Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

1156 Words3 Pages

The novel “The Catcher in the Rye,” revolves around the protagonist Holden Caulfield as the story is told from his perspective. J.D. Salinger constructed Holden Caulfield as a cynical person who cannot accept to grow up. Throughout “The Catcher in the Rye,” J.D. Salinger uses symbolism to reveal and reinforce critical aspects of the protagonist Holden Caulfield. Three important aspects Holden acquired through Salinger’s use of symbolism are: his stubborn, uncompromising mentality; his softer, more caring respectful side; Holden’s cowardly way of acting and thinking. A big trait in Holden’s character is the stubbornness. Holden is not willing to accept his problems in addition to let others help him. It is equally important to realize that Holden’s stubbornness is fatal to changing, otherwise growing up. One of the first symbols introduced is Holden’s red hunting hat. “This is a people shooting hat. I shoot people in this hat. (3.31)” gives signs that this hat is a way to alienate himself from the world. When Holden articulates it is for shooting people; shooting really means calling them phonies to only stubbornly protect himself from the outer world. Proceeding to Holden’s visit to Phoebe’s school, the f**k you signs on the wall are a way of representing the negative influences on kids. Holden’s stubbornness is shown when he attempts to erase them off the wall, although states “you couldn’t rub out even half the ‘F**k You’ signs in the world.(25.18)” The symbol’s meaning towards the story is understood that it’d be pointless to erase even all of the negative influences in the world because they’d just re-appear, except the protagonist cannot accept the reality of the situation. Jumping right to the end of the novel, when Phoebe ... ... middle of paper ... ...e/ http://flavorwire.com/308969/ http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/holden-caulfield http://www.shmoop.com/catcher-in-the-rye/mummies-symbol.html http://www.shmoop.com/catcher-in-the-rye/james-castle-mr-antolini-quote-more-about-death- symbol.html http://www.shmoop.com/catcher-in-the-rye/phoebe-notebook-even-more-about-holden-narrative- technique-though-we-all-thought-that-wasn-t-possible-symbol.html http://www.shmoop.com/catcher-in-the-rye/phoebe-carousel-gold-ring-symbol.html http://www.shmoop.com/catcher-in-the-rye/fuck-you-signs-on-walls-symbol.html http://www.shmoop.com/catcher-in-the-rye/little-shirley-beans-record-symbol.html http://www.shmoop.com/catcher-in-the-rye/museum-indian-room-symbol.html http://www.shmoop.com/catcher-in-the-rye/ducks-fish-other-wildlife-symbol.html http://www.shmoop.com/catcher-in-the-rye/holden-red-hunting-hat-symbol.html

