An Analysis Of Holden Caulfield 's ' The Catcher 's The Rye '

Two things that share commonalities are happiness and society. They are forces that interact with one another greatly. For example, in The Catcher in the Rye, these two influences affect Holden Caulfield significantly. They have a large impact on how he views the world and other people. Whilst Holden “served the author’s purpose: to scrutinize the cruelties and banalities” of society, The Catcher in the Rye remains a work that may helps others understand the path to happiness (Coles).

When his visiting Phoebe’s school he discovers crude language written on the wall. Holden immediately thinks of ‘Phoebe and all the other little kids’ and how he would hate them to see the foul words. This proves that Holden has a natural protective instinct and symbolically takes on the persona of ‘catcher in the rye’ as he wipes the words off the wall. Holden wants to shield the children from seeing the obscenities of adulthood prematurely, just as the catcher wants to protect children from falling off the ‘cliff’. At the end of the novel Holden appears to have more acceptance of the idea of growing up. As he watches Phoebe on the carousel he deduces that sometimes you ‘have to let them fall’ (referring to the children on the carousel.). Holden now understands that growing up is inevitable and fighting it is useless. However, regardless of this new found clarity, he still obsesses about living in an uncomplicated world. He delights in the fact that the carousel goes ‘round and round’ because it continues to fuel his fantasies of staying in one place forever. It would seem that even though he has made progress, Holden still struggles with letting go of the life he wishes were

Holden Caulfield, of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a teenager struggling to transition into adulthood, which is indirectly affected by his relationships with his family and the people around him. The story is told in any way Holden wants and he chooses what the audience can see making him an unreliable narrator. Some of the aspects that largely affects Holden’s relationship are his superiority and the way he was raised. However much of the drawn conclusions can only be inferred from what Holden chooses to reveal.

The Catcher in the Rye, a story surrounding the teenage angst and downward spiral of main character Holden Caulfield, has captivated many audiences through its controversial writing. Although many consider Holden to simply represent the anger in adolescence and fear of becoming an adult with responsibilities, his angst, alienation, and depression represents much more: the stripping of childhood innocence all too soon. Due to Holden's need to rescue so many others and the consumption of the need to regain his innocence, he cannot rescue himself from his own downfall.

Holden Caulfield is a seventeen year old living in a “phony” world, who describes the “madman stuff” that transpired from the earlier year. He is the protagonist and narrator of the story, The Catcher in the Rye, where he mentions he was being hospitalized in a sanitarium in that present year. Holden has a different view on the world, where he portrays it as a “phony” and corrupt place. He fears that his sister, Phoebe, will fall into this world and lose the innocence that he wishes he still obtained. Holden mentions to her that he aspires to be “a catcher in the rye.” His dream is to catch the children before they fall to adulthood, lose their innocence, and be tainted by greed. Although Holden has contrasting views, many observations he made

He lists examples, “you'd heard your mother and father having a terrible fight in the bathroom. Or you'd just passed by one of those puddles in the street with gasoline rainbows in them” (122). His examples are of mental awareness, a growing up of the mind. These sort of experiences would impact a child's youth, forcing them to understand something only an adult would. Holden craves the security of his youth, as children are not phony, and life is simple and not confined by the standards of society. There is a moment when Holden realizes he is unable to go back in the past, “Then a funny thing happened. When I got to the museum, all of a sudden I wouldn't have gone in for a million bucks. It just didn't appeal to me” (122). This turning point in the story is when Holden begins to accept his transition into adulthood, realizing that it is an inevitable change. This is a big step forward for Holden and the realization commences his mental

In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield’s life is composed of a great amount of contempt; he perceives society through pessimistic lenses, continuously dismissing its ways. Trying to veer off his path to adulthood, Holden often holds people accountable for their “phony” ways. He aims to “save” the children from such an outcome that he makes it his responsibility. The pivotal moment of which he transcends to maturity occurs is when he witnesses the children reach for the gold ring. Rather than blindly believing that he can save the children from sinking into the “evils” of the world and maintain their innocence, he ultimately decides to let them make their own decisions and grow up.

There is a time in everyone’s life that we all can relate to, although it may not be the same for everyone. This event changes people around the world in one way or another, this occasion is called growing up. It is the conversion from innocence to the confusing adult world. Where we become participants in an unjust society and become oblivious of the childhood that we miss and cherished. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, it explores the innocence of a teen in the late 1940’s and also how he lacks it.

