Analytical Essay On The Catcher In The Rye

Three seconds remain in the tied basketball game. The point guard shoots and the ball goes in right before the buzzer sounds off. I bet for a long time, that player worked hard in the gym to practice and perfect his shooting for game time situations like that. It just goes to show that nothing great can ever be achieved without hard work. Holden Caulfield from The Catcher In The Rye, however, does not quite understand this saying. In the story, Holden does not apply himself to his education at Pencey Prep, which results in his expulsion from school. Throughout the story, Holden, as well as a few other characters, represent the terms expressed in Freud’s Theory of Personality known as the Id, Superego, and Ego. According to Freud, the Id operates

The Ego makes the decisions and compromises between the Id and Superego. Jane Gallagher, Holden’s old companion, and Sunny, the prostitute, make a good representation of the Ego. While staying at the hotel, Holden thinks about the times he spent with Jane and how they got close to one another. He also remembers a time when they were alone on her porch and they kissed. Jane portrays the Ego here because Holden decides not to make any further advances towards her. He respected her and did not want to make her feel anymore uncomfortable. Meanwhile, during his stay at the hotel, Holden requests a prostitute, Sunny, to come to his room. Sunny also serves as the Ego because when she attempts to seduce him, he gets tense and decides to make conversation with her instead. After she gets annoyed and decides to leave, Holden pays her anyway. In conclusion, Holden, as well as a few other characters, from The Catcher In The Rye represent the terms expressed in Freud’s Theory of Personality known as the Id, Superego, and Ego. Looking back on the situations involving Holden, he most definitely has trouble fitting into society. We should never expect affairs to go easy for us without putting in the work required. Sometimes it is okay to turn rebellious in order to get a point across, but sooner or later, we just have to persevere and obey