How Does Holden Present Trauma In Catcher In The Rye
1114 Words | 3 Pages
Due to J.D Salinger’s personal and relatable narrative treatment, Catcher in the Rye continues to engage audiences, even 64 years after it was first published. The way the book deals with alienation and disillusionment in regards to Holden’s past trauma - through the closeness of first person narration and conversational writing among other techniques - creates a personal connection to Holden’s character and helps adolescents relate his troubles to their own.
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Catcher In The Rye - Holden Caufield
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329 Words | 1 Pages
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is an enthralling and captivating novel about a boy and his struggle with life. The teenage boy ,Holden, is in turmoil with school, loneliness, and finding his place in the world. The author J.D. Salinger examines the many sides of behavior and moral dilemma of many characters throughout the novel. The author develops three distinct character types for Holden the confused and struggling teenage boy, Ackley, a peculiar boy without many friends, and Phoebe, a funny and kindhearted young girl.
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768 Words | 2 Pages
Holden Caulfield is a typical depressive teenager that exhibits negative views about growing up. Depression is made up of many categories of symptoms, such as emotional, physical, behavioral, and how one perceives life. These symptoms, take over Holden, due to his lack of knowledge on how to control his feelings.
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Essay On The Red Hunting Hat
734 Words | 2 Pages
J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye tells an unforgettable story of teenage angst by highlighting the life of Holden Caulfield, a young boy who commences a journey of self-discovery after being expelled from his private boarding school. Throughout the novel, Holden struggles with issues such as self-identity, loss, and a wavering sense of belonging. Holden’s red hunting hat is consistently used throughout the story as a symbol of his independence and his attachment to his childhood.
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Free Catcher in the Rye Essays: Holden as the Typical Teenager
1021 Words | 3 Pages
Holden Caulfield, portrayed in the J.D. Salinger novel Catcher in the Rye as an adolescent struggling to find his own identity, possesses many characteristics that easily link him to the typical teenager living today. The fact that the book was written many years ago clearly exemplifies the timeless nature of this work. Holden's actions are those that any teenager can clearly relate with. The desire for independence, the sexually related encounters, and the questioning of ones religion are issues that almost all teens have had or will have to deal with in their adolescent years. The novel and its main character's experiences can easily be related to and will forever link Holden with every member of society, because everyone in the world was or will be a teen sometime in their life.
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The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger as Holden Caulfield
424 Words | 1 Pages
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Holden in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
927 Words | 2 Pages
In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist, a 16-year-old boy named Holden Caulfield who lives in the 1940s, struggles to concur with the views of his society. After getting kicked out of boarding school once again, Holden runs away to New York. He decides to have an adventure of his own, instead of returning home. Holden's experiences in New York lead to further disruptions in his life, which eventually cause him to be put in rehab. Holden would struggle with the same issues if he were a teenager living today. If Holden Caulfield lived today, he would be able to relate to more people through modern technology like cell phones, the Internet, and social media; however he would be even more hypocritical and at odds with the world because he would disapprove of other people’s use of these technologies, which would make him feel even more alienated.
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Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye
1162 Words | 3 Pages
The symbolism throughout the novel illustrates Holden’s isolation from the adult world. In the beginning of the Chapter Three, Holden returns to his dorm room where he finds his pestering roommate, Ackley. After seeing Holden’s red hunting hat, which he purchased in New York, Ackley is fascinated by it and tells Holden that “Up home [he] wears a hat like that to shoot deer in,” (22) Holden then takes the red hunting hat off of Ackleys’ head and closes one eye as if he is trying to shoot it. “This is a people shooting hat,” he says (22). It is obvious from the start of the novel that Holden’s red hat symbolizes his mark of individuality and independence. In this scene, the audience sees how his desire for independence is connected to the feeling of alienation and the bitterness Holden feels for the people in society. Of course, Holden will not actually sh...
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Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye
967 Words | 2 Pages
“I was crying and all, I don’t know why, but I guess it was because I was feeling so damn depressed and lonesome” (53), Holden says. As humans, we have a hard time belonging in society. This is the same case for Holden Caulfield, the main character from the Catcher in the Rye. The Catcher in the rye, a novel by J.D Salinger, is about Holden, a lost boy in desperate need of help. Throughout the novel, Holden seems to be excluded by the world around him. He continually attempts to try and belong in a world in which he is isolating from. In this novel, Salinger uses symbols such as the red hunting hat, the ducks and Allie’s glove to support the theme, belonging and isolation.
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Holden Caulfield Psychoanalytic Theory
1310 Words | 3 Pages
There are countless subconscious actions that affect how a story is told or portrayed, and it is apparent that when J.D. Salinger wrote his best selling novel The Catcher In The Rye, he was influenced by the real world experiences when he created the main character. The Catcher In The Rye revolves around Holden Caulfield, a cynical 16 year old boy in the 1950’s, he is far from flawless and does not like the idea of losing the innocence. Salinger throws in a plethora of symbols waiting to be deciphered by the reader, such as Caulfield's red cap. To grasp a deeper understanding of the book, Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory must be understood as well. By applying Freud's psychoanalytic theory, Holden Caulfield can be viewed in a whole different
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Holden Caulfield Symbolism
679 Words | 2 Pages
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger investigates the story of a 16 year old boy named Holden Caulfield who struggles to understand what his purpose in life is. The book is set in either 1948 or 1949 and takes place at Pencey Prep High School and New York. Holden Caulfield is the main character in the book; the other characters such as Stradlater, Jane Gallagher, Sally Hayes, and Phoebe Caulfield are all supporting characters. Sad and depressing components set the tone for the reader of Catcher in the Rye. There are four main symbols in Catcher in the Rye. These four main symbols include, the catcher in the rye, his red hunting hat, the ducks in central park, and the Museum of Natural History. Every one of these symbols exemplify that Holden does not want to grow up and that he wants to stay a kid where there are no problems. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger includes a colloquial and slangy diction whereas the tone is sad and depressing.
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The Mental Health of Holden Caulfield
725 Words | 2 Pages
In the novel, Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is an example of a prosaic rich adolescent boy,with a pedestrian set of problems, but a psychoanalysis reveals that Holden has a plethora of atypical internal conflicts. Internal conflicts that other students at Pencey, such as Stradlater and Ackley, would not normally experience.
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Holden Caulfield Symbolism
574 Words | 2 Pages
There are numerous symbols throughout the novel ‘The Catcher In The Rye,’ by J.D. Salinger. The symbols come together as a whole and go hand in hand. They were placed to create themes and tie the knot for the ending of the book. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. Though, countless symbols portray Holden Caulfield’s desires, feelings, and personality, I deduce that there is only one symbol that proves more pertinent than all the others. Holden’s dream of becoming ‘the catcher in the rye,’ is the most vital symbol in the novel for many reasons.
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What Does The Red Hunting Hat Symbolize In Catcher In The Rye
1311 Words | 3 Pages
The world is full of images. Images are motionless in nature, yet they capture the essence of moments. These images help people in better understanding what the moment is about or what it is trying to illustrate. Similarly, Symbols work in the same manner. In this case, symbols aided in depicting J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and its main character, Holden Caulfield. The novel presents four vital symbols—namely, The red hunting hat, the ducks, the Carrousel, and the golden ring. All of these objects symbolize a specific aspect of The Catcher in the Rye and help in effectively portraying Holden’s emotions, thoughts and his story overall.
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Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

How Does Holden Present Trauma In Catcher In The Rye

Catcher In The Rye - Holden Caufield

Catcher in the Rye