“What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff--I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all.” (Salinger. 93) Holden says which shows the ideals and feelings the main character Holden Caulfield has about where he would fit in the world. The story is about him walking around new york after getting kicked out of yet another prep school his parents sent him to. He is a very troubled young man who goes through a lot during the novel. Salinger creates this story and character to express his opinions on the world . That is that Holden in the Catcher in the Rye is used to portray …show more content…
When Holden actually has to interact with another person it regularly leads to failure which is why he does not have many friends. For example, when he tries to go on a date with Sally Hayes. During this date he takes her to a show and ice skating and it goes pretty well untill Holden slips up and says something he should not have. "You give me a royal pain in the ass, if you want to know the truth,” He says while tripping over his words, “Boy, did she hit the ceiling when I said that. I know I shouldn't've said it, and I probably wouldn't've ordinarily, but she was depressing the hell out of me. Usually I never say crude things like that to girls. Boy, did she hit the ceiling. I apologized like a madman, but she wouldn't accept my apology. She was even crying.” (Salinger. 69) That ends their night and gives a good example of the pattern Holden has with most people he comes in contact with. He talks about this problem with one of his favorite teachers that he had at a past school. “Among other things you'll find that you're not the first person who has ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You Are by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right to …show more content…
Holden in this novel is upset by the fact that growing up inevitably leads to growing out of being a kid and growing out of not being optimistic and pure in his eyes. This is expressed in the metaphor the novel is named. “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they do not look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.” (Salinger. 93) this is a metaphor for Holden wanting to be a protector of innocence keeping the kids from falling into the troubles of adulthood. He sees his innocence as already ruined and he does not want that for any of the other kids. Before becoming the catcher in the rye for others, Holden is looking for a catcher of his own to protect him from the harmful and dreariness of the adult world. He has looked for this in several places throughout his life his father, Mr. Antolini, and Mr. Spencer. His father has failed to be this because he is the one who sent Holden to these many failures of
Holden alienates himself by believing he is better than everybody else. Every time Holden meets or talks about someone he is judgemental. Even when he is talking about someone he spends time with, he cannot help but ridicule them, “I never even once saw him [Ackley] brush his teeth....he had a lot of pimples. Not just on his forehead or his chin, like most guys, but all over his whole face. And not only that, he had a terrible personality. He was also sort of a nasty guy. I wasn't too crazy about him, to tell you the truth.”(Salinger,14 ). Ackley is probably the closest thing to a friend Holden has. Yet he criticizes him is a very nitpicky way, convincing himself he does not like
In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger develops Holden Caulfield as a morally ambiguous character. Throughout the book, Salinger speaks as Holden and introduces him as a callous and subjective individual. However, the author permits the reader to be within Holden’s mind, giving the audience an alternative perspective of Holden’s true character. Without the obscurity of Holden’s personality, the work would lack a crucial element. As the protagonist, Holden serves as an equivocal adolescent that is relatable for the reader.
This reveals Holden’s fantasy of an idealistic childhood and his role as the guardian of innocence. Preventing children from “going over the cliff” and losing their innocence is his way of vicariously protecting himself from growing up as well. Holden acknowledges that this is “crazy,” yet he cannot come up with a different lifestyle because he struggles to see the world for how it truly is, and fears not knowing what might happen next. Holden’s “catcher in the rye” fantasy reflects his innocence, his belief in a pure, uncorrupted youth, and his desire to protect it. This fantasy also represents his disconnection from reality, as he thinks he can stop the process of growing up, yet
Holden wants to shelter children from the adult world (Chen). In Chapter 16, the catcher in the rye finally appears. This is also a symbol for what Holden would like to be when he grows older. He pictures a group of many kids playing in a field of rye, where it is his job to catch them from falling off the cliff. This shows Holden’s love for childhood and his need to preserve it in any way he can. According to Alsen, “The way Holden explains why he wants to be the catcher in the rye shows the kindness and unselfishness of his character. However, the surreal nature of the metaphor also reveals his unwillingness to face the real life choices he needs to make now that he is approaching adulthood.” By the end of the book, Holden realizes in order for kids to grow, there can’t be protection from all of potential harm. “He therefore gives up his dream of being the catcher in the rye and is ready to make a realistic choice of what he wants to do with his life” (Alsen). Holden’s dream world, that doesn’t involve change, is unrealistic. He is terrified by the unpredictable changes of the adult world, but there is no way for Holden to avoid the experiences and changes that the
The Catcher in the Rye clearly states that Holden is an individual trapped within a heartless world. He is victimized on the other side of the world but he tries to get in the world which he feels that he does not belong in. Holden wears a red hunting hat as a symbol to show that he is a rebel against the law. By criticizing others, that is the way Holden hides away from his fears. “Pencey was full of crooks. A few guys came from wealthy families, but it was full of crooks anyway. The more expensive a school is, the more crooks it has - I'm not kidding.” In his mind, the adult world’s is full of phoniness. He imagines that childhood is life while adulthood is death. When Phoebe (his younger sister) asks Holden what he wants to be when he grows up, Holden thinks about it and says “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I m...
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s outlook in life is either the innocence of childhood or the cruelty of adulthood. He believes that the innocence of childhood is very valuable and it should be protected from the cruelty and phoniness of the adult world. Therefore Holden has a desire and is compelled to protect a child’s innocence at all costs. This is revealed when Holden tells Phoebe that he wants to be the catcher in the rye. Holden says to Phoebe, “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they’re ru...
