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Character analysis of Holden Caulfield
The catcher in the rye main character issues
Catcher in the rye character analysis
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In the book the CATCHER in the RYE by J.D. Sainger, the author uses diction to show Holden's immaturity in chapters 2 and 3. Holden is an adolescent who wants to be a kid. He acts the way of a child, a 12 year old. Holden acts that way because he wants to go back, after the age of 12 you become somewhat of an adult. The old ways will always feel different, as home can never feel the same when you go back.
Outline: I. Introduction A. Hook and Background of the issue: adolescence in general + brief intro of the book (1 or 2 sentences each) B. Thesis: Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger uses Holden to convey the immature mentality, painfulness of growing up and alienation for protection of typical teenagers. II. Immature mentality A. When Holden asks about the ducks, this reveals his childish side of his character. His search for the ducks represents his curiosity and his encouragement to encounter mysteries.
In The Catcher and The Rye by J. D. Salinger the main character (Holden Caulfield) says the term Boy over one hundred and sixty times. The book is written to a younger crowd so to connect to the younger crowd he needs to use slang like “boy”. The lingo used in The Catcher and The Rye is directed to young men and women but still has such intellectual concept. Holden is afraid he is losing his innocence so in defence he needs to call himself boy just to reflect that he is still a ‘boy’. He als has a huge capacity for wonder and wanting to be believed so that is another reason he says “boy” all the time.
Jane Gallagher is Holden’s former neighbor and is Stradlater’s date at the beginning of the novel. When Stradlater and Holden converse about Jane, Holden’s mentions the odd strategy Jane uses when
Sometimes growing up can hurt. Sometimes it is a scrape on your knee. Sometimes it’s a heartbreak. Sometimes it’s how life goes. In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character Holden, is growing up and misses those times when he was still innocent.
The passage of adolescence has long served as the central theme for many novels, but The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, has captured the energy of this period of life by dramatizing Holden Caulfield's somewhat obscene language and emotional reactions. The Catcher in the Rye deals with an intelligent yet confused teenage boy struggling to see the genuineness in society. During his experiences, Holden tends to use easy, natural, but controversial language to help get his point across in an effective manner. As a result, the themes and messages Salinger attempts to get across appear more natural and believable, as if one was talking to Holden himself.
I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be” (Salinger 232). He views children’s innocence as an antithesis to adulthood, and he attempts to transform his alienation into something meaningful by coining himself “the catcher in the rye.” He strives to create a concept of youth and innocence only in their opposition without really trying to understand what they mean. His inability to come up with his own ideas can be connected with the identity struggles that come with the aftermath of war. Holden forms his identity in its oppositions to adult standards--standards that, apparently, only exist to corrupt youth.
In J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden can't seem to grasp the idea of growing up even though he is aging. Throughout the book, we see his struggle with wanting to say a child but knowing he has to grow up. This is evident by his unwillingness to take responsibility for his actions and his struggle to act maturely in situations that require him to be so. Holden showcases his struggle with being
As a child you are slowly growing up, whether you like it or not. You do not have a choice. ¨The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger tells about a young man named Holden Caulfield who goes through the struggles of growing up and how he wants be the ¨catcher in the rye.¨ It symbolizes him wanting to protect innocence. Salinger 's purpose is to show the difficulties of young adolescents accepting that the fact that they are growing up. To begin with, one theme that contributes to the author´s purpose is alienation.
Salinger communicates the message in The Catcher in the Rye that transition from childhood to adulthood is long and difficult. It is not a process that occurs overnight and many obstacles have to be overcome. The main character, Holden, refuses to grow up and does everything he can to remain in a world of innocence, away from the phony and cruel real world. Growing up means facing challenges and dealing with problems, not avoiding them, as Holden so often tries to do. He never wants anything around him to change and just wants his childhood to last forever, which is why he likes the Museum of Natural History.
For many adults and even teenagers themselves, it is difficult to grasp the adolescent mind and the behavior they exhibit. In J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, protagonist Holden Caulfield suffers from depression despite his upper-class status that many strive after. From the beginning of the book, Holden’s cynicism and difficulty fitting in is exemplified. However, it is not until further into the book that the root of his cynical, depressive, and contradictory behavior and thoughts is explained. Although it may be interpreted that Caulfield is merely another teen going through typical adolescent complications, it is evident through close analyzation of his behavior that his difficulties come from deep-seated psychological issues
Madison Dick Maggert English Honors III 3 November 2016 Catcher In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden, a teenage boy, is simply trying to find himself. He has experienced loss and guilt that has impacted his life in many ways, in turn refusing to grow up and become the adult he is destined to be. As a result of his personal apprehensions, Holden feels the need to protect children from adulthood as to prevent them from experiencing responsibility, phoniness, and change.
Throughout the novel, Holden does not find closure in many things: Allie, Pencey Prep School, and even Jane Gallagher. Holden is seen to never see how any of his problem ended, and simply removed himself from the area and never looks back. Allie’s death is a major event that Holden does not get a closure to in the novel. Due to being hospitalized during Allie’s funeral, Holden never saw Allie go, causing him to unintentionally avoid the fact his little brother passed away. Soon after Holden recalls Allie’s death, he packs and heads out of the school during the middle of the night (52).
The hardest part about growing up is letting go of the past and moving on to the unknown. For Holden he can’t let go for his childhood; he is stuck in his childhood not knowing how to let go of his past. The past was hard for him, but he keeps staying in the past and it is pulling him down. According to J.D. Salinger in “The Catcher in the rye”, growing up is an important issue in the real word, and he exemplifies this message through characterization.
Throughout life every individual undergoes a rite of passage known as the coming of age. During this experience multiple changes occur, such as, the mental and physical progression from a child into an adult. The coming-of-age process is reflected in J.D. Salinger’s literary realism novel, The Catcher in the Rye. Holden Caulfield struggles to come to terms with the loss of childhood innocence; however, Holden experiences self-reflection and understands he cannot change everything. Holden possesses a strong inability to accept the loss of childhood innocence.
