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The catcher in the rye summary essay
Character analysis holden catcher in the rye
Analytical essay the catcher in the rye
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Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye approves of Jay Gatsby but not of Lt. Henry because Henry admires Gatsby’s fundamental innocence, while despising Lt Henry because he thinks Lt. Henry is a phony. Holden evidently values innocence by the way he thinks of himself in terms of age, his personal security, the availability of childhood and his compassion for women. In Chapter two on page nine Holden mentions how age is something that is fairly insignificant to him and how people might assume that he acts a younger age but how his physical features represent otherwise. Holden ponders to himself while speaking with old Spencer: “I don’t give a damn, except that I get bored sometimes when people tell me to act my age” (Salinger 9). This …show more content…
is the first instance that Holden becomes irritated by people’s perception of his age. In another situation while going to a club Holden asks the dancer to jitterbug with him to which she replies that she can’t because it would be immaterial regarding his age. To this Holden says: “I'm twelve, for christsake. I'm big for my age" (Salinger 39). After saying this the dancer becomes upset and tells Holden how she doesn't appreciate Holden's wiseass behavior. This is a good example of how Holden doesn't let age phase him and how it is something insignificant to him. Holden is essentially saying ok so I am obviously a bit young to be at a club and does it really matter? By society's tradition it may not be appropriate for a teenager to be at a club but in Holden's eyes it is an annoyance age is of a concern. Holden also values innocence through his personal security. On Chapter 25 after someone writes "Fuck You" on the wall, Holden feels personally attacked that he swore "I kept wanting to kill whoever'd written it. I figured that it was some perverty bum that sneaked in the school late at night," (Salinger 108). Holden's unique perspective of adults being corrupt can help us to further understand why Holden feels the way that he does about the chalk drawing on the wall. Provided, perhaps the 'perverty bum' that Holden mentions is like an emphasis for a corrupted adult. Another example of how Holden values innocence through personal security is by possessions. Most often this comes from materialistic values, such as Holden's red hunting hat. Throughout the story Holden wears the red hat because it signifies his uniqueness to him from society. Holden even says: "My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way but it got soaked anyways" (213). This protection however, is limited only to those who aren't his friends.
While around his friends and occasionally adults, Holden seems to feel uncomfortable. Readers know that Holden doesn't wear his hat around his friends but wonders in public with it on. One may infer that the red hunting hat represents Holden's security over his individuality. On his way to the museum Holden ponders to himself "I took my old hunting hat out of my pocket while I walked, and put it on. I knew I wouldn't meet anybody that knew me, and it was pretty damp out," (122). Correspondingly, Holden values innocence through society's concept of childhood. While watching the movie in Radio City Holden is disturbed by the way it depicted reality. Holden says, "The part that got me was, there was a lady sitting next to me that cried all through the goddam picture. The phonier it got, the more she cried. You'd have thought she did it because she was kindhearted as hell, but I was sitting right next to her, and she wasn't. She had this little kid with her that was bored as hell and had to go to the bathroom, but she wouldn't take him. She kept telling him to sit still and behave himself. She was about as kindhearted as a goddam wolf," (Salinger 137). Through Holden's perspective nearly every member of society of society is a phony but if there is one thing that Holden understands it's the burden that children take from their parents during childhood. Holden's perspective on the women watching the movie and his parents are oddly similar. In the introduction Holden …show more content…
admits that his parents are: "They're nice and all-I'm not saying that-but they're also touchy as hell," (Salinger 1). The emphasis on touchy its especially noticeable with the word hell and Holden explains how the phonier the movie got, the more that the women cried. Clearly the women was a bit too touchy in Holden's perspective since she was only crying whenever the movie became more phony.
In comparison, in both instances Holden emphasizes the points about how emotional parents became with a rather dull variety of vocabulary, naturally, this may draw one's attention to the amount of irritability expressed. This irritability more specifically is due to a to a psychological trauma. An article published on the healingreasources website states that: " Emotional or psychotically trauma can result from such common occurrences as an auto accident, the breakup of a significant relationship, a humiliating or deeply disappointing experience, or other similar situations." In Holden's case a deeply disappointing experience may have been how his parents were so emotionally inclined. but it may have not seemed like authentic emotions which may explain why he considered them 'touchy as hell.' Holden could have based his experience at the movie theater to the one with his parents. Perhaps that when the lady continued to cry while the movie became phonier as Holden says, it was based his own perspective of how parents are 'touchy as hell' but more so what is meant by this in Holden's eyes is that parents are a bit excessive when it comes to emotions. Another thing that bothered Holden was how even when the kid wanted to leave to use the bathroom that the women 'Was about as kindhearted as a goddam wolf.' In reality all comes to show how sympathetic Holden is towards children and how he values the availability
of childhood. Furthermore, Holden values innocence through valuing Jane's family background first. If Holden didn't value innocence then Jane's family background wouldn't be relevant and Holden wouldn't argue with Stradlater and be attracted to her simply for sexual reasons but instead while exposing how Stradlater, who simply was only interested by 'very sexy stuff,' Holden is concerned about Jane's 'lousy childhood.' (Salinger 32). In another instance Holden ponders a variety of excuses as to why he has never had sex but amongst them there is one reason which seems the most convincing in his mind: "The trouble with me is, I stop. Most guys don't," (Salinger 92). The main point again is that Holden values women enough not to take advantage of them and then Holden blames his absent approach on feeling sorry for women. The reality as readers know, is that Holden is only fifteen years old and most likely has never had sex before so his statements aren't genuine but either way, Holden's statements show his vulnerability with women. How Holden compares himself to other men saying that he does stop is a big indicator of this. Sexual intercourse with women is something that Holden tries not to act innocent about but is completely innocent of. Holden Caulfield from the Catcher in the Rye approves of Jay Gatsby but not of Lt. Henry for a variety of reasons such as his own perception of age, his merciful innocence for women's sexuality, his personal security and Holden's understanding of childhood values.
