Not one person can deny the emotional scarring alienation causes. For Holden Caulfield from the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, alienation can be expressed through the song “Lonely” by Henry Rollins. Although alienation causes Holden to be lonely, he mentally cannot find the strength to break free. Holden goes to great lengths to avoid creating meaningful relationships with others, preferring to alienate himself and be left alone with his thoughts and memories. A representation of this in the form of song lyrics from Holden’s theme song go: “I get up, walk out the door, I’m better off alone.” (L. 29) Even though Holden is surrounded by people, such as his roommates at school, some teachers and his sister, he would rather avoid …show more content…
them. His fear of connecting with someone that is bound to leave prohibits his ability to make friends. Throughout the novel, Holden has many opporunities to interact with those he is surrounded with. In spite of this, he often ends up alone, watching from afar so that he can “...hear them all yelling…(1)”, but he is not in a position where he has to converse with them. Despite not wanting to be left alone with his thoughs, Holden usually places himself in a situation in which he has no need to speak with others. Due to this, Holden alienates himself, albiet kowingly. Towards strangers, he comes accross as sarcastic and rude, never taking them seriously. So while he has no issue talking with people he doesn’t know, he can never converse with them for long. If they reject his ideas or respond as if he were a mental person, Holden would rather “[walk] all the way back…(13)” to wherever he came from to evade interaction, or he will suddenly “...have to get going….(2)”. To the reader, the strangers don’t appear condescending or rude, but this is all Holden can see them as. He doesn’t want to spend his time with those he considers to be ‘phony’, giving no thought to their feelings. Consequently this results in Holden being further alienated from the people around him, as his refusal to open up to others and treat them seriously causes him to be better off alone. In addition, Holden often complains about being lonely yet he never tries to create purposeful relationships with those around him, further alienating him. Lyrics that accurately portray why he is alienated go: “I hate the world that I think hates me…” (L.1). In reality, the world doesn’t hate Holden, Holden hates what the world does; steal the innonce of children by forcing them to be adults.
Holden refers to everyone around him as ‘people’, exclaiming that he is disparate compared to the surrounding world. Always wondering about seemingly pointless things, such as where the ducks go, Holden finds it difficult to understand that the “people never notice anything… (2).” Holden blames those around him for not noticing the hardships he is going through, resulting in him setting himself apart from the ‘people’ in order to feel better about his insecurities and low self-esteem. This creates an image of Holden believing himself to be superior to those around him, thinking that while he knows the problems that plague the world, the “people never believe [him] (5).” This further alienates Holden from those he’s close to as he feels like he cannot open up to anyone about what he is going through, forcing him to deal with his emotional hardships alone. Classifying those around him as uncaring further alienated Holden from society, as well as his blatant refusal to partake in conversations with anyone. While some people may be talking about how “...they’re crazy about cars…(17), Holden cannot even agree with something so trivial, explaining that “...[he doesn’t] even like old cars (17).” Even if he didn’t want to participate in the conversation, there was no need for such adamant denial over something so trivial. Once again, Holden’s fear of connecting with someone forces him to be alienated from the ‘people’ around him. By referring to those around him as ‘people’ and excluding himself from the majority, Holden has become alienated from the world that he thinks hates him. Despite the fact that Holden cannot stand to interact with the ‘people’ around him, he does not want to connect with someone, so he is not as lonely. The lyrics that aid in signifying this idea go “Feel the dark and cold alone it burns me…”
(L.3). So while Holden does not want to be alone, due to it hurting him emotionally, he cannot overcome his fear of those closest to him no longer being how he captures them; innocent. He often expresses how he thinks “...certain things should just stay as they are…(16),” meaning he can’t bear the thought that those he love may have changed. The most obvious example of this is when Holden talks about his friend Jane. He paints the image of an innocent girl that loves to play checkers with him, no phoniness in his memory like the many others he mentions. Even though she seems like the perfect person to confide in, Hoden can’t “...think of anybody to call up (9)”. He doesn’t want to talk to Jane and realize that she is no longer the picture of innocence he believes her to be. Holden can’t even bear speaking to his own brother, due to the fact that he has moved away and changed into someone he considers to be ‘phony’. This fear of change causes Holden to further alienate himself from those he used to be very close to, preferring to be “...one of those deaf-mutes…(25)”, rather than come to understand that while he is trying his best to stay in the past, everyone else is moving into the future. Holden uses this excuse of a person being ‘phony’ to avoid having to interact with people. He can’t begin to deal with the change of those he konws, let alone the changes occuring within himself. Fearinhg the loss of innocence due to this progression into adulthood pushes Holden further into alienation, leaving him dark and alone. In conclusion, Holden’s alienation can be expertly portrayed through the song “Lonely” by Henry Rollins. Despite the fact that Holden has many opportunities to reach out to others, reconnect with those he used to care for, and becomes a part of society, he cannot overcome his fear of change. Even though “there’s nothin like finding someone when you’re lonely…(L. 9)”, fear can cause a person to be trapped inside themselves, being viewed as someone rude or uncaring, rather than showing the emotional damage scarring that is hidden inside.
