More handpicked essays just for you.
Holden Caulfield Catcher in the Rye character analysis
Holden caulfield character development
Holden Caulfield Catcher in the Rye character analysis
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Holden on Phonies Holden Caulfield constantly contradicts himself in the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, this is best seen on his views towards phonies and he himself unknowingly being a phony. Throughout the book Holden mentions the phrase phonies several times as a way to describe someone who is fake, hypocritical, or pretentious. For instance, Holden thinks that Mr. Haas, the headmaster at Pency, was the most “phoniest bastard” he has ever met; Mr. Haas always puts on a act when he’s meeting parents (21). When people are phony it “drives [him] crazy” because he just wants people to be real (21).
Holden is the main character from the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger: he is going through the seven stages of grief. The seven stages Holden experiences are: shock and denial, pain and guilt, anger and bargaining, depression, reflection, loneliness, the upward turn, reconstruction and working through, and acceptance and hope. He mainly focuses on three of the stages: anger, depression and loneliness. These stages influence the events and situations that Holden encounters doing the book. Holden gets in many situations because of his uncontrollable anger during his grieving.
Holden Caulfield is a sixteen-year old boy that hates a lot of things. He attends a school named Pencey where he got kicked out because he had very poor grades. The only class he actually likes is English class. He doesn’t care that he got kicked out because he thinks that a bunch of “phonies” go to that school anyways. In J.D Salinger’s novel the Catcher in the Rye, Holden is affected by his two brothers Allie, and D.B.
The novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger describes the narrator, Holden Caulfield, as an adolescent with many interesting views on society. The narrator has a lot of misplaced rages. When Stradlater and Holden were talking about a girl, named Jane, Stradlater went on a date with, after hearing that his friend has certain relations with this girl he got up off the bed and tried to punch him (Salinger 43). When Holden was younger he had known Jane when he was younger there was no justifiable reason for Holden to attack Stradlater. Holden dealt with the situation in a violent manner because he had built up rage from that conversation.
Evans is incorrect for assuming that the emotions Holden expresses are fabricated. In fact, Holden is a young man who feels incredibly deeply, but he often subconsciously chooses to conceal those feelings, like adolescents are known for doing. For example, when Old Maurice and Sunny come to his hotel room and abuse him to get the money he ‘owes’ them, he reveals, “I was still sort of crying. I was so damn mad and nervous and all“ (Salinger 103). He feels truly upset as a result of this personal injustice.
In The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, there are minor characters such as Phoebe and Stradlater that resemble the different characteristics that Holden has, and this is presented through their relationships with him suchs the innocence and hope that Phoebe has and gives peace to Holden, and the corruption and falseness that Stradlater maintains while showing his “phoniness” which causes Holden anger, yet it shows his hypocrisy. While he does have a good side to his personality because he wants the best for the future of the younger kids and praises honesty as well as innocence, Holden also has a negative side to his character that shows his loss of hope and corruption through the use of his language and angry nature towards others and
Catcher in the Rye 1. Describe Holden’s past. How does his past contribute to who he has become? Quote at least TWO passages that support your answer.
Holden prefers to stay as a kid rather than “grow up”. When Holden talks about phonies they were most of the time adults and never kids. He dislikes the idea of growing up and becoming a phony himself. He even says this when he talks about his cabin, “ I might come home when I was about thirty-five. ”(pg.213)
Although Jim and Holden are very different people, they both experienced a tough upbringing, where they lost their innocence at a young age and had difficult parents, which led to depression in which they both contemplated suicide. Compared to holden, Jim does not have a singular event that shattered his innocence, rather his parents throughout his childhood did that for him. Before Jim leaves his home for the chickie run he looks for his father and finds him wearing an apron cleaning the floor and mistakes him for his mother. This interaction pretty much summarizes his childhood as he has an overbearing mother who pushes his father around and made his father a weak, cowardly person, who can't be relied upon for advice or help. The apron symbolizes
Kaelyn Held English 9 - 8th Period Novel Paper December 15, 2015 Holden’s Personality in Catcher in the Rye The reader learns that Holden’s identity is determined by his Brother’s death, his sister and, his relationships with others. Holden’s identity is determined by his brother’s death. This is evident when he writes the composition he was asked to write about his brother’s baseball glove that he kept with his luggage.
Being a teenager is a difficult time in anyone’s life. The teens body is changing, they’re starting to make decisions on their own, and even beginning to enter the real, adult world. This time may be most difficult for a teenager when someone so close to them dies. This event happens to the main character Holden Caulfield In the novel, The Catcher In The Rye, written by J.D. Salinger. The author develops the main character Holden, as an immature teenager whose rational decision making skills seem to lack in comparison with those who surround him.
Carl Luce, a student adviser from a previous school, is also being labelled as phony, yet Holden calls him. “The only thing he ever did, though, was give these sex talks and all late at night… He knew quite a bit about sex…” (154) It is no secret why Holden wants to meet with Carl. Holden sounds sex obsessed and very childish during his conversation with Carl. He is trying to provoke Carl to talk about sex.
Just like many men in the 1940’s, the famous author J.D. Salinger was drafted into the United States Army. Salinger was placed in one of the most bloody battles in the war, Battle of the Bulge. Salinger did not escape the war without trauma. He suffered a nervous breakdown, and during that time period, he created the character Holden Caulfield. Salinger’s emotions and attitudes were projected onto his character, Holden who suffers with mental health issues and projects his emotions on innocent ducks that live in Central Park.
Tales of Adolescent Redemption and Social Stigma "Life is a game that one plays according to the rules" (Salinger 12). This quote, from one of Holden Caulfield's professors in The Catcher and the Rye, is meant to give Holden advice for the future. The message is that one must follow the formula of living a successful life to be happy. It can be inferred that the two main characters of this ISP essay are not playing the game of life according to the rules of Holden's professor. Holden has been kicked out of school, and Juno is pregnant, which can be seen as unredeemable qualities due to social stigma.
Holden Caulfield, in the book The Catcher in the Rye, goes through many different emotions on his journey, and consistently tries to be an adult, even though he is only 16. He starts at school, like most kids go through, but soon leaves and tries to act like he is older than he really is. Holden, being only 16, itches for adulthood by leaving school, trying alcohol, and trying to protect little kids from something he should be protected from. School is tough, and no one wants to go through it. Some kids suffer through it, and some rebel and rarely do work, or even try.
