Literary Analysis Essay On The Catcher In The Rye

Teenage years are difficult. Time tells this story of struggle again and again. The Catcher in the Rye is a classic novel showing the struggles a teenager goes through while transitioning into adulthood. The main character, Holden Caulfield, is a judgmental and temperamental boy who struggles to see the positivity in life. Throughout the story, Holden searches to find himself, as he feels forced to grow up. He holds onto aspects of his childhood and isolates himself so much that it is even harder for him to transition. J.D. Salinger uses the red hunting hat, the museum and cigarettes as important symbols in the story to convey the themes of transitioning from childhood to adulthood, loneliness, and isolation.

He says, “Boy that museum was full of glass cases… The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move. You could go there a hundred thousand times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would still be on their way south, the deers would still be drinking out of that water hole…” (121) The fact that everything in the glass cases stays the same makes Holden love the museum. Holden wishes he could live his life like the people in the glass cases, without change.

In Catcher in the Rye Holden’s fear of change is symbolized by the Museum of Natural History. The museum’s interests Holden because it never changes. For example, “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything stayed right there where it was” (135). This is a prime example of Holden’s fear of change because he knows that the museum will not change and the things will stay where they are, that is why he likes the museum. Holden says, “I knew that whole museum routine like a book.” (133). Holden says that he knows the museum like a book which shows that he went there frequently, and hopes when he goes in there that it is all the same. Holden does not like things that change. It also shows that Holden wishes that everything would

At the Natural History Museum, He notices that at the back of a canoe in the Native American exhibit there is a shady man wearing a mask. Holden called him the “Witch Doctor”. This Witch Doctor symbolizes the evils and darkness of life as seen by the mask guarding the “true” identity of the man and his position at the end back of the canoe where nobody can see that he is doing. Despite the man’s mysteriousness and “creeps”, Holden still “liked him anyway” (134). Like the other exhibits in the museum, He wished that some things should stay the way they are like the exhibits at the museum.

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

Depression is defined as a condition where a person feels very sad, hopeless, unimportant, and unable to live in a normal way, which is Holden’s personality in the book. It’s a very serious situation that many people go through and it takes an enormous toll on people. Many instances can cause depression and grieving the loss of someone is one of them. In the beginning, it seems like Holden is depressed because he is excluded from the people around him. Holden’s flashbacks and hallucinations, along with Phoebe reminding him that Allie is not coming back, show that his depression stems from him grieving the loss of Allie.

Love also becomes an important aspect, each thrive for passion and affection from others and have someone they confide in. Holden places deep care into his younger sister Phoebe because they connect on many levels, both as childlike mind and in interest. He also longs for closure towards his deceased brother Allie. Holden worries about his parents thoughts, he respects them. He is concerned about his mother’s reaction to getting kicked out of yet another school. The only two people he feels he has truly connected with are his sister and Allie, often in times of need they are the first he contacts. Throughout his cycle of depression he talks aloud to Allie. (Quote: Holden: “I felt so depressed, you can't even imagine. What I did, I started talking, sort of out loud to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed.”) He shows he cares about Phoebe by constantly wanting to call and chat with her; he often talks about her. On the contrary he contradicts himself by finding an excuse to not call, or to not visit. By isolating himself he also goes against himself because he

Holden is constantly battling with his emotions. At times, Holden feels on top of the world, like when his sister was riding the carousel; and at other times he feels “sore as hell,” like when he sees “fuck you” written on the school’s wall. Holden’s ever-present depression is mainly because he is segregated from society and is incredibly lonely. Holden feels as if nobody understands him and that he is not close to anyone, aside from phoebe. Siddhartha felt this at a low-pointy in his life too “Only Kamala had been dear to him, only she was of value.” [4] Holden is depressed the entire novel, unlike Siddhartha. Siddhartha saw what was causing his misery and chose to leave it behind and never look back. By removing the riches that plagued his life with grief, Siddhartha ended his cycle of sadness. Doing this allowed Siddhartha back into the world of happiness, and pushed him farther down the pass of enlightenment. Holden, however, would dwell on issues, picking at them until he no longer just stressed the issue, but stressed about being stressed. Holden’s wild emotions allowed him to become extremely sad

He knows to not try and stop them if they look like they are going to fall, but allow them freedom to experience life even with a few risks. Holden has such a deep affection for Phoebe that through watching her closely he is able to realize more about himself as a person and life in general. Phoebe’s in depth comprehension and understanding of Holden allows him to be himself. During those moment the two of them both learn his true feelings and intentions. Due to being wise beyond her years, Phoebe’s necessary advice seem to really resonate with Holden despite not living or experiencing as much as

First, Phoebe acts as a confidante for Holden by showing the reader Holden’s true emotions and thoughts. Phoebe reveals his moods of happiness and depression and why he feels the way he does. When Phoebe is on the carousel, Holden “felt so damn happy all of sudden[because] the way old Phoebe kept going around and around.[Holden]was damn near bawling, [He] felt so damn

Holden is overwhelmed by change, and it leads him to prefer things that stay the same or do not change. We see that when Holden goes to the museum that he realizes that the only thing that ever changes is the people. At the museum the exhibits never

Holden’s isolation from social encounters and his hypocritical mindset are the two main factors that contributed to his depression. Holden was also a heavy drinker and smoker because he wanted to distract himself from his everyday life. Depression would bog down everything that was happy in Holden’s life. Constant sadness made every day dreadful to wake up to. Depression is tucked away, but ends up being their own worst enemy. So many people are suffering from depression, yet they feel like they are their only ones that have something wrong, so they do not speak

Holden is unable to accept realities of life because of his negative personality. He claims that many people are phony and that they try to do things to make them look better than they are. Holden also thinks of many things as depressing. “It was really nice sightseeing, if you know what I mean. In a way, it was sort of depressing, too, because you kept wondering what the hell would happen to all of them” (p. 123). Holden always finds a down side to a situation. He fails to recognize the good sides of life, and this prevents him from seeing advantages in adulthood that are not present in his life.

Holden seems to struggle with depression. In many places throughout the novel, Holden describes to us his deep sadness. A lot of times his depression is unpredictable and triggered by tense situations. In one situation while he was explaining his feelings about the Elkton Hills headmaster’s phony and rather boring conversations with well-built and

After Holden arrives in New York and takes a cab to his hotel, he "damn near gave my kid sister Phoebe a buzz, though. I certainly felt like talking to her on the phone. Somebody with sense and all," (66). Holden wants to talk to Phoebe as he has been isolated from her and feels because she is someone who he has a strong connection with, that she will make him less depressed shown by him saying that she had sense. Also while Holden is in his hotel room in New York, after his prostitute leaves, he "felt depressed," then he began "talking, sort of out loud, to Allie," (98). Allie's death made Holden isolated form someone who was close to him. Him attempting to talk to Allie shows how his loneliness and depression was caused by his isolation because he wants to try to reconnect with Allie to end his loneliness. While on his way to a bar from the hotel, Holden describes New York as making him feel "lonesome and depressed" and how he wished "[he] could go home and shoot the bull with old Phoebe," (81). Holden feels lonely and depressed in New York because of his isolation from Phoebe, someone he loves. This is proved by how he describes that he wishes he could go home and talk with her for a while. After getting to New York, Holden's feelings still follow him as he feels lonely and depressed thinking about Phoebe and wanting to see