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Holden caulfield character analysis
Holden caulfield character analysis
Analysis of holden caulfield character
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In the coming of age novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year old boy who never wants to grow up. Holden surrounds himself with objects and concepts to prevent change and keep the chaotic, responsibility filled adult world at bay. Through the use of these symbols he manages to fabricate an oversimplified, naive fantasy of the world. One symbol that he uses is the Museum of Natural History. Part of the reason why Holden loves the museum so much is because everything there is constant and frozen in time, similar to how he wishes he could freeze certain moments of time like with Allie and Phoebe. "Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big …show more content…
. . . The whole arrangement’s designed for men who, at some time or another in their lives, were looking for something their own environment couldn’t supply them with. . . . So they gave up looking. (206-207)”. While Holden imagines an idyllic world of innocence and childhood from where children fall into the ugly adult world, Mr. Antolini describes a plummet into despair, giving up on the world, from which will be difficult to return from. Altogether, Holden creates this simplified version of the world as a way to cut himself off from reality and avoid the real possibilities of much worse things. Lastly, the carousel is one of the last symbols mentioned in the novel. Holden likes it because it is beautiful and doesn’t go anywhere. It simply stays in place going round and round just like Holden wishes he could stay in place and relive good memories over and over again, similar to the museum. Keeping with these similar feelings as the museum, just as Holden only reminisced about memories of going there, so too, he does not go on himself, choosing to instead watch Phoebe go around on it from afar saying that next time he will join her. However, this is consistent with Holden not wanting to shatter his perfect memories and childhood and forever chooses to remain on the sidelines of life, for fear that by actively participating in any real way will force him to grow
Part of the irony in Holden’s story is that physically, he looks mature, but mentally, he is still very much a child: “I act quite young for my age, sometimes. I was sixteen then, and I’m seventeen now … I’m six foot two and a half and I have gray hair ” (9). There is no middle ground, adolescence, for Holden. He can only be an adult, physically, or a child, mentally. Holden’s history teacher, Mr. Spencer, tries to appeal to him by using a metaphor: “Life is a game, boy.
A scene where she shows her influence over Holden is where Holden states, “I kept thinking about old Phoebe going to that museum on Saturdays the way I used to see, I thought how she’d see the same stuff I used to see, and how she’d be different every time she saw it… Certain thing is they should stay the way they are… I know that’s impossible, but it’s too bad anyway.” Holden shows his fear of change. He also demonstrates that he does not want to change, and does not want to grow up, but to stay as a kid.
Growing up and becoming mature can be an intimidating experience; it is difficult to let go of one’s childhood and embrace the adult world. For some people, this transition from youthfulness to maturity can be much more difficult than for others. These people often try to hold on to their childhood as long as they can. Unfortunately, life is not so simple. One cannot spend their entire life running from the responsibilities and hardships of adulthood because they will eventually have to accept the fact that they have a role in society that they must fulfill as a responsible, mature individual. The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger follows the endeavours of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old teenage boy who faces a point in his life where he must make the transition from childhood to adulthood. In an attempt to retain his own childhood, he begins hoping to stop other young children from growing up and losing their innocence as well. As indicated by the title, “The Catcher in the Rye” is a book that explores a theme involving the preservation of innocence, especially of children. It is a story about a boy who is far too hesitant to grow up, and feels the need to ensure that no one else around him has to grow up either. His own fear of maturity and growing up is what leads to Holden’s desire to become a “catcher in the rye” so he can save innocent children from becoming part of the “phoniness” of the adult world.
(A)J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, displays the mentality of a teen who struggles to deal with the idea of growing up. (B)Holden, the central figure of the narrative, views growing up as falling into the superficiality of society and strives to prevent children from maturing. (C)The name Holden Caulfield is representative of his wish to be a savior for children who are going through adolescence and to prevent their innocence from being corrupt by a society enclosed in lies but realizes that it is futile and that it could actually cause harm and be a barrier for development.
Holden Caulfield, the teenage protagonist of Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, struggles with having to enter the adult world. Holden leaves school early and stays in New York by himself until he is ready to return home. Holden wants to be individual, yet he also wants to fit in and not grow up. The author uses symbolism to represent Holden’s internal struggle.
Holden loves Phoebe and thinks of her often, one such instance being where he buys her a record that he thinks she will like. Unfortunately, he drops this record before he can give it to her—shattering it. Holden explains this to her and is surprised by her response: “’Gimme the pieces,’ she said. ‘I’m saving them.’ She took them right out of my hand and then put them in the drawer…” (Salinger 212) One way to read this scene is to see the record as representative Holden, just as broken and damaged as he feels. By accepting the pieces, regardless of the fact they do not function, she is accepting Holden in his current state. This contrasts the way many others treat Holden. They are constantly reminding him of his inadequacies, trying to change him, saying he must apply himself in school and think about the future. Another object that is somewhat representative of Holden is a red hunting hat that he only wears when he thinks others will not see him. It seems to give him confidence, despite his being embarrassed by the look of the hat. In Holden’s final scene with Phoebe, he notes that she “…all of a sudden she gave me a kiss. Then she…reached in my coat pocket and took out my red hunting hat and put it on my head” (Salinger 274). Both the kiss and giving him the hat
He refuses to to transition into adulthood, this is shown through Salinger’s use of the ducks in central park. Holden’s obsession over the ducks is a youthful curiosity. Everytime he meets a new cab driver he raises the question about the ducks, he has a child like need for closure to answers no matter how ridiculous they may seem. The interaction between Holden and the various cabbies seems like mere small talk but is actually one of the main structures for Holden’s character. The museum that Holden visits also can be identified as a symbol for Holden’s fear of change and his need to stay young. The museum itself remains unaltered for years. It remains the one thing in Holden’s life that seems to be frozen in
The works of J.D. Salinger's Catcher and the Rye has resonated inside society for generations. Throughout the novel, Holden–a teenager who is spiraling towards a mental breakdown–experiences difficulties growing up. After the loss of his brother and the expulsion from his school, he starts to form his own opinions on the adult world. Throughout Holden’s experiences, his mind becomes more and more tainted as he his innocence slowly leaves him. He idolizes other people who have not yet been through what he has. Salinger uses symbolism to demonstrate how Holden despises the loss of innocence in growing up.
