At only age 16, Holden Caulfield struggles with basic day-to-day interactions and obstacles. When he comes across people, he is very selective over whom he lets in and how much he opens up. In “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, Holden displays that he is a sensitive subject to work with on many different occasions. When dealing with family, it’s a touchy subject with which he does not like discussing a ton. When thinking about his siblings, Holden starts to reveal himself as a semi-sensitive guy. Regarding his friends, they are hit or miss with each one. Although he has been to many schools, he never seems to have friends that really stick with him. He has a few friends that throughout the novel he knows he can call up, but other than …show more content…
To the reader Holden may come across (at first) as a very perfectionistic, whiny, and pessimistic guy. When getting to know him, the reader gets the idea that he does not care about life and is not necessarily excited about living his life. “Boy, when you're dead, they really fix you up. I hope to hell when I do die somebody has sense enough to just dump me in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a G-ddam cemetery. People coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that crap. Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody,” (Salinger, 201). In this quote, Holden comes across as a very pessimistic boy, but is also being realistic about what he wants in the future. After getting used to his attitude on the world, people begin to understand that deep down he is a sweet caring boy especially for those close to him. A very important person in his life is his childhood friend, Jane. Throughout the time with Holden, he discusses his relationship in depth with her and how much it meant to him. “She was terrific to hold hands with. Most girls if you hold hands with them, their G-ddam hand dies on you, or else they think they have to keep moving their hand all the time, as if