Catcher In The Rye Essay Comparison With Freud

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Recommended: The catcher in the rye holdens view on society

I think Holden Caufield is one of the few sane characters in The Catcher in the Rye.

List reasons why you think Holden is sane, or normal compared to the average teenager. I think holden is sane because he is like most other teens. They deal with emotions, mood swings, relationships with others, etc

List some other characters and show how they are stranger than Holden.

Mr. Antolini- holden awoke to him patting/petting his head, then asking holden not to leave afterward. P.192-193

Examine Holden’s interaction with society, including family, friends, teachers, etc.

Phoebe- Holdens little sister, he loves her most of the family, and she is one of the reasons that stops him from thinking about suicide, he thinks if he died she would feel pain and he doesn’t want her to be in pain

DB- Holdens brother, lives in Hollywood, nice car, writer, holden thinks he is consumed by the Hollywood genre

???- holdens little brother, holden mourns for him, died of leukemia

Stradlater- holdens roommate at pency prep, they get in many fights, asshole

Sunny- prostitute, holden ask for one because he is depressed, then wusses out and asks her to leave

Dick Slage- Holdens 1st roommate, holden thought he had awful suitcases, so holden judged dick by this

Compare Holden to Freud and then use at least two of Freud’s theories of personality to describe or compare and contrast Holden’s views.

Holden and freud were both hermits, they both dropped out of society. Freud thinks happiness is the meaning of life, even though he questions what happiness really is. Like holden he questions many things he says. Holden and freud have opposite views on sex, (What are their opposite views?) freud thinks it is every young boys dream to murder their fathers and get married with their mothers. Holden is insecure with it. The parents do not play a large part in this book.

What are the “root causes” of his desire to withdraw from society?

(Holden wants to be a catcher in the rye, He wants to save children from falling from a cliff . Children meaning innocence and falling down to society and losing their innocence) Elaborate

Holden wants happiness. One view on his happiness is to move away to Vermont in a cottage with Jane. He wants to live alone with her with no one else around. (withdrawing from society)

Dealing with emotions- On pg. 44-45 holden gets into a brawl with his roommate stradlater.

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