ipl-logo

Examples Of Existentialism In Catcher In The Rye

1626 Words7 Pages

CITR Rough Draft Essay
World War II had ended for America and instead of trying to come together as a nation some felt the need to exist as individuals. The Existentialist evolution came from Europe during the 1950’s. Existentialism came along in the United States at the same time segregation in schools was ruled unconstitutional, the Korean War had begun, and the Warsaw Pact had been signed. Existentialism was a time in America where some people emphasized the existence of the individual as a responsible and free agent. Existentialist believed that their development was based off their acts of will. Everything in life was subjective to Existentialist, there were no objective truths. Some of these existentialist aspects are witnessed throughout J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, an existentialist novel that pursues a teen named Holden Caulfield who has recently flunked out of his school named Pencey Prep. Holden is wandering around New York City trying to figure out what to do with his life. The story is self narrated through Holden 's …show more content…

The freedom that Holden had was great so he could figure out what his goals were, but the lack of structure lead to some mistakes and a lot of wasted time. In today 's society, many students take a gap year before they go off to college which is said to “offer valuable personal freedom. Young people are able to figure out who they are and what inspires them” (Patterson 2). This year gives these students time to figure out what they actually want to do in life. This also gives them absolute responsibility over their future and education because they gain the experience to know what they want. This is exactly what Holden needed, a structured way to take full responsibility over his life and decide what his meaning in life

Show More
Related
934 Words | 4 Pages

School brings Holden hell-like experiences, and he despises structured areas with authority. Holden wants to roam free, but school is preventing him from reaching his full potential. “Well if they freed me from this prison If that railroad train was mine I bet I'd move it on a little farther down the line Far from Folsom prison, that's where I want to stay

Read More
1017 Words | 5 Pages

Holden just wants to protect kids from every becoming obsessed with materialistic things and becoming phonies, he just wants to save them from the loss of their

Read More
1493 Words | 6 Pages

The Catcher in the Rye In the novel The Catcher in the Rye J.D Salinger writes about a teenager struggling to find his place within the existence of the reality of others. Salinger creates shocking events that lay out the foundation of the the main character Holden Caulfield’s life in the novel. Salinger uses Holden’s characteristics throughout the novel such as Holden’s stubbornness to establish a much bigger theme in the book along with many other symbols.

Read More
744 Words | 3 Pages

When he wandered the city, he attempted to make “friends” with prostitutes, cab drivers, and random people. He stayed at hotels and never communicated with his parents. When he was missing his sister, he snuck into their house to see her, a thing he wouldn’t have to do if he’d told his family in the first place. Holden didn’t give care much for the future, and this shows in the last chapter when he states he might not want to return to school once he is well. Holden’s only desire or career plan was to be a lowly farmer; not exactly a great career choice when your parents prompt you to attend boarding school after boarding school to ensure you have a good career and future.

Read More
656 Words | 3 Pages

The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” was about the journey of a adolescent boy finding his way to adulthood. In the book Holden Caulfield was unsuccessful in finding his way to adulthood. Holden’s attitude in the novel throughout his journey was very immature. He also can't accept the fact that innocence can’t be forever protected. Lastly, Holden calls everyone a phony when in reality he is the real phony.

Read More
311 Words | 2 Pages

In an attempt to pass time after his breakfast, Holden has the idea to stroll around the city. He visits broadway to purchase a record for Phoebe, he eventually chooses a vivacious record with a unique and brash sound. Holden believes that Phoebe is special and wants to showcase his beliefs to her by giving her a record with music that corresponds with her individualism. Consequently, Holden’s mind begins to meander for a while when he starts to admire Phoebe’s maturity and intelligence. It is only until he overhears a young boy in the middle of the street singing “If a body catch a body coming through the rye” (Salinger 115), that Holden is brought back to reality.

Read More
1147 Words | 5 Pages

The “Age of Conformity”, the decade of the 1950s in the United States, was a time when “far out” ideas were punished and societal norms began to form, and teenagers living in this decade were far from exempt of conforming to these overbearing social norms. J.D. Salinger, author of the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, explored the difficulties teenagers faced in the post-World War II era in a captivating story told by a teenage boy named Holden Caulfield. For over 60 years, Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye has been a controversial work that receives criticism from some and praise from others, but leaves no doubt that the story of Holden Caulfield has intrigued readers regardless of their overall opinion of the novel. Salinger poured his own anxiety and PTSD from the war onto the pages, and by doing this, created Holden Caulfield. Holden, unarguably a deeply-troubled teenager, is one of the most relatable characters in literature read by high schooler students today regardless of their mental health state.

Read More
707 Words | 3 Pages

Holden’s struggles with choice mainly revolve around his relationships with other characters; worrying if he is making the right decisions about leaving boarding school and growing up. Holden's choices in the city after leaving boarding impact him both

Read More
1615 Words | 7 Pages

In the novel The Catcher In The Rye written by J. D. Salinger shows that Holden goes through his journey and is depressed because of his isolation from

Read More
779 Words | 4 Pages

Furthermore, Holden starts to hate all the adults or loses faith in them, calls them phony. Holden has a second thought of becoming an adult he loses hope in his future and it seems to him nothing in the world matters to him anymore. We can see that throughout the book. He smokes, gets drunk, and does daring acts like getting a prostitute in his room. He also tries to escape all this guilt and grief by wasting time with unnecessary people he calls phony.

Read More
837 Words | 4 Pages

Holden struggles with growing up and facing reality. There are many examples of Holden’s immaturity that are displayed in many forms such as facing responsibilities, his speech, his actions, and etc. Holden’s outlook on adult life is that it is superficial and brimming with phonies, but childhood was all about looking pleasing and innocent. He wants everything to stay the same and for time to stop. As Holden progresses in age, he will discover more about becoming mature in the

Read More
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.

Read More
693 Words | 3 Pages

Catcher in the Rye In the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the narrator and protagonist Holden Caulfield a sixteen year old junior undergoes a series of changes. Holden learns multiple life changing lessons; one of them is you must grow up. In the beginning of the novel, Holden starts out as “that kid”; the one with the parents who expect him to get into an ivy league school, and end up with a kid with no intentions of doing so. At the beginning of the book it is very apparent that Holden lacks motivation; he also has hit rock bottom.

Read More
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.

Read More
2081 Words | 9 Pages

Holden is actually doing the complete opposite by getting kicked out and not getting the proper education. He actually managed to get kicked out of four schools, and does not care for what society thinks he should

Read More

More about Examples Of Existentialism In Catcher In The Rye

Related Topics

Open Document