Examples Of Sacrifice In Catcher In The Rye

Holden allows the reader to hypothesize that he is attracted to a girl named Jane Gallagher, by constantly telling of his fond memories of her, but when push comes to shove his tendency to alienation himself from society, to "protect himself from losing his innocence", takes him over. On page 116 of the novel, Holden tells the reader that after he got his sister a record he went to a phone booth and called Jane's house. But when her mother picked up the phone he hung up. Holden tells the reader that he "didn't feel like getting into a long conversation with her mother" so he hung up but in reality Holden's personal preference of alienating himself frightened him and prevented him of making any contact with Jane.

He even went as far as trying to call up a sexually open girl and arranging a meeting with her for a drink. The action of calling this girl and attempting to meet up with her shows that he realizes his need to grow up, acting older than he probably should, and making rash decisions in his attempts to act like an ‘adult’. His flashbacks serve as a reminder that no matter how hard he tries to forget Jane, he will always have feelings for her. It also serves as a pointer that Holden still desires to be with Jane, as the more he tries to forget her, the more he remembers all of the moments they shared, from the time he first decided to talk to her, to the time he tried to comfort her when she began to cry, to the many times they played checkers or held hand together. He begins to talk to himself about the smaller details of Jane, her interest in reading and sports, the way her mouth is alway just a tiny bit open, the way she lights up when she is interested in something and how her mouth begins to seem to move in all directions as she's talking about it. The memories of his past and the actions he took in what would be considered the present all show that Holden is changing as a person, becoming more accepting of his repressed sexuality, and

Holden’s date with Sally Hayes exhibited his difficulty at cooperating with others. At first he gives us a dire impression of Sally, “I wasn’t too crazy about her, but I’d known her for years.” (p. 105) Later, he wants to marry Sally and says he is in love with her. The biggest mystery of all when it comes to women is with Jane Gallagher. Constantly mentioning Jane, Holden recalls playing checkers with her before he got sent to boarding school. When his roommate, Stradlater, has a date with Jane, Holden asks him a peculiar question, “Did you ask her if she still keeps all her kings in the back row?” (p. 42) Holden, jealous of Stradlater’s date with Jane, longs to see Jane but never has the courage to call her. Interactions with other people especially women perplex and overwhelm Holden. He therefore resorts to isolation, illustrating a characteristic of his mental state.

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

This quote depicts the dual internal conflicts Holden faces, which ultimately leads to his depression. The notion spawned from his denial is telling him to isolate himself in order to reach closure, while his lonesome self is also trying to seek companionship, which explains why he always wants to make phone calls. These two rationales are mentally and internally ripping him apart, which explains why he frequently fantasizes his own

His reasonings are, “I’m not in the mood right now.” (Salinger 57) This relates to the theme of isolation because he is avoiding phoning her as he is afraid of what she might have to say. Holden procrastinates phoning Jane in fear that his good memories with her might change.

Yet another issue Holden endures throughout this novel is loneliness . There are many reasons that he is very lonely all throughout the novel. The biggest reason he doesn't talk to anybody is because he is afraid he is going to get hurt emotionally. For example he is scared to call Jane and is scared to let her in his heart because he doesn't want to loose another person he loves, like his deceased brother Allie. Another example of his loneliness is when he meets the prostitute in the hotel. Holden knows that he can have the comfort of another human for a little while, but he doesn't want to do anything with her because he knows she will just leave after they are done having sex. In a way he is looking for something that will last longer, like a relationship, but he is too scared of being hurt . Although, “loneliness is difficult to fess up

He is constantly looking for people that he thinks will make him happy in life. He constantly thinks about calling people he has not talked to in many years. Holden explain, “The first thing I did when I got off at Penn Station, I went into this phone booth. “I felt like giving somebody a buzz.”(C.9) Holden is so set on finding the special someone that no matter where he is he thinks of one of the girls he has met before.

