Catcher In The Rye Essay: Holden's Outlook On Society

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Holden’s outlook on society, revealed by the ideas expressed through his inner monologues, illuminate the many impacts culture has on his life and mental health. The mental health of adolescents is one of the most significant themes in Catcher in the Rye. The influence of society effects Holden’s mental health in many ways, both negatively and positively. There are many points in the book where Holden retreats into the safety of his mind, alienating himself from society. When he does this, as a form of self protection, he drifts into the belief that he does not fit into this world that he is a part of, and in fact is in a place opposite to that of everyone else. An example of this thought process, comes when he talks to his teacher Mr.Spencer …show more content…

He feels a loss of connection with Mr.Spencer, believing, “[He and Mr.Spencer] were too much on opposite sides of the pole” (Salinger 18). It is highly probable that he feels this disconnect for more people than just Mr.Spencer, after all, he decides to leave his school early to roam the city by himself instead of facing his peers for two more days. He makes this decision because he feels surrounded by “phonies” and thus needs to leave, which he has done before; in fact, during a tangent of Holden’s about his old school Elkton Hills, he states “One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. That’s all” (17). This statement brings proof to the idea that being surrounded by phony people forces Holden to isolate himself and break off from them. This constant cycle of breaking himself off from society is a pattern detrimental to

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