Holden is a pessimistic, remote, and miserable character and he expresses this attitude through dialogue, tone, and diction. Throughout the book he has remained to be a liar, a failure, a loner, and lastly, a suicidal guy who feels like he has no purpose in life. Perhaps Salinger expressed his perceptions and emotions of his teen years in this book and it was a form of conveying his deep inner feelings of his childhood. Readers can see this clearly shown in The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger.
So Holden Caulfield doesn’t like when things change and he doesn't want to get rid of his innocence. Therefore Holden wants to be the catcher in the rye to save the innocence of the kids. “And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch every one of they start to go over the cliff- I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them.”(173).This is when Holden talks about not wanting other people to change and lose their innocence because he is scared of change. Holden needs to grow up but Holden doesn’t want to because he doesn’t want to lose his innocence and he wants to save the innocence of other kids..
We see during the novel that Holden wants to be able to protect innocence in the world, however by the end of the story he lets go of that desire. This is a point of growth for Holden. He finds that it is impossible and unnecessary to keep all the innocence in the world. While with Phoebe Holden says, “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye...I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff...That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye” (173). In this moment Holden wants to be able to preserve all the youth and innocence in the world. He doesn’t accept that kids have to grow and change and that they can’t stay innocent forever. Later on in the story when Holden is with Phoebe at a carousel again he thinks, “The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the golden ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them.” At the end of the novel Holden realizes and comes to terms with the fact that kids grow and lose their innocence. He moves from his want to be the “catcher in the rye” to...
Holden plays the role of the catcher in the rye by physically catching the children before they fall off the cliff proving that we all end up falling. Phoebe asks Holden what he wants to be, Holden responds, “if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them…I’d just be the catcher in rye and all” (Salinger 173). The cliff is symbolic of loss of innocence. Holden’s role of the catcher in the rye allows him to physically catch children before they fall off the cliff, therefore saving their innocence before they fall into adulthood. When the children fall off the cliff, it is much like the fall into adulthood, we fall in not looking where we are going and not knowing what to expect. Not only has Holden become obsessed with trying to preserve the innocence of children, but he also ends up having a nervous breakdown. Holden says to Phoebe, “I know it’s crazy…I know it’s crazy” (Salinger 173). Salinger’s use of repetition emphasizes the word crazy, therefore; foreshadowing that Holden will have a nervous breakdown and go crazy. Not only has Salinger’s use of repetition foreshadowed that Holden will go crazy, but so has Mr. Antolini....
J. D. Salinger’s novel, Catcher in the Rye explores the ambiguity of the adult world Holden must eventually learn to accept. Throughout the novel, Holden resists the society grownups represent, coloring his childlike dreams with innocence and naivety. He only wants to protect those he loves, but he cannot do it the way he desires. As he watches Phoebe on the carousel, he begins to understand certain aspects of truth. He writes:
Holden’s dream career of being the catcher in the rye, is symbolic. He says to phoebe that his job would be to catch the kids from falling off the cliff near the rye field where the kids are playing. The kids playing in the field symbolizes childhood and the field is symbolizing innocence. The cliff is symbolizing the idea of falling from the innocence, growing up. Holden is consistently troubled by aging throughout the book. He is frightened by change and has a difficult time understanding its complexity. Instead of acknowledging his fears of adulthood, he ignores them and over idolizes childhood. He creates this black and white world where childhood is innocence, curiosity, honesty, and the adult world is full of phoniness. The concept of the catcher in the rye is really where Holden reveals his thoughts on this. He wishes to save the kids from falling from the cliff, to
Which is the kind of world he wants to live in. Holden expresses his desire to preserve the innocence of others when his sister Phoebe tells Holden that he doesn't like anything, and that he has no ambitions of what he wants to be when he is older. Holden then explains that he wants to be the catcher in the rye. He says that he imagines little children playing on top of a hill and that his job is to protect children from falling of the hill. This symbolizes catching children from losing their innocence and falling into the adult world. Holden tells Phoebe, “I know it crazy, but that is the only thing I’d like to be” (172). This unrealistic desire is contributes to why Holden is struggling to transition from adolescence to adulthood. Critics of the novel have said Holden would like to suspend time stating, “Holden's desire to protect children shows his desire for suspending time, for inhabiting a space of young people conserved endlessly” (Yahya 3). Not letting go of childhood memories or accepting the harsh realities of adulthood are damaging when transitioning from
In The Catcher In The Rye, Holden encounters and experiences many different actions taking place that he himself does not understand. He comes to realize that adults experience a transition in order to become adults- loss of innocence. Holden does not like the idea of losing his innocence and would like for him and the kids of the future to hold onto their innocence forever. With this idea, Holden thinks the world would be much of a better place. With Holden’s strong personality, independence, and will power, he can accomplish anything in his bright future to come. Holden is very misunderstood and troubled but with maturity his thoughts will be his advantages.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s vision of nature of childhood and adulthood are not as separate as Holden believes them to be. Holden tries to battle through the pressures of adulthood while staying in his childish frame of mind. He feels that if he acts childish, he can go back to that. He also feels the need to be an adult and do his own thing. Holden is at war with himself trying to see what he really is- a child or an adult. Although, Holden thinks he is being an adult by drinking and smoking, he is actually becoming more childish.