Analytical Essay On The Catcher In The Rye

Catcher in the Rye Analysis

Holden is a character who is struggling with many things on a daily basis. Holden’s struggles over time has molded him into the kind of character he is. Holden can be described as troubled, lost, and innocent. Holden can quickly be labeled as a troubled teenager. In just the first few chapters of the book, he has gotten kicked out of several schools, gets into a fight, and talks about how much he used to smoke and drink. Getting help in the book doesn’t seem like an option for him. He thinks most of his peers are phony, he doesn’t seem to agree with any of his family. Holden is the perfect example of a character who feels completely isolated and alone. Holden is also one of the only characters I have read about

The main part of this story that proves this is when he talks about what he would like to do. Holden talks about how he imagines a big field and his job is to protect the children playing in it. He says he wants to wait on the edge of the field next to where it ends at a drop off and catch the kids who run off. He describes how this is the only thing he truly wants to do in life and how he wants to be the only person there besides the kids. Holden along with children, believes women should also maintain their innocence. When he talks about the girl he used to know named Jane who is going on a date with Stradlater, he describes her in a very childlike way and repeats several times how when he used to play checkers with her she would keep all of her kings in the back row of the board just to look nice. Later in the book he gets talked into hiring a prostitute and can’t end up going through with it. He tells her he just wants to talk with her even though he said he wanted to lose his virginity. He described her as looking very young and nervous and from that description, he made her sound very childlike. Even thinking about having sex with her seemed to make him uncomfortable and more depressed than he already was that night. Holden himself seems very innocent and childlike. He isn't mature enough to ask the right questions during a conversation or deal with some of his