How Is Holden Caulfield A Normal Teenager

Jordan Serrano, English 10, Ms. Leonard 3/20/2023 The life of a normal teen The life of a teen has always been viewed as selfish, troublemaking, and having no important role in society, but that's not true; teenagers are the future of society and are the ones that are going to make a change for the better. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, the protagonist is Holden Caulfield, who is seen as an unstable teen with many problems, but at some times you might even relate to Holden. However, Holden had dealt with many challenges that changed his whole life's pathway. For instance, after losing his brother and having to grow up all alone during one of the most important peaks of his life, Holden is like every other teenager. Just

I don't blame them. (38). This proves that Holden is a normal teen by dealing with many issues and emotions that many young teens face over the years. One key reason Holden is like every other teenager is that he is looking for where he fits into society by looking for friends and trying his best to match and align himself with others. For example, in Intense, Holden tried to gain the attention of the three girls in the lavender room and wanted to dance with one of them to seem cool. "I just gave all three of them this very cool glance and all." (70). Holden, like every other teen, tries to build a relationship and desperately looks for all the attention that can be on him, so he can feel a connection and talk to someone, even if they're not his age. Holden's relationship with his family The current relationship Holden has with his family is very common; he feels his parents can't understand his problems or his values. Before Holden goes to his house to surprise Phoebe, he thinks about how he will sneak in, but he doesn't want his parents to know, especially his mom. "My mom became very

She also looks up at Holden and even wants to follow in his footsteps, but Holden won't let her because he knows that after you fall, you have missed your whole adolescence. "I'm going with you, can I? " Okay?" "What?" I said. I almost fell over when she said that. I swear to God, I did. "I sort of got dizzy and thought I was going to pass out or something again." (206). Holden has shown that he has matured and knows he doesn't want Phoebe to go down the same path he did, so that's why Phoebe's response shocked him, and of course, he wouldn't allow it. Another way that Holden is a typical teen is that he feels all these emotions that he can't hide because he’s a kid. Holden has felt depressed, hopeless, and stressed by having to grow up too fast, like most teens. Holden desires good connections with his siblings, proving that he feels love and compassion, even a bit of romance; he is just a teen that has grown up too fast. "About all I know is that I sort of miss everybody" (214). Holden in the book shows emotions and can't hold them back because he is like everyone else. If you lived like Holden, how would you be able to handle all these feelings of loneliness and the sense of not fitting in