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How Does Holden Mature In Catcher In The Rye

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The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger brings us to Holden Caulfield, a young boy going through the transition of childhood to adulthood. Throughout the novel we get to see the journey that Holden is taking and the little symbols that are tied in the novel representing him. Holden has a very interesting perspective about how he preserves the world. He hates change and has this idea that changing into an adult ultimately leads you to becoming a phony and Holden despises phonies. In the novel there are many symbols that expose Holden in ways that he doesn’t want himself to be revealed. One being the ducks at Central Park. The ducks exhibit the fear in Holden, his transition from childhood to adulthood, and how the ducks are just like …show more content…

In the novel Holden gets into a cab and this is where we first see Holden asking about the ducks. Holden asks the cab driver, “By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over?”(60). The cab driver doesn’t give an answer to Holden he just brushes it off, leaving Holden still curious. It’s interesting to see that a teenager asks a question like this most people younger than Holden know that the birds fly south in the winter. It shows how Holden holds the innocence of a child. Just like a child he is curious and wants to know what happens to them. To Holden the ducks disappear some place and somehow come back. In a way Holden can relate to the ducks. He feels like he will disappear and this scares him. For example later on in the novel Holden says, “Allie, don’t let me disappear. Allie don’t let me disappear. … Please Allie.”(198) This shows that Holden fears disappearing. He wants to know what happens to these ducks, do they really disappear and just come back? Its kind of like Holden sees himself in the ducks. The ducks “disappear” or “run away” from the cold ice because they can’t handle it. While Holden is “disappearing” or “running away” from the people around him. Maybe knowing if the ducks don’t disappear it will keep Holden from not

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Examples Of A Rough Draft For Catcher In The Rye

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(60). Holden’s desperation over the ducks shows that he is also desperate for freedom and guidance. He wants to find the ducks in order for him to know where he will go after he attains freedom. This behavior also shows that Holden

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Catcher In The Rye Holden's Journey Analysis

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Holden says that all he want to do is be the catcher in the rye protecting children from falling. The whole novel Holden makes observation around him that are taking away from children's innocence. This is what upsets him the most the fact that everyone will eventually have to grow up. While he is trying to go get Phoebe he is reminded this in the following quote. “I went down by a different staircase, and I saw another "Fuck you" on the wall.

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Catcher In The Rye Internal Conflict

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The Catcher in the Rye is a novel that was written by J. D. Salinger in 1951. It was first published by Little, Brown and Company and was originally written for adults, but became popular among teenagers for its teenage main character, who deals with problems a large number of adolescents face in their transition into adulthood. It is not a difficult book to read, especially considering it is only 234 pages. The story revolves around the protagonist, a 16 year old boy named Holden Caulfield, who recently flunked out of a prestigious preparatory school.

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Holden's Use Of Materialism In Catcher In The Rye

1695 Words | 7 Pages

The lagoon itself is symbolic of Holden’s longing for an eternal childhood, the frozen state representing a lack of change. The ducks represent the rest of society which Holden fails to assimilate with. Another symbol of this is the Museum of Natural History which Holden enjoys visiting, for similar reasons as the lake. He enjoyed going to the museum because “Nobody’d move.” and “nobody’d be different”. Holden visits this museum twice throughout the novel.

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Similarities Between Catcher In The Rye And It's Kind Of A Funny Story

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I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over"( ). This is symbolism for Holden, the ducks representing his desperate attempt to cling to childhood. He, just like Craig struggles with this depression that he can't let go. This idea of fear can be related to

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Coming Of Age Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye

464 Words | 2 Pages

The ducks in Central Park are first mentioned when Holden visits Mr. Spencer. As Mr. Spencer is discussing Holden’s failing grades, Holden thinks to himself, “The funny thing is, though, I was so sort of thinking of something else while I shot the bull… I was wondering if some guy came in a truck and took [the ducks] away to a zoo or something or if they just flew

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Theme Of Death In Catcher In The Rye

1120 Words | 5 Pages

This scene is exceptionally important, as it sets the entire tone for how Holden perceives adults and their attitude towards death, as something insignificant that doesn’t deserve closer inspection. Holden feels that death is being cheapened by who he deems to be the “phonies”. Another allusion to death is Holden’s frequent thoughts about the ducks in central park. He wants to know what happens to them during winter, asking the cab drivers in chapters 9 and 12. When Holden locates the lagoon and realizes that the ducks aren’t there, he starts thinking about suicide.

