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In Chapter 9-14 Holden Caulfield leaves Penecy Prep and heads to New York City. Where he will stay for a couple days before winter vacation starts and he will head home. Delaying breaking the news to his family he got kicked out of school for as long as possible. These chapters are where Holden’s loneliness becomes abundantly clear. The reader is subjected to many long rants by Holden about the company he wants, though he attempts to settle several times.
Holden Caulfield internally rebels against society, choosing to value his own defiant, unorthodox judgment over the authority figures and institutions in his life. He describes nearly everyone in society as hypocritical and “phony,” and constantly points out people’s flaws. In the environment of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is a social outcast, since he detests the phonies and refuses to engage in their pretentious behavior. Salinger demonstrates these people do not act according to their true personalities, and instead try to change their behavior to conform to social expectations. Furthermore, Holden observes that many continually focus on money and celebrities, leaving no room for any positive emotions or genuine connections.
“The Catcher in the Rye” J.D Salinger In the book “the Catcher in the Rye”, Holden Caulfield demonstrates what a rebellion teenager is. At a young age when his parents contemplate Holden being psychoanalyzed, when he loses his temper on people, and all his lies. Rebellion back in 1950 compared to now is different for so many reason from, things that would not be considered as bad as they would be back then and things are bad now that you could get away with back in 1950.
In Catcher in the Rye, the narrator Holden Caulfield grew up with a troubled childhood. The premature death of his brother Allie forced him to grow up at an early age, and he soon developed a very cynical, pessimistic view of the world around him. Accordingly, he adopted a darker, sulky mood, and called many of the people around him for being phony. Holden believes that many people in his world are not showing their true colors, and are actually dark and corrupt behind their happy, joyous exterior.
Holden Caulfield lives his life as an outsider to his society, because of this any we (as a reader) find normal is a phony to him. Basically, every breathing thing in The Catcher in the Rye is a phony expect a select few, like Jane Gallagher. What is a phony to Holden and why is he obsessed with them? A phony is anyone who Holden feels is that living their authentic life, like D.B. (his older brother). Or simply anyone who fits into society norms, for example, Sally Hayes.
One of the most important facts of Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, is clearly his view of the world and his feelings towards the innocence of a child. Holden believes that the world is a corrupted place with corrupted people, and that a child should never grow up. He thinks that every adult or young adult is a phony. To Holden, everywhere he goes there is corruption.
‘’I felt so lonesome, all of the sudden. I almost wished I was dead,’’ a quote from the classic novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger which relates to how some teens felt at one point in their life. The novel was published to attract adult readers and has become popular for its themes, motifs, and connections an individual has with the main character, Holden Caulfield. We tend to feel a connection to the struggles of Holden Caulfield as we put ourselves in his shoes and see life through his perspective. The book is still pertinent due to Holden facing challenges such as loneliness and the inability to make a connection to make with a purpose thus the readers see themselves in Holden.
Throughout the novel of Catcher In The Rye the readers can pick on Holden's way of thinking because it feels as if the reader is listing to Holden talk and thus this reinforces the novel’s themes. Themes like youth, phoniness, loneliness and innocence are present due to Holden’s use of character and the way he presents himself out in the story. Holden’s thoughts and diction reflect all of the themes in the story because his thoughts often become reality in which he puts out on himself. Holden is always complaining about people being fake to the point where it makes the reader feel like as if Holden is calling the reader fake. “One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies” Holden views almost everyone as phoney.
In the novel “The Catcher in the Rye” written by J.D. Salinger is about a young man named Holden who doesn’t know when to grow up and finds himself in hard situations. He struggles dealing with the death of his little brother, Allie and also gets kicked out of four schools. As Holden goes on a journey to find himself, he ends up finding out more about the world. The author J.D Salinger uses innocence as a central theme for the novel. The author J.D. Salinger uses a variety of symbols like the kids playing near the cliff, fuck you graffiti, and Allie’s death to show that Holden believes knowledge kills the innocence of kids.
The purpose of my essay is to explore how different social backgrounds and the social norms that follow affect the personality of two fictive characters and encourage them to break out of their station to find an identity. The protagonists Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye and Tambudzai in Tsitsi Dangarembga’s novel Nervous Conditions are both victims of social norms. Therefore, the foundation of this essay was to analyze the character’s social background, which has influenced their personalities, behavior and aspirations, and consequently their opposing actions against society. Holden Caulfield is an American adolescent during the period after the Second World War.
Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield undergoes significant changes in his personality and outlook on life. Holden is introduced in the book as a disengaged, rebellious adolescent who rejects parental authority and personal relationships. Yet, as the story goes on, Holden grows more aware of how his actions influence others, open to asking for help and support, and tolerant of the hardships and challenges of life. These three factors have all assisted in Holden's character and personal development. Holden becomes more conscious of the value of interpersonal relationships after realizing how his actions affect other people.
Society as a whole is something you make of it. If one wants to denounce the society they live in because it is “phony” that is because they’ve made the world around them phony. The character of Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye is a prime example of someone being stuck in the idea that society is unchanging. Society is just how a person perceives the world in front of them. The eye of the beholder is the one that creates the society of their choice.
“Make them laugh, make them cry, make them wait.” In the beginning chronicles of a death foretold, the reader knows someone will die, but not when or how. The characters, except a few, know that Santiago will die, for example, Victoria Guzman heard the rumor about Santiago dying and she ignored the rumor and said the Vicario brothers would never do that. The village people ignored all the warnings and Santiago payed the price.
Edwin is picked on so harshly that it really impairs his self image, self esteem, social interations, moral development and solely his decisions. Edwin doesn't go through the developmental stages as one should. It's no longer about what's right and what's wrong. But rather, revenge; how can they get back at them, what will they do next, or who will be their target. Edwin shows a strong sense of remorse on the very last page of the novel.
He has trouble growing up and accepting life as it is. Holden thinks adults are "phony" which makes him hate the fact of growing up and staying innocent as much as he can while he is old enough to become an adult. He is frustrated with the world and people which makes him act with anger. His innocent childish dream is to be the Catcher in the Rye, to catch the kids before they become phonies like Holden says about adults. The moment he realizes that he cannot keep kids from falling or in other words, from growing up and becoming adults, he, reaches adulthood, and takes a big step towards it at the end of the novel.
