Empathy is the ability to understand and share feelings with someone. Throughout the novel, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden, constantly seeks empathy. He has conversations with many different people in the novel, but he never feels like he is truly being heard. Ultimately, towards the end of the novel Phoebe puts Holden's red hunting cap on him, and to Holden this is finally someone empathizing with him. Listening and empathizing are two totally different concepts. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger conveys the message that empathizing with others is very important to both people, and it can really help someone out. There are numerous examples in this novel when Holden speaks with many different people, but he never feels like he is being heard. He is often empathetic towards others, but they are often not empathetic back. One example of this is when Holden speaks …show more content…
On one of Holden's papers he had to write about the Egyptians. However, Holden writes one paragraph about the Egyptians, and he leaves a note to Mr. Spencer which says "It is all right if you flunk me though as I am flunking everything else except English anyways. (pg 12)." This quote shows that Holden was empathetic towards Mr. Spencer because he cared about his feelings when he would fail Holden. However, when Holden goes to talk with Mr. Spencer, Mr. Spencer just wants to know what Holden thinks of flunking out of Pencey and what he's going to do in the future, instead of asking how he felt about the situation. As a result Holden kept his feelings inside until he went "crazy" and ended up in a hospital. Another example is when Holden talks to the nuns. He meets the nuns after he has breakfast on the second day, he's in New York. Holden helps the nuns with their bags and then realizes that they are collecting money for the Salvation Army, so Holden gives them $10. Then they begin talking and eventually end up on
The tone or attitude in which Holden speaks is based on sarcasm and rudeness which shapes him as a character. He uses sarcasm throughout the book such as on page 71. He says, “I told her, ‘you’re really lucky. You know that?’ She was a real moron. But what a dancer” (71). Here, Holden is being very sarcastic and rude with this girl which forms Holden into his character. His tone towards the world and to the people in it is just careless because he doesn’t care about being nice to anyone. He continues to act this way, even to people that matter, such as on page 13, he says, “You mean about my flunking out of Pencey and all? ‘ I said. I sort of wished he’d cover up his bumpy chest. It wasn’t such a beautiful view” (13). Mr. Spencer is one of Holden’s teachers at Pencey and he doesn’t appreciate that at all. When Mr. Spencer is being sincere towards him, all Holden can think about is the fact that Mr. Spencer’s chest is “bumpy”. This truly defines Holden as a character and what kind of person he is; a sarcastic and cynical individual, all shown through his tone of voice.
When describing Mr. Spencer, Holden uses words relating to being disgusted by the old mans appearance. He didn’t appreciate Mr. Spencer’s apparel either as his chest was exposed and he could smell Vick Nose Drops in the air (page 7). This image implies that Holden doesn’t approve of aging or the concept of working towards death. A second image is expressed when Holden talks about the food supplied at Pencey Prep. He says that although they are served stakes, it is impossible to cut into them and describes how phony the food is (page 35). This service shows how the school annoys Holden and why he can’t stand being there any longer. A third example is when he is dancing with the three girls in the Hotel lobby, he described the one girl as “dragging the Statue of Liberty around the floor” (page 74). This image portrays that Marty can’t dance very well and he can’t stand being with her; Holden may even be displaying that he is better than her. Perhaps Holden believes we are not equal and are instead based on our level of
Lack of communication is present throughout the entire book, along with the repercussions that ensue. Holden’s recluse social skills and personality result in his loneliness. Examples from the novel displaying Holden’s lack of friends includes when Holden stated, “Anyway, it was the Saturday
As humans we sometimes seek isolation rather than human interaction for fear of being overwhelmed emotionally. For some people, comfort comes with the knowledge that alone, they are the masters of their own emotions, free from the pain of the world's occasional bitterness and sting. In the coming-of-age tale "Catcher in the Rye," J.D. Salinger explores this phenomenon through the voice of the narrator, Holden Caulfield. Although Holden possesses a voice of intelligence, sensitivity and insight he is also bitter with the hypocrisy and ugliness that he perceives in the world around him. The vividness with which he expresses his discontent is seen manifested in the criticisms that Holden aims at various characters throughout the story. As the
Mr. Spencer, his old history teacher from Pency, wanted to give him some advice which sounded like a lecture so Holden ended their conversation and hated him after the talk. His family friend and teacher, Mr.Antolini was kind and pitied Holden, and once Holden realized that he was showing some affection towards him since he realized the pain he was going through, he dismissed him as a
A disparate situation is presented to readers in The Catcher in the Rye. Early in the novel, Holden expresses the reason for his difficulties in school as his being: “always surrounded by phonies.”(Salinger 13) Holden is correct; he is completely incapable of relating to his peers. However he takes no time to consider potential solutions to his problem. During his conversation with Mr. Spencer, Holden communicates that he deals with his troubles by simply quitting; putting minimal effort into academics and socialization. Since Holden never addresses his emotions directly, he fails to realize
Empathy is the ability to share emotions and feelings with others. This skill requires people to look at things from another person’s point of view. Harper Lee implies in To Kill A Mockingbird that having the ability to feel empathy for others not only benefits others, but also can lead to personal gains in the long run. Empathy is demonstrated through the relationship of the characters of Scout with Walter Cunningham, Atticus with Tom Robinson and the children, and finally, Jem Finch with Mrs. Dubose.
