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A catcher in the rye characterization of holden
A catcher in the rye characterization of holden
A catcher in the rye characterization of holden
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Holden says that getting kicked out of school again is no big deal as it is the fourth time, but he uses this as a defense mechanism to downplay his failure. 3. The significance in Holden’s remark about Mrs. Spencer opening the door herself is that it
Holden originally attended Pencey Prep but could never connect with the people around him. He is always criticizing or fighting with others, which lead him to leave Pencey without telling anyone. Holden heads to NYC where he faces many challenges with others and himself, emotionally and physically. Holden finds himself in his hotel room with a prostitute and feels extremely uncomfortable with what he is doing so he pays her and sends her off. The next day he plans a date with Sally Hayes, an old girlfriend, to see a play where he calls her “a pain in the ass” and laughs.
Holden had absorbed nothing in the class of Mr. Spencer, flailing it trying to get sympathy points by writing how hard it was in class for himself. While Holden says “I feel some concern for my future. but not too much” (17) he is acting like a young one, like everything is alright but it is not. Mr Spencer and almost everyone else will have other thoughts like scolding Holden for knowing absolutely nothing and can only wish the boy good luck as that is the only thing he can do.
They say some people Holden encounters weren’t completely selfish because they tried to help him; however, these people ended up doing more harm to his situation, making him feel even more lost and alone. When Holden desperately needs lodging after a night of heavy drinking and looking for meaning, he calls up Mr. Antolini, who is more than happy to help; however, when Holden wakes up on the couch, he is deeply disturbed by what his former teacher was doing: “What he was doing was, he was sitting on the floor right next to the couch, in the dark and all, and he was sort of petting me or patting me on the goddam head...boy, was I nervous! I started putting on my damn pants in the dark. I could hardly get them on I was so damn nervous. I know more damn perverts, at schools and all, than anybody you ever met, and they’re always being
In the novel Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses indirect characterization to illustrate how the main character Holden Caulfield is careless. My reaction to the main character is that I don’t like him because he is very careless person. “They kicked me out.” “I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself and all. They gave me frequent warning to start applying myself.”
Have you ever lost someone dear to you? after Holden's brother Allie passes away, he has strange ways of dealing with his loss. His mixed emotions and the actions caused by them show what a loss can do to impact someones life and can take a toll on themself. One raging emotion that Holden encounters is violent outbursts.
In this paragraph, the audience hears Holden’s negative immutable perspective about his school Pencey as he seems to not like the school at all, much less the people in it. The author uses words like “splendid” and “clear-thinking” to really express holden’s strong opinion about the guys at Pencey and how they don’t meet the expectations that the school holds. In the beginning of the book the reader is introduced to Mr. Spencer who is one of Holden’s teacher’s. Mr. Spencer comes out as a nice teacher whose only intention is to help Holden and guide him through the misfit of society as he realizes that Holden needs a hand to hold. Salinger writes, “Game, my ass.
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 others may say that Holden was successful on his journey, saying that he grew up he. Holden showed lots of immaturity throughout the novel and was the biggest phony of all.. Holden’s attitude throughout the novel was very immature and made constant poor decisions. While he was still at Pencey he put in no effort and had the attitude that nothing mattered. As he moves on from Pencey and goes to New York, he shows no care for anything as he blows lots of his money and doesn’t even take care of himself. He doesn’t clean himself up or get any sleep because of his attitude towards life.
In conclusion, Holden is a phony because because he pretends to be someone that he is not, he contradicts himself, and he blames others for things that he is responsible for. Holden, making such a big deal about phonies ended up being one. This shows that no matter what you do, the society will always play a big role in influencing one’s behavior and the way that one
To achieve true peace and comfort, rather than trying to find love and comfort from others, an individual will search for someone who will give them a sense of belonging. This is seen through the novel, “the Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger where the persona, Holden, is seen searching for someone or a relationship. For example, the Holden tries to form many relationships including romantically, make friends, and with family members. Thus, to belong with a sense of peace and comfort, Holden attempts to interact with others.
Salinger hints the contrasting view of an adult and an adolescent when old Spencer talks to Holden. Spencer connects life with a “game” (Salinger 8). He makes this comparison to stress the fact that life is amusing and systematic. However, Holden describes life as a “crazy cliff” (Salinger 173). Although Holden tries not to express his emotions throughout the book, fear still seeps through his emotional shield when he discusses about his adulthood with Phoebe.
Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual”. In the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield’s lies become habitual throughout the book. Holden is a sixteen-year-old boy, who has been kicked out of several schools including, most recently, Pencey Prep. Holden’s younger brother, Allie, died when Holden was only thirteen and his older brother is too busy working for Hollywood to care about Holden. Although his mother cares immensely for him, Holden saddens her by failing academically.
In chapter 2 page 13 Holden says “One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. That’s all.”. Holden is feeling happy that he is being kicked out of Pencey Prep because he is being surrounded by phonies. Holden dislikes phonies the most. In chapter 3 page 24 Holden says “Ackley!
While many argue that Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye does not deviate from the traditional anti-hero attributes and, therefore, does not display any prominent change, an argument can be made to the contrary. Holden Caulfield goes through some noticeable character development and is in a better place emotionally at the end of the book because he speaks with Phoebe. His meeting with Phoebe and Phoebe’s message to him shows him a youth’s perspective on his world, rather than the superficial sincerity of his elderly professor and his favorite teacher that makes advances on him. Additionally, him being able to successfully communicate with a member of his own family puts him in a better place. His time with her lets him see his own self-image of a “catcher in the rye.”