In this situation, Jane has had her fall. She has mentally broken down and is bawling right before Holden’s eyes. Holden’s sees this opportunity to be a “catcher in the rye”, and comes to her rescue. He does this by consoling her and kissing her.

Holden’s lack of ability to call anyone he knows shows that he’s an outcast, someone on the edge looking in; he can’t keep and hold connections very well. It also shows rebellion, because he knows that if he calls someone, he will have to go home.

Throughout the novel Holden is mostly alone. His surroundings are mostly him alone in Manhattan, although Holden chooses to be alone he recalls people he knows all throughout the novel; he even calls some of his friends: Sally Hayes and Carl Luce throughout the story to meet up but, he still remains alone. At the end of the novel Holden states “ Don't ever tell anybody anything, If you do, you start to miss everybody.” Holden’s cynical personality turns him into the lonely person he is. The loneliness he’s surrounded by is the atmosphere that affects him in such a way that he becomes sick and becomes irritable to almost

Although he is observant and quick to make judgments, Holden fails to socially interact with others and completely understand the situations occurring in his environment. In New York, Holden continuously wonders where the ducks in the Central Park lagoon go during the winter. The ducks can be seen as a parallel to Holden’s life itself. Similar to the ducks who are left with nowhere to move as the pond freezes over, Holden runs away from school in order to escape the pressure of change surrounding him. Isolated in New York with no one to seek comfort in, Holden’s anxiety increases and he repeatedly seeks for the answer to the location of the ducks. In an attempt to find comfort in the city, Holden repeatedly ask two drivers his query about the ducks, even trying to befriend one of the strangers by asking him to drink. In the moment, it seems like a crazy and immature request, but as a whole represents Holden’s desperate search to find a place of belonging in the world. Longing for companionship, the ducks provide a sense of comfort to Holden who feels the need to “see what the hell [they] were doing.” After enduring many hardships such as being robbed of his money and having no place to sleep, Holden’s mental state worsens. In a final attempt to understand his place in the world, Holden returns to the “partly frozen and partly not frozen” lagoon and becomes disappointed when

He relentlessly classifies those around him; the phonies, hot-shots, flits, intellectuals, athletes; everyone is a is a type, particularly the male characters. This insistence on categorising leads Holden to feel like he’s trapped in a codified environment free from authenticity. Conversely, some of Holden’s most authentic moments can be read in the scenes where he thwarts masculine convention by crying. Holden’s tears usually accompany his departure from various social circles, such as when he sells his typewriter to fund his departure from Pencey (Salinger 55), when he leaves the Wicker Bar (Salinger 164-5) and when he takes Phoebe’s money so he can leave his family (Salinger 193).

Later on Holden recalls when he was attending Pencey College how his gloves were stolen by some crook. He continues describing the situation of confrontation hypothetically, at first with assertion and authority. Eventually he admits to himself, “Only, I wouldn’t have the guts to do it. I’d just stand there, trying to look tough” (Salinger P. 99). Holden goes on to describe to the reader his unaware fear of confrontation and violence, hinting at a dread of vulnerability and a closed off persona, another clear sign of Major Depressive Disorder. When Holden was a younger boy he knew a girl named Jane Gallagher whom he was childhood friends with, they often even held hands and had an emotional bond. Ever since he heard about Stradlator (his old roommate) taking her out on a date he’d been thinking of calling her up. Finally on page 130 he calls her up and her mother picks up. Startled, she hangs up and admits he should’ve asked for Jane, “But I didn’t feel like it. You really have to be in the mood for that stuff” (Salinger P. 130). His inability to feel motivated to make an effort for somebody he once loved shows his social-isolation.

Holden is a profoundly negative person, he is constantly judging other people, calling them ‘phonies’ and criticising them. For instance when he says “I was surrounded by phonies.” of his time at Elkton Hills. (CITR, 14) Throughout the novel, Holden repeatedly behaves immature and makes irresponsible and destructive decisions, even if he knows it is the wrong thing to