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An essay about the catcher in the rye
Holden Caulfield characters
Analyzing characters from the catcher in the rye
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No matter how many adventures somebody goes on, some people just don't change. Holden Caulfield, the main protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, is a good example of this. The Catcher in the Rye is a story written by J.D. Salinger. It was first published in 1951 by Little, Brown and Company. The story takes place in the years of 1948 or 1949, following three days in the life of a high school student named Holden Caulfield.
Holden Caulfield’s early loss of innocence causes him to fiercely guard the innocence of others, resulting in pain for him when he realizes that his attempts are futile. Holden’s negative experiences with the adults in his life lead to his valuing the idea of innocence. Despite his bad role models, Holden clings to the concept that integrity is the most important quality in a person. While reflecting on one of his old boarding schools, he expresses his dislike for its “phony” headmaster, Mr. Haas. He complains, “[O]ld Haas went around shaking hands with everybody's parents when they drove up to school.
When an individual is lacking understanding of their environment, that’s called immaturity. When a person is immature, their reputation is affected. In many ways a person that is immature is not trusted by other people, nor trust people either. The novel “Catcher in the rye” takes place in Pennsylvania at his former school in the late 1940’s and the novel is told from a first person view.
Analysis of Holden Caulfield In United States millions are diagnosed with a mental disorder ranging from minor to damaging effects on the human mind. During my meeting with Holden Caulfield his father has provided me information on his son. In addition, from my first meeting with Holden he sounded like a man who was unstable, like he said “When you’re feeling very depressed, you can’t even think” (Caulfield, 49). These direct words from Mr. Caulfield presents me with a feeling that Holden is feeling detachment from his life and feeling worthlessness.
He faces many problems throughout the book, and is always trying to save kids innocence. Holden also wants to stay a kid and not grow up, however he finds out that he can’t do this by the end of the novel. Some people may think that Holden wasn't successful throughout his journey, however, one could also see how he was successful in his journey. By the end of the novel, Holden was able to find out that he couldn't save kids innocence, he couldn’t be a kid forever, and he sees that even though the world is filled with evil, he can accept it, or at least live with it.
Kaelyn Held English 9 - 8th Period Novel Paper December 15, 2015 Holden’s Personality in Catcher in the Rye The reader learns that Holden’s identity is determined by his Brother’s death, his sister and, his relationships with others. Holden’s identity is determined by his brother’s death. This is evident when he writes the composition he was asked to write about his brother’s baseball glove that he kept with his luggage.
Holden Caulfield Is Mental Roughly three percent of the United States population, approximately 314,341,830 people, suffers from bipolar disorder. Holden Caulfield, from Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, has bipolar II disorder. This particular disorder is when an individual displays two extreme demeanors, yet not at persistent levels as shown in bipolar I disorders. This novel was written during an era that did not acknowledge mental illness very often; therefore Holden did not have the tools at his disposal to learn healthy coping mechanisms.
“But the real world doesn't go away. Racism exists. People are getting hurt. And just because it's not happening to you, doesn't mean it's not happening. And at some point you have to choose; black or white, pick a side.
The beginning of Holden’s journey starts with the innocence and naivety of childhood. Childhood is the stage that ignorance is bliss with no care in the world. Holden goes to a prestigious boarding school for boys and he believes that everyone in that school is a phony in some way. Holden is an observant character as he stays in the background, but he can also cause the most trouble. Like a child, he asks many questions and he is very curious to the point that he can be annoying.
He lies intensely throughout the course of the novel, starting from lying to Ackley at the very beginning of the book. From his sarcastic tone in his conversation with other people, readers can denote his own cynical view on the world. Holden views adulthood as phony, hypocritical and fake while childhood in his mind is a world of innocence, honesty, and joy. That is the main reason why he wants to be a “catcher in the rye” to protect and save all the children from falling into the phony adult world. Holden Caulfield’s despise of fakeness causes his resistance of growing into a more mature person, with the lack of ability to interact with other people, make him a
A gun, like almost every object, has the power to kill. Yet the gun is merely the instrument of death and destruction, only human beings are capable of pulling the trigger. Michael Moore is an inspirational documentarian that created Bowling for Columbine (2002) a contentious documentary that comments on the violence surrounding school shootings and gun laws that devastated America. Documentaries do not simply record the truth in a purely neutral, objectively disinterest manner” (Nowlan R 2010), but provide inspiration for social change by creating world-wide awareness of the gun laws in America and the way the American media creates fear in its people, however, his biased editing and use of film techniques did not reveal the ‘truth’, which is what you are expecting when you sit down to watch a documentary right?
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
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.
Throughout the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a deep character that shows(possesses) many personality traits. His character is what connects many readers to him and helps in understanding him. Some character traits Holden possesses are that he is generous, kindhearted, usually honest, very intelligent, makes quick judgements, speaks his mind, is anxious about change, and likes kids. Considering his many character traits, it is easy for the reader to understand and relate to Holden. There are many character traits that I share with him.
Holden Caulfield’s story traces psychological/moral development and maturation. The conflicts that Holden deals with, shape him into a new adult. Holden learns so much on his journey, and finally accepts what society has to offer him. Society accepts him back, and Holden is rebirthed into an adult with new knowledge to benefit society. First off, Holden is portrayed as this terrible delinquent.