(70). Holden likes how the hat makes him feel individual but he is still embarrassed to wear it in public. He still wants to fit in with all the phonies and
Holden’s childhood was far from ideal, with Allie dying, his dysfunctional parents and the revelation that he had some “perverty” stuff happen to him when he was a kid. Due to this, he isn't ready to step into adulthood and leave his childhood behind. This is why Holden is mostly alienated from adults and connects more to the innocence of children like the girl at the park and his sister, Phoebe. However, Holden is disillusioned with both adulthood and childhood. He already knows how it feels to be an adult; drinking alcohol, being independent, living by himself and caring for Phoebe, but isn’t ready to immerse himself in it.
Holden’s apparent desire to be separated from the majority of his family and friends appears to have been triggered by the death of his younger brother Allie. From Allie’s there has been a downward spiral in Holden’s relationships, as he begins to avoid contact with others and isolate himself more. The reason I believe this is because we can see how immense his anger is after Allie’s death, ‘I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist’. The death of Allie has become like an awakening to Holden, and has alerted him how precious childhood innocence is, when Holden comes to this realisation he convinces himself to do everything within his power to protect the innocence of himself and those around him, to protect them from what he sees as a false adult world. Although Holden clearly fails to protect himself, as he falls into all sorts of situations which hardly boasts of innocence and virt... ...
Holden says "What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff--I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all." (page TBD) This quote goes well with Holden resisting to grow up. Holden says this when he's standing over the ledge and looking down on the children. Holden believes that it is important to maintain a child's innocence and we see this throughout the book. Constantly Holden is helping children and making sure they are doing well and are okay. We see this a lot when Holden talks about his sister Phoebe. Holden does not want to grow up and he proves that when he says that adults are phony and then Holden will look at a child and he will think that he wants to save that child from growing up because he doesn't want that kid to become a phony like the rest of the adults. In the song When We Were Young by Adele she says You look like a movie/You sound like a song/My God, this reminds me/Of when we were young/Let me photograph you in this
Indeed, just the naming of his red hunting cap as a “people-shooting hat” is suspicious enough; but Holden merely wants to stand out in a crowd and be different from all the phonies around him, and the unique hat is enough to do so, despite it making him look foolish. He is going “people-shooting” in the sense that he is putting down partisans of the supposedly fabricated adult world, the same people who put Holden down for his visible immaturity. The cap gives Holden the confidence he needs to feel like his own independent person – an adult – without actually being one. This is yet another one of Holden’s desperate attempts to cling onto whatever shred of youth and innocence he has left and avoid growing
He is not innocent, but he is also not mature. Holden identifies with children, but they do not identify with him. “I passed by this playground and stopped and watched a couple of very tiny kids on a seesaw. One of them was sort of fat, and I put my hand on the skinny kid's end, to sort of even up the weight, but you could tell they didn't want me around, so I let them alone.”(81) In this example and others, Holden wants to be with the children, because he still sees himself as an innocent child. Although he is always reaching for a cigarette or drink, Holden has a difficult time accepting that he is no longer an innocent child. This is the foundation of Holden’s depression, which J.D salinger revales upfront. has a difficult time accepting he is no longer
In the beginning of the novel, Holden believes that the world is out to get him, so he alienates himself for protection. A way to do so, he brings forth his hunting hat, “‘This is a people shooting hat,’ I said. ‘I shoot people in this hat.’” (Salinger, 22) Holden’s hunting hat is the strongest symbol in the novel. It gives Holden protection from people who could be potentially harmful to him. Whenever he is afraid or anxious he regresses and puts on his hunting hat for comfort. This anxiety is triggered by memories from his past. The world has stepped on him and beat him down, so now he uses his hunting hat to symbolize his independence and alienation from the world. He consciously knows that the hat will not physically protect him, but, “the nihilist does not believe in the necessity of being logical.” (“On the Pathos of Truth”) So, since he doesn’t need to be logical, he uses the hunting hat regardless if it is actually going to work or not. Holden feels disconnected to the world in the beginning of the novel. Holden states that he feels trapped on “the other side of life.” (Salinger, 8) When Holden says this, he is in a distressed point in his life because he has recently just been expelled from his fourth school. The expulsion could be a reason why he feels so disconnected, but since this didn’t happen during his last expulsions, he
Holden Caulfield uses as the red hunting hat as a security blanket in a number of different ways. Holden Caufield will only wear his red hunting hat when he is alone. It makes him feel safe and he knows that he is by himself. After having visiting his teacher, Mr. Spencer, Holden says, “I swung the old peak way around to the back - very corny, I'll admit, but I like it that way. I looked good in it that way” (Salinger, 18). This quote shows how Holden does not care what his appearance is when he is wearing the cap. He admits that he wore it in a “corny” way, but he doesn’t care what he looks like with it on. This also shows how Holden is an individual and doesn’t like to wear it the way it is supposed to be displayed. When Stradlater notices the red hunting hat Holden becomes flustered. The author writes, “He meant my hunting hat. He'd never seen it before. I was out of my breathe anyway, I quit horsing around. I took off my hat and looked at it for about the ninetieth time.” (29). This is an important quote because it shows how Holden is insecure about his cap. When Stradlater acknowledges Holden about his hat he becomes flustered. As said in the quote he took the hat off after Stradlater informed Holden about h...
