Catcher in the Rye, All Quiet on the Western Front, A Separate Peace, Great Expectations, and Romeo

Another major factor behind Holden’s perplex personality is his depression. Holden’s makes his depression clear when he states, “New York 's terrible when somebody laughs on the street very late at night. You can hear it for miles. It makes you feel so lonesome and depressed. I kept wishing I could go home and shoot the bull for a while with old Phoebe” (Salinger 81) The joy of other brings misery to himself. However Holden wasn’t always depressed, much like any human being there were moments in his life where he experienced happiness. This is demonstrated when he talks about his younger brother as he states, “You 'd have liked him. He was two years younger than I was, but he was about fifty times as intelligent. He was terrifically intelligent. His teachers were always writing letters to my mother, telling her what a pleasure it was having a boy like Allie in their class. And they weren 't just shooting the crap. They really meant it.” (Salinger 38) Holden’s tone in his descriptions establish how much he idolized his brother. One can only

He doesnt want to accept the reality and prefers to live in his own world where adults arent superficial and hypocritical. He can not come up with anything better to live by than his fantasy of being the catcher in the rye and reflects his innocence in the uncorupted youth, and all he wishes to do is protect that spirit. I see where he comes from though because its hard to accept the real world and have to grow up leaving behind that purness. Its something holden didnt want to loose and protet others who might be in danger of loosing it

He is not intensely preoccupied with academic achievement like many more modern teenagers, having failed out of several prestigious preparatory schools, but he is clearly intelligent and tends to dwell on“heavy” topics like death and loss of innocence. His cynicism and sensitivity, in addition to the trauma he experiences from losing his brother Allie, suggest that he has depression or another untreated mental illness, an interpretation which is common among readers and supported by Holden’s visit with a psychotherapist at the end of the novel. Despite the risks he faces through having an untreated mental illness, shown when he is warned that he is “riding for some kind of a terrible, terrible fall” through self-destructive behavior, the conformist culture and social niceties of the 1950s prevented him from being able to discuss his thoughts for a large portion of the novel. (186) This culture, specifically the “phony” prep schools, is clearly toxic for Holden and likely contributed heavily towards his negative mental state, and therefore the negative image he often has of

As Holden begins his journey, he meets many possible companions in hope to fulfill the empty space in his heart, but is let down when he realizes it is not possible. While Holden is having a conversation with Mr. Spencer he thinks about how sometimes he is mature, but “people never notice anything” (Salinger 13). He wants to get close to others, but he feels as though everyone rejects him for who he is. This causes him to isolate himself from society and never take any chances. When he at the Ernie’s, he meets Lillian Simmons and the Navy guy, and has a conversation in which turns to be bad in the end. He then talks about how “people are always ruining things for you” (114). The idea of him generalizing society is the main reason

Holden got kicked out of Pencey Prep boarding school and he doesn't even regret it because he mentions the place is full of “phonies”. He acts mature for his age only because he is very tall and doesn't affiliate himself with many people his age. Holden attempts to fit in with older people by flirting with older women, smoking cigarettes, having many drinks, and criticizing everything that surrounds him. His actions are absolutely mesmerizing because it is as if he has no care in this world. Likewise, he also seems to not worry about how his future will turn out. In this quote Mr. Spencer asks Holden if he even feels some concern for his future, “‘Oh, I feel some concern for my future, all right. Sure, Sure, I do." I thought about it for a minute. "But not too much, I guess. Not too much, I guess'" (Salinger 17). It seems as though that Holden doesn't have a distinct answer for anything. He is always unsure of what he is being asked by his teacher. Mr.Spencer shows concern for his future and is trying to teach him a valuable lesson. He wants to get him to realize that without putting in the effort, he will not achieve this dream. Holden never puts in any thought about his future. If he were to do so, he would not be failing subjects and getting thrown out of

Holden believes this is all just a phase,” I’m just going through a phase right now. Everybody goes through phases and all, don't they?" (Salinger 15), as the novel progresses further, he realizes it’s more than a phase, it would be his future. However, Holden didn't believe in his future, "I feel some concern for my future...but not too much" (Salinger 184). Living in a suburban life, there are not many problems to worry about. Exposed to the world, he came out broken and left out, thus unsuitable to be considered a role model altogether.

