Holden Caulfield Symbolism

Holden

When something mortifying occurs to you it can really have a negative impact on you when your are growing up. In the novel The Catcher In The Rye, J.D. Salinger introduces Holden as a very troubled student and as a result he is being expelled from a boys College Preparatory School. As a matter of fact the author J.D. Salinger wasn't the brightest pupil in his school “Despite his apparent intellect Salinger- or Sonny as he was known as a child- wasn't much of a student”(Biography). Salinger presents the protagonist Holden Caulfield out to be a disgruntled, rebellious and a problematic adolescent.Which is further explained in the Psychoanalytic Theory which provides a wide selection of information to view the

The main character of the narrative has gone through hardship in his childhood, he’s trying to cope with life and unwilling to become an adult can ultimately have a great impact you which is expressed in Holden's behavior, character and sense of mentality

Throughout the novel the author presents a variety of defense mechanism used by the protagonist for example projection. A Freudian analysis would provide a level of understanding of projection as “A defense mechanism involving the projection of one's own unacceptable impulses, wishes and urges onto a person”(Sigmund). Holden tries to run away from reality and live some sort of fantasy world. Therefore when he went on a date with his friend Sally he wanted her to accept all of his wishes and impulses. For example he began to discuss with Sally, Holden stated “We’ll stay in these cabins camps and stuff like that till the dough runs out. Then when the dough runs out I could get a job somewhere and we could live somewhere with a brook and all and later on we could get married or something”(Salinger 132). When Holden got this crazy idea he shared it with Sally thinking she would willingly accept it. Holden got the impression she would accept his offer to go live a fantasy world and

According to Sigmund Freud theory “Personality is largely determined by events and experiences that occur during the first five or six years of life”(Sigmund Freud). Sigmund Freud's theory on personality is extremely useful because it sheds insight on the difficult problem Holden encounters as he grows up. In the novel Holden is speaking to his therapist and starts off the book by stating “If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like…”(Salinger 1). In making this comment Holden gives insight about his childhood and what it was like which affects his later in his life because it happened at such an early age which segues to Donald's Hall, Physiological Analysis it states “Individuals move through more development stages early in life, and traumas or experiences during that process may have a lasting effects on personality”. In addition when Holden was leaving his hotel he stated “I was sort of crying. I don’t know why”(Salinger 52). This correlates to “The preconscious [that] holds information we’ve stored from past experience or learning … can be retrieved from memory and brought into awareness at anytime”(Sigmund Freud). This demonstrates that Holden was triggered from a past experience Holden just cries out of nowhere because he is constantly jumping from place to place and not being somewhere