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Analyzing characters from the catcher in the rye
Holden caulfields view of himself
Holden caulfield character analysis essay
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Stradlater is a narcissist and puts on an arrogant air when dealing with people like Holden, affecting an aura of subtle scorn and disinterest. Holden meanwhile, has gone completely insane, which is understandable considering everything that has happened to him. His insanity is very unique in that it yearns and craves stagnation, Holden expresses admiration for the museum on pg. 154 as “it never changes”. He dreams of being the “Catcher In The Rye” towards children keeping them in a state of perpetual childhood to shield them from the horrors of this
Holden, the protagonist of the Catcher in the Rye often makes decisions under the influence of his problematic emotions and caught himself into many rough and self-harming situations. In the first place, Holden made self-harming decisions under the emotion of anger and sadness when his brother passed away "I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it (21). " Holden is making idiotic decisions under the influence of anger and sadness and caused himself a lifelong injury. Similarly, later in the Catcher in the Rye Holden again makes another decision under his emotion of jealousy about Stradlater 's date with Jane. Holden relentlessly insulted Stradlater, driving him crazy until
J.D. Salinger uses varying diction and syntax in “The Catcher in the Rye” to create mood and tone throughout the novel. The specific choice of words (diction) that the author uses contributes to the characterization of Holden Caulfield. The use of profane and jargon-like word choice encapsulates the voice of the teenage narrator Holden. Holden’s informal diction emphasizes his immaturity and allows the reader to learn more about Holden’s character. Holden often uses the word “and” in a repetitive manner which gives the reader a child-like impression of Holden.
He wants to leave some impression to people. He wants them to remember him instead of ignoring. Holden is not as tough as he shows when he describes his parents and his brother D.B in the previous paragraphs. Another good example shows his fragility appears when his brother died and “[he] broke all the goddam windows
In a way, Holden believes that Stradlater is a phony because of the way he wants others to see him such as the rest of the student body, the teachers, and even Holden’s old friend, Jane. Holden criticizes him because of his hypocrisy, pride, arrogance and his lies, which ironically Holden has these traits as well. Stradlater shows to be arrogant when Holden explains that Stradlater “thought he was the handsomest guy in the Western Hemisphere” (Salinger 27). Stradlater resembled the arrogant nature hidden within Holden, although Holden doesn’t want to show it, and yet he does when he believes that he is better than all the “phonies” that surround him. Stradlater also is dishonest and only hopes to please others while making himself look good such as when he is manipulating Holden to do his composition for him by complimenting his hunter’s hat.
In The Cather in the Rye Holden is indeed a hypocrite. Throughout the story Holden does many things that would define him as a hypocrite. He is immature and rebellious and wants people to treat him like an adult even though he isn’t one. Holden’s actions often contradict his words, which would make him a hypocrite. For example, in chapter four Holden complains about his next-door neighbor Ackley spending all his time in Holden’s room.
While this novel does have profanity and sexual references, it still deserves to be taught in high school because Holden shows how having a negative attitude towards life does not get a person far. In the beginning of the novel Holden tells the reader that "[Pencey] kick[s] [him] out [of their school]" (6) because he "was [failing] four subjects and not applying [himself]" (6). However, he does not just notify the reader, he notifies them in a way of forgetting to mention that he is no longer going to be attending Pencey. Holden passes this off as some minor detail when in reality it is not just a minor detail. Later on, Holden reveals to the reader that this is not the first school where he has gotten expelled.
So Holden had warnings to start trying, but he didn’t take them. He was going to get kicked out of Pency, and didnt care enough to apply himself to stay in school. The author of the story used characterization to reveal Holden’s personality. He used what Holden said to reveal this. By Holden swearing all the time shows he has a negative social behavior, and doesn’t
As Steinle states, “Holden himself acts as a censor, attempting to erase the “fuck you” he finds written on his sister's school building,” this demonstrates that Holden wants to keep the mind of his younger sister and other children’s minds ignorant to societies vulgar language which
Readers of the novel The Catcher in the Rye may say that Holden has an odd personality and that he's just confused. They will say that Holden is figuring himself out just like his exuality, but on the contrary, confusion over sexuality and withdrawl from intercorce is a symptom of depression. Holden mentions in the novel that, “I was waiting to turn into a flit or something” (143). Holden goes on to tell his friend in a conversation about how boring his sex life is and Holden goes to the extent of getting a prostitute. Instead of allowing the prostitute to do her job, Sunny, Holden ruined the moment yb saying hes just lonely and want to have a conversation.
Holden is a very judgemental and immature character and often has vulgar language. Holden often criticizes everyone he comes in contact with and does not try to comprehend the mindset they may have. His childish nature and vocabulary are what make most of his comments laughable. “It was funny. You could tell the waiter didn’t like her much, you could tell even the Navy guy didn’t like her much, even though he was dating her.
For example, Holden has an uncomfortable interaction with his roommate, Stradlater, whom he detests for his phony behavior. Stradlater goes on a date with a girl Holden once knew, effectively ruining the perceived innocence Holden once had of the girl. The subsequent physical altercation between Holden and Stradlater, results in Holden’s early departure from the school (Salinger 56–57). This showcases Holden’s deep-rooted hatred of fake and phony things as he constantly attempts to put a stop to them. Holden’s disrespect and disregard for rules is a major reason for the banning of the book.
There is an estimated 70,000 premature deaths per year in the United Kingdom (UK) due to poor diet (Gallagher). After a successful tax on sugary drinks in Mexico, it is estimated that a tax of at least 20% would be needed to deter customers from buying drinks in the UK. If the government imposed a 20% tax on sugary drinks, it would likely decrease quantity demanded as expected, lead to a tax revenue for the government, and create positive externalities, which are benefits to a third party. Figure One shows that the price increase in litres of sugary drinks will decrease quantity demanded.
Holden thinks that most everything is about him in a childish sense. When he sees vulgar words written on walls, he believes that they are aimed at him somehow and thinks that the entire adult world doesn’t accept him. The F you written on the wall is a statement made more towards society and not to one specific person, especially Holden. However, he takes this “F you” very personally and lets it affect his behavior. He backs away from the adult life and thinks about the amazing relationships he has when he was a child.
Classic literature is currently under fire from many school districts because of the content within the historic books. High schools are discussing whether to include classical books that contain sensitive material, such as The Catcher In The Rye, in their curriculums for the safety of their students. The issues that are within Catcher In The Rye include references sexual content and the use profanity through out the book. Although many critics think that profanity and sexual content are excessive and inappropriate, The Catcher In The Rye should be included in high school curriculums to provide realistic language and literature to students in high schools.
