people he liked.
Throughout “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D Salinger, Holden Caulfield shows great difficulty making long and meaningful connections with other people. Holden believes he is the normal one but it is actually the other way around. He holds on to a deep emotional road block of the death of his innocent brother Allie. Holden keeps this dragging around with him which causes him to veer from connecting and having a long term relationship with others.
After Holden makes a date with Sally, he sees her and he describes, “I didn’t even like her much, and yet all of the sudden I felt like I was in love with her and wanted to marry her” (138). Holden states several times throughout the novel that men that do not really like women but still go out with them are phony. Holden contradicts himself as he says this about Sally, ultimately showing that he is a phony himself. After Holden gets into a fight with Stradlater, Holden explains, “I’m a pacifist, if you want to know the truth” (52). Minutes after Holden acts with extreme temper against Stradlater, and even attempts to punch him, he explains how he is a pacifist.
The story of The Catcher in The Rye explains Holden Caulfield's journey to discover his purpose in life. Throughout the novel, he travels around New York, interacting with several people. But not only people, but symbols help Holden to understand how the world works, from a Red Hat to a Childhood museum, these symbols dictate his feelings towards the outside world and people around him. Innocence and permanence are staples of the story, and Salinger's use of a Hat, Childhood Museums,ducks, and a carousel, are able to convey these idea because of their representation of these concepts.
The Pax Romana was a period of peace between 27 BCE to 180 CE. Its literal translation is Roman Peace, which explains its name. The Pax Romana was the time in which the Roman Empire reached its peak. It was started off by Augustus, Julius Caesar's heir, who aimed to better the Roman empire. During this time there were many technological advancements which were a direct result of the ability to maintain peace in the empire.
Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual”. In the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield’s lies become habitual throughout the book. Holden is a sixteen-year-old boy, who has been kicked out of several schools including, most recently, Pencey Prep. Holden’s younger brother, Allie, died when Holden was only thirteen and his older brother is too busy working for Hollywood to care about Holden. Although his mother cares immensely for him, Holden saddens her by failing academically.
Holden’s Struggle To Find Himself: Throughout the novel, The Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden struggles to find himself and who he truly is in order to be happy. His struggles relate to many things that he does or say in particular. Holden lacks with a social status with women and his family, whether it’s a relationship or being antisocial. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield experiences the complexities and struggles involved with both physical and emotional relationships.
Throughout the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a deep character that shows(possesses) many personality traits. His character is what connects many readers to him and helps in understanding him. Some character traits Holden possesses are that he is generous, kindhearted, usually honest, very intelligent, makes quick judgements, speaks his mind, is anxious about change, and likes kids. Considering his many character traits, it is easy for the reader to understand and relate to Holden. There are many character traits that I share with him.
Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has abnormal tendencies. Although he could just be a typical teenager, dealing with difficult situations, after analyzing his behavior it is believed that he is suffering from a mental ailment of some sort. Events from Holden’s past are still currently haunting him and it is evident that he is struggling. He needs the guidance of those around him in order to help himself through these tough time.
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.”