In the Catcher in the Rye, there are many ways Holden shows reader that he is immature. Holden is afraid of the responsibility that comes with being adulthood. He acts childish and the and asks immature questions to
Holden is also aware of the image the hat projects to others, and he often takes it off when he is around someone familiar. This functioned as a metaphor for Holden’s struggle between his need for independence and his need for companionship. Holden doesn’t want people he knows to see him with the hat on because he wants them to continue to be friends with him, and he fears loneliness. However, when nobody is around, Holden has no problem wearing the hat and embracing its quirkiness, because he feels a strong connection to the hat. As he walks down the street in the middle of the night, Holden states that “It was freezing cold, and I took my red hunting hat out of my pocket and put it on—I didn’t give a damn how I looked.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s outlook in life is either the innocence of childhood or the cruelty of adulthood. He believes that the innocence of childhood is very valuable and it should be protected from the cruelty and phoniness of the adult world. Therefore Holden has a desire and is compelled to protect a child’s innocence at all costs. This is revealed when Holden tells Phoebe that he wants to be the catcher in the rye. Holden says to Phoebe, “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they’re ru...
Holden's nervous impulse to protect women seems to have sprung up in his psyche from a very young age. After his brother, Allie, started to experience more severe symptoms of leukemia, Holden notes that his mother seemed "nervous as hell." His own mother's emotional problems (Lombardi) transfer to Holden on a very deep, psychological level because he feels partially responsible for his brother's fate in the first place. Seeing his mother in such a distraught state makes him feel even guiltier. The unintended consequence of this is that Holden grows up with a constant fear that he is going to hurt any woman that he grows close to. This manifests itself many times during his time in New York, with one of the earliest examples being his meeting with Sunny in the hotel room. Holden protects her innocence, but not for any particularly noble reason. He hangs her dress back up and insists that he just wants to talk, but Holden did not do this in an attempt to be some paragon of righteousness. Holden, on a deep, psychological lev...
To begin with, Holden’s love for the innocence and purity of childhood makes him very hesitant to transition into an adult life. Generally, he finds children to be straightforward, easygoing, and simply pure in every way. This is because they always say what they mean, and never try to set a false façade for...
“Holden flees in panic when he awakes to find Antolini patting his head, a gesture Holden interprets as “perverted”, though he later regrets this precipitous flight when he remembers Antolini’s kindness. This betrayal of trust contributes further to Holden’s overwhelming sense of depression and alienation” (Rollins 6). Holden feels uncomfortable when any person tries to connect with him emotionally. Since he always lives in his own world, the action of someone trying to join makes him hostile. He fails to trust anyone, especially people he does not know very well, because people constantly ignore him. “And his wearing it backwards suggest not only his defiant withdrawal from his teammates, but more generally, his basically recessive tendencies” (Vanderbilt 297). Holden chooses to wear his hat backwards because he does not want to be apart of the normal kids. For once, Holden chooses to escape his comfort zone, but he further isolates himself from his peers by doing so. He also chooses to act different because the thought of his classmates shunning him scares Holden. He feels more comfortable being by himself so he does not have to worry about what other people think about him. “Well—take me to Edmont then,’ I said. ‘Would you care to stop on the way and join me for a cocktail? On me, I’m loaded’” (Salinger 9). As Holden adventures into the real world and matures
Throughout the book Holden has troubles wearing his red hunting hat in public until one day he decides that he “didn’t give a damn how [he] looked” (Salinger 88). Holden is no longer abiding by society’s regulations on appearance. By becoming more intone with disregarding society’s standards one is able to find his/her true self. Furthermore, Holden starts learning “individual responsibility” and is coming to “terms with himself” (Bryan). Signifying how Holden finally realizes his individualism from society and his responsibility to uphold that individualism. Standing apart from society and not giving into its conformity is stepping in the direction of finding one’s true