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Why Does Holden Is Not Going To Tell Readers His Life Story

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What are some solutions that he comes up with while thinking? Where the ducks go in winter, Whether the ducks have a permanent home Whether the ducks return to the park. Holden wonders if the ducks actually live like other beings and care for each other like some humans do. 3. When talking with Mr. Spencer, Holden reflects on a few reasons he hates growing old and old people.

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What Are Holden's Struggles In Catcher In The Rye

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The idea of having a character that struggles to find themselves is quite a common idea in many books. This is seen in the Catcher in the Rye where JD Salinger puts Holden the main character through different struggles throughout the book to finally realise what his purpose is and what he aims to be. There are many different situations that Holden is put through but they all aim to the same purpose, being a catcher in the rye. Two of the main struggles are his journey into adulthood and to retain his innocence. The second is how he is almost alienating himself from others and very rarely opens up to anybody, and his relationships with people are not great because he thinks of many of the people he meets are phony.

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Catcher In The Rye Setting

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This shows that the Museum is a symbol of Holden’s reluctance for change, in himself and in the world. Central Park is the location where Holden goes in order to answer his question of where the ducks go in the winter. This question could represent Holden’s

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Holden's Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

1230 Words | 5 Pages

A. Allie’s death causes Holden to become obsessed with death and this obsession makes him believe that growing up and becoming a “phonie” is like dying; this belief that is planted inside Holden’s head when Allie died is what sends him on a quest to preserve children’s innocence and save them from the “death” of growing up. B. Salinger includes the traumatic story of Allies death that happened years in advance to provide an explanation for Holden’s obsession with death and how he sees loss of innocence as equivalent to dying. Allie died with his innocence still intact, so Holden does not want other children to grow up and have their innocence “die”. C. Holden even admits to being mentally unstable after his brother’s traumatic death when he says, “I was only 13, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all

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Catcher In The Rye Holden's Struggles Essay

830 Words | 4 Pages

Holden’s Struggle To Find Himself: Throughout the novel, The Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden struggles to find himself and who he truly is in order to be happy. His struggles relate to many things that he does or say in particular. Holden lacks with a social status with women and his family, whether it’s a relationship or being antisocial. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield experiences the complexities and struggles involved with both physical and emotional relationships.

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Catcher In The Rye Loneliness Analysis

1305 Words | 6 Pages

He sees himself as the useless member of the family, and states that he’s “the only dumb one in the family” (67). The most heartbreaking cause of Holden’s loneliness is the death of his young brother, Allie, to leukemia. The brothers’ connection is shown through the symbol of Allie’s red hair, which Holden could have a “hunch” for even if Allie was sitting “a hundred and fifty yards” away (38). The cut of a bond this deep devastates Holden. Unfortunately, because of his inactive parents, he deals with it through anger and isolation that is symbolized by the red hunting hat he wears.

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Examples Of How Holden Mature In Catcher In The Rye

1268 Words | 6 Pages

How Holden matured People go through rough stuff in their lives, such as losing a close sibling. It seems impossible to pull yourself out of the pain and guilt of your loss. It appeared Holden was in the same predicament, but through his experiences in the novel The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger he learns to grow up. Aside from being very immature, holden refuses to grow up and dislikes people who have grown up.

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Character Development In Holden Caulfield In The Catcher In The Rye

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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.”

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