There are many things that people have in common, and others, not so much. However, there is one thing that everyone has in common, and it’s that sooner or later, everyone has to grow up. The novel Catcher in the Rye helps us understand this strange and difficult part of life through Holden Caulfield, by presenting the theme, the challenges of growing up.

It is not uncommon for readers to connect with a certain book and conclude that it was written especially for them, feeling that it addresses their problems and eases their pain. Readers may also identify with a specific character. One example that exemplifies this experience can be found in J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye. The novel’s protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is a character with whom Mark Chapman identifies. Daniel Stashower’s, “On First Looking into Chapman’s Holden: Speculations on a Murder,” discusses possible reasons for Chapman’s murder of John Lennon. In Stashower’s article, Mark Chapman closely identifies with J.D. Salinger’s

Instead of acknowledging that adulthood scares and mystifies him, Holden convinces himself that adulthood is a world of superficiality and hypocrisy, while childhood is a world of innocence, curiosity, and honesty. Holden tells Phoebe, when she asks what he wants to do with his life, that he would “just be the catcher in the rye.” (chapter 22). He imagines childhood as a golden field of rye in which children romp and play; adulthood, for the children of this world, is equivalent to death, a fatal fall over the edge of a cliff. Holden’s imagined understandings of childhood and adulthood allow him to isolate himself from feelings of pain, failure, and sadness. He wants to catch children before they fall out of innocence into knowledge of the adult world, which leads to his glorification of Allie, and protective feelings towards Phoebe. Holden has become so lost in this simple world that he cannot see the complexities of growing up. He views maturity as a fall, rather than an ascension into greater knowledge and a newer perspective on life. He would rather shelter the innocent from pain and loss forever, rather then let them meet reality, and grow into stronger, more perceptive human

Phoebe asks Holden what he wants to do with his life and Holden’s only answer is to mention a lyric from a poem, “If a body catch a body comin’ through the rye.” Holden says he pictures an enormous field of rye on a cliff full of playing children. The image is symbolic of Holden’s desire to stop or prevent the children from falling off the cliff into adulthood. This represents Holden’s aspiration to save both himself and other children from growing up. Phoebe replies that the actual lyric is, “If a body meet a body comin’ through the rye.” Holden’s misinterpretation emphasizes both his desire to shield children from the adult world, and his misunderstanding of just how innocent the world of children

Hicks and Holden explicit that, significance of youngsters visions of the long run prospect in classifying confirmation of surroundingsal learning and education for property each have a approval of this state of the plant and peoples responsibility for the environment. at one time these fields area unit covertly elaborate potential and fascinating future. kids apprehensive and were plainly concerned through the modern issues of politics, surroundings planting trees cluttering. Hicks and Holden initiate that kids were involved concerning the surroundings quite the rest. (Hicks and Holden). As AN evolving pedagogue i feel that our children’s future lies in our hands and if the educators, parents/ whanau don't educate the youngsters, the long

Phoebe Caulfield is Holden Caulfield’s 10-year-old sister who is the voice of reason throughout this novel in Holden’s thoughts and in the advice she gives him in person. Holden’s stubborn character and emotional maturity seem foolish and less charming once we meet Phoebe. Through her thoughts and opinions as well as through Holden’s indirect characterization of her, Phoebe’s character is revealed, which has an impact on the theme of childhood innocence, challenges Holden’s view of the world, and her perspective allows us to better understand Holden’s true character.

Linking to the previous paragraph, he started becoming an adult after speaking to Phoebe. For example, he started thinking he was wrong about Mr. Antolini being flitty. This shows that Holden has engaged in self-reflection, and he examined his hasty criticism of Mr. Antolini. Later on, when Holden and Phoebe decided to go to the zoo, Holden walked on one side of the street, and Phoebe walked on the other side. This greatly symbolizes how Holden is now separated from the children’s world. Salinger writes, “I started walking downtown toward the zoo, on the park side of the street, and she started walking downtown on the other goddam side of the street.” (Salinger, 208). In my opinion, the other side of the street symbolizes the children’s world. Also, he denied to ride the carousel with Phoebe, which greatly symbolizes how he has grown into an adult. He didn’t stop children on the carousel from touching the gold ring even though it was dangerous because they could fall. This symbolizes how he now thinks that every child will fall (into the adult world) someday, and that becoming an adult is inevitable. Holden states, “The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it…. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them.” (Salinger, 211). All the events, thoughts, and actions that Holden has talked about are very significant and meaningful because they show the readers his emotional states and