Holden Caulfield's Loneliness

Holden Caulfield the protagonist in the book Catcher in the Rye is in desperate need of a confident boost. Holden needs to realize that he has reached an age in which people are struggling to find themselves. Teenagers are looking to find their identity and place in society. At this age people are very critical about themselves and the world around them. Holden is always looking for things to complain about, and never seems satisfied. He is looking for self worth, and seems to feel isolated and lonely because he is unsure about himself. In an article by the New York Times it states, “Holden Caulfield the main character in the book The Catcher in the Rye, is a young boy on the verge of having a nervous breakdown.” This describes the plot of

Holden thinks that he is alone in the world. His loneliness is evident throughout the book because of his lack of parental guidance, friends, and his longing for his dead brother Allie. I have complied a playlist for Holden that can serve as motivation for him knowing that there is always tomorrow. Even though things may look really dull today life can change in a matter of seconds. The playlist consists of the movie Raising Izzie, the book October Baby, the song Love Myself by Hailee Steinfeld, Breathe me by Sia, Memory Lane by Elliot Smith, and Wake Up by Arcade Fire. This playlist is essentially motivational songs, uplifting movies, and inspirational books. Holden should be able to derive the fact that everyone has a place in the world, and no matter what he is going through there are always people to talk to, sometimes even strangers are willing to

Gertie is 14 years old and is the older sister while Izzie is ten and the younger one. Their dad abandoned them at a very young age, and their mother died of leukemia. Since their mother knew that her passing was near she set up the girls financially to self-sustain themselves. Both girls tried their best to stay in school, stay undetected and together. Their strong sisterly bond keeps them going everyday. Gertie has to act as though she is always happy so that Izzie doesn’t feel bad about their mothers passing. Their plan is to maintain high grades in school and act as though they are okay. Gertie’s math teacher is the one person that prevents that plan from working. Mrs. Freeman is concerned and has taken an interest in Gertie after seeing her mother wasn’t at the parent conference. Gertie is reluctant to open up about her secret. When she does Mrs. Freeman seems to be very caring and understanding of her. Izzie says, "I didn't say she looks like mommy. I said she's pretty like mommy,” to describe the way that Mrs. Freeman looked. Gertie denies it because of her closed up shell. One-day the girl’s home catches on fire and they are invited into the Freeman’s world. Mrs. Freeman is desperately attempting to build a family, but it is not possible due to struggles with fertility. After this Tonya Freeman seems to lose sight of