“I can't explain what I mean. And even if I could, I'm not sure I'd feel like it”(Salinger 74). Once again Holden “holds” back from the reader to avoid saying too much about himself. Thus, to achieve the greatest knowledge of The Catcher in the Rye the reader must examine the connections between the symbolic character names and the recurring themes. From the major characters including Holden Caulfield to the minor characters such as Sally Hayes, Salinger creatively uses their names to portray their personalities. As the novel opens, Holden stands alone on a hill that separates him from the rest of his peers. His stance is ironically similar to his view of the world; as an evil and corrupt place. Thus, when Mr. Spencer tells him that life …show more content…
Salinger reveals that while on the surface Holden’s personality appears to be that of a typical immature, whiny, and alienated boy he’s actually one of the few people in the story that is caring and compassionate. Even with Ackley, Holden’s neighbor at Pencey, who Holden describes as "... about 6'4- with lousy teeth... he had a terrible personality. He was also sort of a nasty guy. I wasn't too crazy about him, to tell you the truth"(Salinger 19) Holden’s poor description of Ackley’s revolting hygiene and features immediately disgusts the reader. Ackley also resembles a reaction of disgust since “Ack” is the time of reaction evoked when people are disgusted. Ackley also sounds like acne, which is one of Ackley’s more dominant features. Holden was deeply disgusted by Ackley, but even in his distaste for his roommate, Holden still said, “I was really glad to see him. He took my mind off the other stuff ”(Salinger 21). Holden’s affectionate side is also seen in his loving description of Phoebe. He says “You’d like her...she was somebody you always felt like talking to on the phone”(Salinger 37). Throughout the novel Phoebe is always one of the first
Literature has always relied on techniques to catch the reader’s attention and format the story, and “the Catcher in the Rye” is no exception. Salinger brought many different writing styles into his novel to make it a bestseller. With his knowledge, Salinger was able to depict the persona of Holden to the reader without directly stating his characteristics. Salinger proves Holden is a lonesome figure who wanted to fit in but struggles to be accepted. The Catcher in the Rye depicts Holden as one who struggles with his sexuality and adulthood and wants to save children from adulthood because of the difficulties that it has brought himself. Salinger greatly expresses Holden through the use of metaphor, imagery, symbolism,
The Catcher in the Rye, like many other great works, was met by scornful criticism and unyielding admiration. However, many literary critics also marveled at Salinger's use of language, which was used to make Holden Caulfield, the main character, extremely realistic. Such language includes both repetition of phrases and blatant cursing, in order to capture the informal speech of the average, northeastern American adolescent. Through Holden's thoughts and dialogues, Salinger successfully created a teenage boy.
In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger tells a story of a young boy, Holden, who never quite understood his stance on life. Throughout the novel, Holden struggles to adapt to the inevitable transition into adulthood, often worrying more about others than himself. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses connotative diction, repetition, and specific diction to convey Holden’s struggle of accepting life changes that led him to becoming mentally unstable. To start off, Salinger illustrates Holden’s nature by using connotative diction.
During the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, author J.D. Salinger brings Holden’s pessimistic, antisocial personality to life through what he says, how he says it, and through the characters he meets. Salinger bases Holden’s expressions off of the culture of the 1950’s, his own personal dialect, and the everyday occurrences of Holden’s life in mind. J.D. Salinger manipulates the diction, uses syntax to criticize others, and controls the character interaction and dialogue in order to create the protagonist, Holden Caulfield.
He hides under a visage of a cool ‘bad boy’ trope, seeing the world through a heavy filter- to him, anyone who's anyone is a phony, a liar, or just plain bad, despite him judging many things he later goes on to do himself. Over the course of the book we come to see Holden has built an opinion of the world that shields him from the pains and complexities of life. The author displays Holden’s traits quite prominently, especially through his use of language; he writes as Holden speaks- vulgar, rambling, and easily derailed, jumping from idea to idea infinitely
In The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, the main character and narrator Holden Caulfeild walks many different paths of life. He jumps around different aspects of his life throughout the book, showing the reader many different sides to himself. This theme is presented through the author’s technique in crafting the characterization and symbolism. J.D. Salinger develops a puzzle of a personality for Holden throughout the book, to show the complexity and multitude of sides to Holden’s character.
Holden Caulfield is a character who has been through rejection and wishes to protect others innocence. He is a teen boy who is the main character in Catcher in The Rye by J.D.Salinger. He has an older brother named DB, a younger sister named Phoebe, and a younger, deceased, brother named Allie. Holden retells his story on him, trying to be the catcher in the rye. Holden has been kicked out of different colleges. He has been rejected by different girls. Holden goes through his life story. He talks about being kicked out of Pencey, his friend Jane, his “acquaintance” Stradlater, and how, when, and where Allie died. Society is to blame for Holden Caulfield's decline in mental stability. Society does not help Holden. Instead, they ignore his
Holden looks fairly mature and, as stated in the novel, can usually get drinks due to his height and gray hair. However, Phoebe is and looks like a child. She represents childhood innocence. Holden looks older than he is and is becoming an adult. He struggles with this as he misses being a child, but he also seems to enjoy some of the benefits of his independence as an “adult.” These similarities and differences are not only external, but internal as well.
In today's world people get irritated by people who are different from them. Readers can see this in J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Holden suffers from depression and he has many different problem in his life that he has to deal with. Although Holden is a troubled boy who is trying to find where he fits in, readers see him as irritating because he is judgmental, immature and a hypocrite.
In the novel “Catcher in the Rye”, author J.D Salinger uses symbolism to create and portray key idea to us as the readers. The key ideas he portrays are; Holden Caulfield is the guardian of youth and that Holden is a broken record that no one wants to listen to.
J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is the chronicle of a young man's metamorphosis from immaturity to unsure manhood. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, is a sixteen-year old boy who leaves the prep school he has been expelled from to escape the frightening reality of dealing with his parents. However, during his visit to New York City he is faced with the harsh reality that he cannot continue to hold onto his childhood. Holden is an extremely complex character and it is only by examining each layer of him that the reader is able to understand his painful metamorphosis.
Not only does Holden feel great affection for Phoebe, Phoebe feels great affection for Holden as well. It isn't too hard to understand that she and Holden are especially close since one of their brothers is dead and the other lives miles from their home. It is also surprising on how quickly Phoebe realizes that Holden came home earlier than expected. It is obvious that Phoebe is much more mature and articulate for her age to realize something like that so quickly. It is as if she is Holden's older sister instead of the younger one.
The Catcher in Holden is revealed through his hateful thoughts against a man he knows virtually nothing about. This unwarranted agitation completes the image of the Catcher in the Rye symbol as unmasked by Holden’s thoughts and
Holden Caulfield plays a timeless character in the sense that his way of life is common for the American teenager, in his time as well as now. Today parents dread the terrible and confusing adolescent years of their child's life. In J.D. Salinger's book, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is in this terrible and confusing point of his life. At this point in his life, as well as in modern teenager's lives, a transition occurs, from child to adult. Holden takes this change particularly rough and develops a typical mentality that prevents him from allowing himself to see or understand his purpose in life.
The novel ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ by J.D Salinger is a coming-of-age story. It follows the short tale of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year old boy, who throughout his experiences in the novel, changes and becomes more mature and independent. The story essentially has two Holden Caulfields, the one telling the story, and the one that the story is being told about. This essay will look at the differences and similarities between the two Holden’s’.