Mr. Spencer tried to tell Holden that life can be fun, and he must grow up when he said, "Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules." (Salinger 8) However, Holden displays a very curious and inquisitive side to his personality after he questions the ducks in Central Park. He is also searching for a deeper meaning to life, which causes some to see him as being very naive and juvenile. Holden lacks the self-confidence that he should have because it is acting very negatively upon his mind. He has the ability to poison his mind with words, and then force himself to believe that it is true. For example, Holden said," Then I read this other article about how you can tell if you have cancer or not. It said if you had any sores in your mouth that didn't heal pretty quickly, it was a sign that you probably had cancer. I'd had this sore on the inside of my lip for about two weeks. So figured I was getting cancer. That magazine was some little cheerer upper. I finally quit reading it and went outside for a walk. I figured I'd be dead in a couple of months because I had cancer. I really did. I was even positive I would be." (Salinger 196) Holden's inability to reassure himself has led him to be very negative about himself. He does not believe that he stands a chance of success in the world, so he describes himself as a failure. Holden has been told numerous times from his teachers,

Throughout the novel Holden is rejected and exploited by the society around him. As he is conflicted with himself to find a purpose in life he constantly tries to connect with a superficial society. The ongoing failure and fake personas he meets adds to his depression and cynicism. But instead of facing the problems by growing up and to move on Holden uses this negativity and isolation to protect him. Holden tries show that he is better than everybody else as this is the little stability he has left. When in reality Holden is just scared of the interaction of people because they just submerge him with complications he doesn 't know not yet how to deal with. Holden not being be able to cope with the idea of growing up adds to his loneliness which is the core of his pain. When his encounters first interaction in the novel, Holden Caulfield is an uncaring outcast who sees no motivation in life. As he says to Mr. Spencer, he feels trapped on “the other side of life” (Salinger). Holden constant attempt to fit into society is hidden because of his detachment to people. His only stability right now is to search for his own individuality and to face adulthood himself. That is why

Holden is tired of all the phony people around him and wants to escape them. He talks of retreating to the woods, away from the rest of the world. He wants to "build [himself] a little cabin somewhere...and live there for the rest of [his] life."( Salinger p.258) He is searching for a way out of the society that he is confined to. He wants to get out, but has no way of actually doing so. He is trapped in the midst of society (Wells 56)

Throughout the novel, Holden attempts to find the true from of himself as he struggles with the social interactions around him. Due to the struggle and confusion that arouses from it,

The teen years for many adolescents have been proven to be a time of relationship identity, growth and struggle. Such is the case in the abovementioned movie. The adolescents in this movie, tackle issues that are synonymous with being a developing teenager. For instance, peer pressure, academic challenges and parent-teen conflicts were easily visible throughout the movie. Many of the adolescents had a strong tendency to mesh with other adolescents whose character roles and goals aligned with their own. These adolescents are at a pivotal point in their developmental stage (identity versus identity diffusion) where they are trying to develop a sense of self and personal identity. This is essential for their development into adulthood. In addition,

This essay is a detailed analysis about The Catcher in the Rye investigating whether it is relevant for youth and

Teenage years are the time of a person’s life when they really start exploring their identity, who they are and who they want to be. During these years it can be hard trying to figure out who you are and where you belong, with the constant

Identity in life can be influenced by both yourself and others. The clothes you wear, your attitude, and interests are significantly altered by you and the things you see around you, such as trends, ads, news, videos, and more. During World War II, though, your identity was affected by the yourself, the war, and those around you, as you knew few other people than your immediate friends and family. In A Separate Peace, both Gene and Finny, who are very close friends, affect each other’s identities throughout the novel.

Repeatedly, the term adolescence is used described an awkward and reckless period in one’s life; a phase parents dread and individuals struggle to trudge through with their sanity. However, looking past the challenges that may arise at this point in a person’s life, adolescence is a time to explore one’s identity, make decisions for oneself, and take on new and exciting responsibilities. Adolescence is a transitional period from childhood to early adulthood, starting around 10 to 12 years old and ending at about 18 or 19 years of age (Santrock, 2014). Concerning my own life, adolescence is when I started making more decisions for myself such as what I wanted to pursue regarding education and the kind of career I want to work towards, what