Similarities Between Holden Caulfield And Phoebe

Contrast and Contradiction- During the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s older brother, Allie, and younger sister, Phoebe, play an important role in the story. Allie and Phoebe are the only ones Holden goes into depth about. None of the other members of Holden’s family are mentioned like his mom, dad, and other brother DB. In the beginning of the story Holden said he was not going to tell about his whole life, but only about what happened last Christmas. Holden contradicts what he says in the beginning of the story when he tells about his brother and sister, “My brother D.B.’s a

I chose to write about Holden and Phoebe Caulfield. Holden Caulfield is a Gemini and

The relationship between Holden and Phoebe forms a major theme that the novel aims to deliver. The fact that he is having this conversation with Phoebe, a child who is anything but simple and innocent, reveals the oversimplification of his worldview. Holden himself realizes this to a degree when he acknowledges that his idea is “crazy”, yet he cannot come up with anything more pragmatic; he has trouble seeing the world in any other way. His “catcher in the rye” fantasy reflects his innocence, his belief in pure, uncorrupted youth, and his desire to protect that spirit. On the other hand, it represents his extreme disconnection from reality and his naïve view of the world. Phoebe exposes to Holden a living embodiment of childhood. And it is a scene with her where she exposes to Holden the illogical nature of his supervisory actions, indicating that his desire to preserve her innocence will only halt her own inevitable development. Phoebe is the Greek word for “protector of children” (Bloom 2009, p185). Within the novel she is Holden’s protector. She comforts him, provides him with financial security, and protects him from getting in trouble with their mother. Reiff describes this reversal of roles between Holden and Phoebe as “Now, instead of saving the world by protecting the children, Holden wants to reject the world and shut himself off from evil by becoming a ‘deaf-mute’ in the West. It is Phoebe who rescues him from this total withdrawal” (Reiff 2008, p71). Phoebe forces Holden to view her as a human—living and progressing— rather than as a forever preserved child, and it is this humanization that causes Holden to accept her eventual progression into

Comparative Essay Holden Caulfield is very different from most characters in the novel The Catcher in the Rye, but he happens to have many things in common with his little sister Phoebe. Their ages vary, but their mindset is one that meets in the middle for maturity. They keep each other in line without even knowing it, but they also butt heads at times. The strong points in their personalities are very different, because of their mental stability, but they often have the same ideas in mind when talking to each other.

In the first sentence of “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden, the narrator, starts off by stating that if the reader was truly interested in the truth, he/she would have to first know about his childhood. Holden mentioning the importance of his childhood really emphasizes the significance at which he holds someone’s childhood. Throughout several stages in the book Holden mentions Phoebe or wishes to call her, yet he does not because he assumes she might be sleeping at such time of the night. Holden introduces Phoebe as his skinny, ten-year old sister who he immensely loves. Phoebe is depicted as intelligent, a great listener, neat, humorous, and a really good dancer. Holden states “You'd like her. I mean if you tell old Phoebe something, she

Holden Caulfield, a boy who doesn’t seem to know what he wants to do with his life, finally figures it out. He decides that he wants to become a catcher in the rye, but without the influence of his little sister Phoebe, none of this would be possible. Holden started off as a lost and depressed character who did everything along and who also didn’t like many people. Holden’s actions may have been because of his past experiences or because of his childhood. To try to overcome his lost and depressing ways, Holden spends most of the book doing adult-like things.

In J.D. Salinger’s novel, "Catcher In The Rye,” the main protagonist, Holden Caulfield, goes through a series of events which develops his character. With the novel being a coming-of-age story, one of the key characters of the novel that leads Holden to these aforementioned events that slowly lets him come to terms with the transition from childhood to adulthood is his little sister, Phoebe. She is mentioned in some parts of the novel but becomes a huge impact on who Holden is towards the end. Phoebe, who appears briefly throughout the novel, brings light unto Holden’s character development, actions, and view of society.

1. In chapter ten, Holden narrates and introduces Phoebe as well as the three girls he dances with. How do their descriptions contrast and what can you infer about Holden from the differences?

Holden Caulfield, the main character of J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye," undergoes an intense journey marked by encounters with various people and experiences that shape his perspective and ultimately lead to his admittance to a rest home. Among the influences on Holden, the most significant are his family, his struggles with mental health, his interactions with Phoebe, and his disillusionment with societal expectations. Firstly, Holden's family dynamics significantly impact his mental state and decision-making. The loss of his younger brother, Allie, to leukemia deeply affects him, leaving him with feelings of grief and isolation. Holden's relationship with his younger sister, Phoebe, serves as a catalyst for his realization of the

In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield and Phoebe Caulfield are siblings that are unmitigated opposites. Yet somehow, Phoebe seems to be exactly what Holden needs, and Phoebe loves Holden unconditionally. Their differences are presented in a variety of ways, from their outlook on life, to how they react to situations, to their physical appearance and the role they play in the story. Each of their actions and reactions are vital to the story and the meaning behind each character.

Holden Caulfield and Phoebe Caulfield are siblings in the novel The Catcher in the Rye. Being siblings, they have many similarities as well as differences. Holden is the main character in the novel, and the narrator of the story. Holden is writing from a mental hospital about his experience, “around last Christmas just before I got run down.” (Salinger, 1) He writes about his journey from Pencey Prep School, in Agerstown, Pennsylvania, to his home in New York City. Along the way he encounters many different important people to the story, one of the most important characters he encounters along the way is his sister Phoebe who teaches Holden what it means to be mature.

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.

In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is a rather unique character. He has several complications with other characters that he runs into, and does not seem that he is able to relate to anyone. However, Holden has a younger sister named Phoebe, and he seems to connect with her in a way that he does not with anyone else. She is only ten years old, so she and Holden both have a childlike mind. On the other hand, Phoebe seems to have a positive outlook on life while Holden sees most things in a negative light. Another contrast between them is that Phoebe puts in effort at school, and Holden is clearly not concerned his performance at school.

When the reader looks back at Holden’s history they can make assumptions as to why Holden wants things to stay the way they are. The general assumption would be because Holden is very distant to people who are dear to him. He mentions his younger sister, Phoebe frequently but cannot connect with her in any way due to Holden’s enrollment in a relatively distant school. Holden also recalls his two brothers, Allie and D.B., whom he is exiled from in result of Allie’s tragic fate and D.B.’s migration to California. The death of Holden’s favorite person, Allie, results ultimately in the unstable mental condition that controls Holden. Holden’s fascination with children and their mentalities is driven from Holden’s mourning of Allie’s death. While Holden tries to resist changing, he is identifying himself with Allie. Critic, Hermit Vanderbilt, agrees that, “Obviously despairing at the cosmic injustice of such an early death, Holden falls into a schizophrenic disorder interested in keeping him from growing up and keeping the role of Allie alive.” (Vanderbilt 299). In addition to the laments of personal loss, Holden also desires a stagnancy of time because of his fear of losing his moral purity. This is shown when Holden speaks about how his older brother, D.B., has lost his moral standards in the pursuit of fame. Holden feels D.B. has strayed far from his truly respectable writing when D.B. “sold himself out” to the expectations of Hollywood. Holden refers to D.B. as a

Holden's younger sister Phoebe, is also in need of Holden's protection. He must protect her because he failed to protect his brother Allie from death. Holden feels that it is his responsibility to protect Phoebe from whatever may put her in danger, even himself: "I was glad. All of a sudden I wanted her to cry till her eyes practically dropped out. I almost hated her. I think I hated her most because she wouldn't be in that play any more if she went away with me." (207) He does not want Phoebe to turn out like himself. He wants