Holden is deathly afraid of conforming, growing up, and having to assimilate into the phony adult world. As a result he comes off as hypocritical as he is the most prominent phony in the novel. He constantly lies, refuses to connect with others and overlooks his own pain, letting it deeply impact his life. Holden is a compulsive liar; he does not have one honest conversation with anyone except his sister and Jane for the duration of the novel. When he is on the train with Mrs. Morrow, for instance, he claims his name is Rudolf Schmidt and preaches about what an amazing guy her son is, even though he is “the biggest bastard that ever went to Pencey, in the whole crumby history of the school.” (61) This shows that Holden falls victim to the same social conventions as everyone else. He says exactly what Mrs. Morrow wants to hear, despite the fact that he
During the novel Holden lies to cover up his real feelings or as an excuse to not tell the truth. In Chapter 3 Holden says, “I’m the most terrific liar…” he continues by saying how frequently he lies to get himself out of trouble (Salinger, 2010:17). After Holden is expelled he decides to leave Pency and life it up for three days in New York because he cannot stay longer. Holden cannot go home sooner because he’s not feel like telling the truth to his parents (Salinger, 2010: 54). Holden choses to do the wrong thing because it is easier than to stay at Pency till Wednesday or to face his parents. Holden is contradictory he says, “I’m quite illiterate but I read a lot.” (Salinger, 2010:19). One cannot be illiterate if you read a lot. Holden is even more contradictory when he speaks of Allie in heaven but admitted that he is an atheist (Salinger, 2010:107). It is clear that Holden’s words and actions are contradictory when he says that the movies are phony but attends the movies a few times during the three days (Salinger, 2010:30).Holden’s character is riddled with dishonesty, wrong choices, and contradictions and true to an
Empathy can be defined as making a connection to someone during a situation. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, empathy is a main part in some of the characters’ lives. Without empathy, the novel would lack many components that make the main characters, Jem and Scout, who they are.
Holden then asks if it's possible to join a monastery without being Catholic, but Ackley finds that question annoying. Even as he tries to have company, Holden is talking about escaping society. His loneliness and desire for alienation are at themes that play a major role here. In the hallway, lonely and tormented by the suspicion that Stradlater may have had sex with his long-time friend, Jane, Holden then decides to leave Pencey and stay for a few days in New York until his parents find out he's been expelled. He packs and puts on his hunting cap. While crying, he shouts "Sleep tight, ya morons!" and leaves Pencey. I think Holden's loneliness and anger about Jane possibly sleeping with Stradlater drove him to leave Pencey and his society to be alone in New York. His crying may also indicate something more than just typical sadness, something more like
Holden’s interactions with Sally Hayes and the nuns challenges Holden’s way of thinking because his corrupt way of thinking will prevent him from functioning very well in life especially with his negative outlook on life and others. Holden got lucky that he happened to know English literature so he could relate with the
This character is going to tell it like it is, and he does. The most powerful emotional standpoint in the story is when Holden goes to his sister’s elementary school to deliver her a note. While he is there, he discovers two words scribbled on the wall. “Fuck you.” Most people would look at that and think nothing of it. Some would bow their heads in shame at the person who thought it was funny. Others might laugh. Not Holden. He did not think about the normal persons response to the note. He thought about the child’s response. About how a little kid is going to see that seemingly meaningless phrase and wonder what it means; about how some dirty kid would explain what it meant; and about the person who wrote it and how they are destroying the childhood of everyone who reads the ‘harmless’ graffiti. This section takes the reader to the door of Holden’s mind. It is at this point that one truly understands his emotions.
Holden has “forgotten” to mention his dismissal from Pencey because he is not proud of flunking out of Pencey and does not want people to know. Holden expresses this by saying, “He knew I wasn’t coming back to Pencey” (Salinger
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