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How Did Holden Become The Catcher In The Rye

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Holden struggles to become the catcher in the rye. He want to do something in his life and just does not know who to accomplish his goal. Holden is faced with certain challenges that he must overcome before he can save anyone. When explaining his dream to Phoebe Holden says,“I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff” Salinger 191 pg. Everyone knows Holden wants to protect the innocents of women and children, but can he do it, while discovering who he is and why he has to start his live all over again. Holden gets kicked out of his Pencey for not applying himself. Holden’s teacher could tell this that is why he made Holden listen to the essay and notes that said “quote”. Holden could not have known the facts but he could have at least known how to right a very grammarly correct and interesting essay. He note at the end also showed the Holden gave up. Holden shows no real remorse for flunking out of Pencey but does feel bad for his …show more content…

At first it seems like he only cares for Jane and Phoebe but while looking deeper he is trying to protect all the females. He does not want to take advantage of any woman. When he is necking with a girl and she tells him to stop he does right away. He might feel like it is a fault but it he him trying to be the catcher in the rye, making sure no one will regret the night after. Even when he buys the prostitute he could not have sex with her because he saw her as a girl not as a toy to have sex with. Holden also protect woman from being bad mouthed like with when Luce said, “she’s probably the Whore of New Hampshire by this time” Salinger 160. Holden responds with “That isn't nice. If she was decent enough to let you get sexy with her all the time, you at least shouldn’t talk about her that way.” Salinger 160 Holden tries to respect and protect all the “nice” or innocence in the

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945 Words | 4 Pages

(Salinger 1). This quote shows that Holden is alluding to this character from a Dickens’ novel and although Holden says he is not going to tell the reader his life story, he goes on with his biography. This adds a sense of irony and that Holden is hypocritical. 2. Holden has “forgotten” to mention his dismissal from Pencey likely because he simply is trying to pretend he is indifferent and that it does not matter.

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1685 Words | 7 Pages

Then he continues to spend the rest of the book talking about all the things that are similar to David Copperfield’s life 2. Holden forgot to mention his dismissal from Pencey because he had been kicked out. He casually mentions it after he told us that Mr. Spencer knew he wasn’t coming back, “I wasn’t supposed to come back after Christmas vacation on account of I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself and

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1687 Words | 7 Pages

Then the teachers pulls out one of Holden’s latest assignments, which was a poorly written, half done essay. Holden was surprised the meeting went the way it did because he left his teacher’s house feeling worse than

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387 Words | 2 Pages

Another example of Holden being hypocritical is in chapter one when he criticizes his brother D.B. for earning lots of money in Hollywood by being a prostitute. “He’s got a lot of dough now... he’s out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute.” However, Holden likes the money his brother gives to him and spends it often.

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656 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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439 Words | 2 Pages

In the book Holden gets kicked out of Pency but doesn’t go home to his parents fearing the fact that he will disappoint them again he decides to hold off until the rest of the students from Pencey go off for winter break. Holden gets kicked

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903 Words | 4 Pages

Holden’s failure to embrace the masculine stereotype is epitomized in his idealized and naive views on romance and sexulaity. When Holden enters the upscale Edmont Hotel and sees a young couple on a date, he remarks, “I think if you don't really like a girl, you shouldn't horse around with her at all …. It's really too bad that so much crumby stuff is a lot of fun sometimes” (Salinger 70). Holden’s belief that a man should not engage in a casual relationship with a woman unless he truly loves her, stands in stark contrast to masculine standards which encourage and congratulate men’s sexual exploits. Holden’s asexual beliefs

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935 Words | 4 Pages

Catcher in the Rye At the end of the novel, Holden Caulfield notes, “.. D.B. asked me what I thought about all this stuff I just finished telling you about. I didn 't know what the hell to say. If you want to know the truth, I don 't know what I think about it” (234). Three major episodes that Holden mentions throughout the novel shows a little of who he is as a narrator; the ducks at central park, the lunatic, and the fight with Stradlater.

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Holden is victim to the desire of being someone he is not: a suave, sophisticated guy that gets all of the girls, a common stereotypical masculine portrayal in the movies that Holden claims to despise. Meanwhile, Holden also values staying

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656 Words | 3 Pages

In Holden’s mind becoming “the catcher in the rye “means that he can still catch Allie from falling off the cliff. This is relevant to Holden’s depression because everything around him is telling him to grow up but instead he runs away from it in fear that is will pull him farther apart from his relationship with his brother Allie. Holden is on the edge of becoming an adult which creates more pressure and leads him to

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1142 Words | 5 Pages

The beginning of Holden’s journey starts with the innocence and naivety of childhood. Childhood is the stage that ignorance is bliss with no care in the world. Holden goes to a prestigious boarding school for boys and he believes that everyone in that school is a phony in some way. Holden is an observant character as he stays in the background, but he can also cause the most trouble. Like a child, he asks many questions and he is very curious to the point that he can be annoying.

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448 Words | 2 Pages

Holden thinks of sex as "a spiritual experience" where he can 't do it with a girl "[he] don 't like a lot" (Salinger 162) (Salinger 163). He needs to be with a girl how he has feeling for, not just a random stranger. This shows he don 't take advantage of

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1304 Words | 6 Pages

When they are about to leave Holden accidentally blows smoke in their face. Holden says, “By mistake I blew some smoke in their face. I didn't mean to, but I did it. I apologized like a madman, and they were very polite and nice about it, but it was very embarrassing anyway.” Holden would only regret something that much was if the people he did something to meant something to him.

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1378 Words | 6 Pages

The only motivator that Holden has to continue living is his younger sister, Phoebe, who is extraordinarily intelligent for her age. After he gets kicked out of Pencey, Holden is lost in life. He speaks to many people, seeking advice and comfort, but they are not able to help him find a human connection. Holden’s depression increases throughout the novel, almost to the point of suicide. He criticizes many people and ideas, labeling them as ‘phony’.

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728 Words | 3 Pages

He talks to his brother as if he 's there searching for help from him. This novel is about him moving through New York and witnessing this and not wanting to be a part of it, yet knowing he has to fit in there somewhere. Holden grows a very dangerous drinking problem. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, Holden is a lost and depressed boy looking for a purpose in life. Holden believes that growing up is going to cause him to lose all innocence in himself.

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