He decides to sleep in the waiting room of Grand Central Station. It is during this time period that Holden has time to think. He starts thinking about how he is going to run away; his plan is to say goodbye to Phoebe and then travel to a place where no one knows him and start over. This reveals how Holden tends to isolate himself. It is when Holden meets up with Phoebe that he decides not to leave. Phoebe serves as comfort to Holden and he does not want to lose that. When Holden is around Phoebe, he fits in. This is the comfort and acceptance he is looking for, so he decides to
Much evidence points towards the notion that Holden became mentally ill consequently to his brother Allie’s death, whom to Holden, represented all that was good in the world. In a metaphor between life and a museum, Holden remarks that the“...best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move” (121). With this, it can be inferred that Holden’s persona is rather sensitive to change, and prefers the still atmosphere of a museum where artifacts stuck in time are showcased. Had Allie never passed away, Holden would likely be a more positive person or at least someone who doesn’t exhibit symptoms of a mental illness. Evidence supporting this claim is the fact that teenage brains are more sensitive to traumatizing past events that would consequently alter their mindsets
Holden has labeled the world as superficial while childhood is full of innocence and honesty. his distinct understanding of the adult world and the childhood world allows him to shield himself from the worlds disappointments. His armour of distrust is broken down during his experience with Mr. Antolini and shows how superficial his conceptions are.Mr. Antolini advice for education is unconventional as he says “someone will learns something from you...it isn’t educational its poetry”(chapter 24). He tells Holden to focus more on school because his voice needs to be heard. When Mr. Antolini puts his hand on Holden as a comforting gesture ,Holden mistakenly interprets it as sexual and upon further reflection regrets his quick judgments. When Holden admits his mistake , he is starting to question his practice of making judgements
At a significant point in every life innocence is lost and maturity is stumbled upon. A Bildungsroman novel often expresses the coming of age of a character. People often mature from the stage of adolescence, maturing into a young, whole hearted adult. Looking back in life, everybody can find a pivotal moment of their life, even if it was not obvious at that time in which it happened. In J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield matures into a young adult. Holden matues solely when he sees that someone else has innocence that needs to be protected and savored. While Holden, in The Catcher in the Rye, may have had to overcome many struggles and challenged, he underwent an experience with his kid sister, Phoebe, and
Holden Caulfield can be analyzed through his thoughts, actions and circumstances which surround his everyday life. Holden acts like a careless teenager. Holden has been to several prep-schools, all of which he got kicked out of for failing classes. After being kicked out of the latest, Pency Prep, he went off to New York on his own. Holden seems to have a motivation problem which apparently affects his reasoning. The basis of his reasoning comes from his thoughts. Holden thinks the world is full of a bunch of phonies. All his toughs about people he meets are negative. The only good thoughts he has are about his sister Phoebe and his dead brother Alley. Holden, perhaps, wishes that everyone, including himself, should be like his brother and sister. That is to be intelligent, real and loving. Holden’s problem is with his heart. It was broken when his brother died. Now Holden goes around the world as his fake self, wearing his mask. Holden is looking for love, peace and understanding. He is scared to love because he is afraid he might lose it like he did with his brother. That is the reason for Holden's love of the museum, he feels safe because it never changes it always stays the same. Holden is troubled with the pain of death, it effects every aspect of his life causing him to not care about the future, himself or anyone, except Phoebe and Alley.
Holden tries to preserve his own innocence, and the innocence of others by not letting go of childhood memories and through his desire to suspend time. Holden views the adult world as corrupt and full of phonies. He admires childhood because of how it is free of corruption, and untouched by the adult world. IN order to preserve his own innocence Holden often attaches himself to childhood memories. The Museum of NAtural History is one of Holden’s favourite places . He mentions that his grade one teacher Miss. Aigletinger used to take his class there every saturday. While writing about the museum he says, “The best thing, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was” (121). This shows how Holden wants to preserve his innocence because he expresses how he likes how everything stayed the
Although Holden’s rather cynical language, negative attitude, and troubled past are all aggravating, the majority of readers are bothered most by the fact that Holden is not a reliable narrator. Because Holden does not wish to look beyond one’s physical appearance, he sees no difference in anyone but himself, as he is convinced he is the only person with complexities. In the novel, the reader is only allowed Holden’s end of the story; therefore, every event is based on his thoughts and experiences, and thus, the audience must form conclusions based on these particular opinions and ideas alone. Furthermore, Holden often seems to be at odds with other characters in addition to being extremely incapable of making correct judgements about his