Holden Goal In Life

Holden’s environment also had an effect on his personality. Holden would move from school to school and from place to place and would not feel a thing due to the fact that he would not become attached to anything. He states “This is about the fourth school I've gone to” (Salinger 9). This illustrates how Holden moves a lot which results in detachment due to on how he will leave it eventually. Holden tries to not become attached to things because he wants to avoid the future pain of loss. Holden implies “...when I leave a place I like to know I'm leaving it” (Salinger 4) which suggests that he wants to make connections with people and places but in order to do so this means that he must make an emotional investment that will probably end up

This digression, which is expressed in Holden’s conversation with Phoebe, explains one of his ultimate aspirations. When Phoebe asks Holden what he would like to be he responds “I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all.” (Salinger 173). Holden aspires to save children from their falls. His goal in life is to be there for people when they’re falling. Furthermore falling can be seen as not only physically descending down from an area but also falling in a sense of one’s emotional and mental state of mind. The fall that Holden is talking about can be classified mentally as one having a mental breakdown or just losing one’s

Throughout the book it is clear the Holden has a love for Jane. The fact that Jane was the only one of three people he had in this address book demonstrates on how Jane is an important figure in Holden's life. Holden describes Jane as having a lousy childhood. After an interaction between Jane and her step father Holden states “Then she really started to cry and the next thing I know I was kissing her all over-anywhere-her forehead, her eyebrows and all her ears-her whole face except her mouth an all” (slander 79). This reflects Jane's fall and on how she is having a mental breakdown. Holden sees this opportunity as a chance to be the catcher in the rye, in hopes to save her from her fall. Holden describes Jane as innocent and from what the reader knows about Jane she does nothing to possess any traits that would characterize her as a phony. Jane represents the innocent child that Holden wants to save. Holden continues to project Jane. Once Holden suspects that his roommate, Stradlater has slept with Jane he attacks him. His desire to protect her is based on his goal to protect the innocent from