Holden is an outlier of society, and tries to hide his own weaknesses with his angry thoughts. It is also implied that Holden is enrolled in an institution as he talks about doctor appointments towards the beginning of the book.
Since Holden was isolated from his family, in order to not get hurt again he tries to find hypocrisy in people to stop himself from trusting others. Holden feels isolated after being sent to a boarding school that “was full of phonies” by his parents (Salinger 90). Salinger’s message to the audience with this quote is that when
“Isolation is the sum total of wretchedness to man.” (Thomas Carlyle). In the story Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, this coming of age book tells of the teen troubles experienced by the main character Holden Caulfield. After Holden gets expelled from his school Pencey Prep, Holden leaves school a couple days early to explore New York City. In his travels he experiences isolation from friends at school, feeling disconnected from his family, as he tries understand these periods angst he finds some peace.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is a popular novel that was originally published in the 1950’s. In the book, Salinger explores various themes through the main character Holden and his interactions with others. Some of these themes include, alienation, loss and betrayal. Holden constantly feels betrayed throughout the novel by several people, including his roommate, teacher, and sister.
Holden experiences both alienation and disillusionment when meeting with people like Sally Hayes, Sunny and Ackley. Holden is so desperate to have human connection yet, when he starts to talk to them, he experiences them as ‘phonies’. This makes him more depressed, continuing his downward spiral. Holden is caught in a trap of his own making.
He's so used to the idea of being alone that it becomes what he wants. Holden is so petrified of losing the people he is closest to, so he decides to not be close with anyone. He is afraid of the same repercussions from Allie. He would rather keep to himself than risk contentment, rationality, and stability. He for so many days after his removal from Pencey would by himself go to bars alone and try to drink away his pain. “I guess it was because I was feeling so damn depressed and lonesome” (Salinger 198). It’s during this time that Holden is falling down a dark, bottomless pit of depression and loneliness. It eventually almost became the death of him when he had isolated himself so much. He became sick, depressed, and full of anxiety. His decision to distance himself weakened him beyond his belief. “I still had that headache. It was even worse. And I think I was more depressed than I ever was in my whole life” (Salinger 252). His depression was starting to get the best of him and all he needed was to be comforted by someone other than
Holden's Seperateness in Catcher in the Rye In ‘The Catcher In The Rye’ Salinger sets about making Holden appear separate from everyone else. He does this through a variety of methods. One of the ways in which Salinger shows this separateness is through Holden’s relationships and encounters with his family and friends. Another method that Salinger uses is that usually whenever Holden attempts to contact someone they are either not there or don’t answer the phone, this give us the feeling that Holden is by himself, alone, separate from everyone else. Also the fact that Holden says ‘my address book only has about three people in it’ gives us again the impression that Holden is disconnected from society.
Holden alienates himself by believing he is better than everybody else. Every time Holden meets or talks about someone he is judgemental. Even when he is talking about someone he spends time with, he cannot help but ridicule them, “I never even once saw him [Ackley] brush his teeth....he had a lot of pimples. Not just on his forehead or his chin, like most guys, but all over his whole face. And not only that, he had a terrible personality. He was also sort of a nasty guy. I wasn't too crazy about him, to tell you the truth.”(Salinger,14 ). Ackley is probably the closest thing to a friend Holden has. Yet he criticizes him is a very nitpicky way, convincing himself he does not like
Since Holden relies on his isolation to sustain his detachment from the world and to keep intact a level of self-protection, he frequently sabotages his own efforts to end his seclusion. When Mr. Spencer explains that “life is a game that one plays according to rules” Holden reveals that he feels imprisoned on the “other side of life” where there are no “hot-shots”. Here, Mr. Spencer is lecturing Holden on his failed attempts at schooling and illuminating key aspects of Holden’s character. After hearing this advice from Mr. Spencer, Holden immediately goes on the defensive and internalizes his thoughts of not belonging in this world. This event shows Holden’s failed attempts at trying to find his way in this “phony” world that he feels is against him and leaves him feeling alone and victimized.
Holden Caulfield can be analyzed through his thoughts, actions and circumstances which surround his everyday life. Holden acts like a careless teenager. Holden has been to several prep-schools, all of which he got kicked out of for failing classes. After being kicked out of the latest, Pency Prep, he went off to New York on his own. Holden seems to have a motivation problem which apparently affects his reasoning. The basis of his reasoning comes from his thoughts. Holden thinks the world is full of a bunch of phonies. All his toughs about people he meets are negative. The only good thoughts he has are about his sister Phoebe and his dead brother Alley. Holden, perhaps, wishes that everyone, including himself, should be like his brother and sister. That is to be intelligent, real and loving. Holden’s problem is with his heart. It was broken when his brother died. Now Holden goes around the world as his fake self, wearing his mask. Holden is looking for love, peace and understanding. He is scared to love because he is afraid he might lose it like he did with his brother. That is the reason for Holden's love of the museum, he feels safe because it never changes it always stays the same. Holden is troubled with the pain of death, it effects every aspect of his life causing him to not care about the future, himself or anyone, except Phoebe and Alley.
Throughout the novel, Holden leaves hints insinuating that he is distancing himself from people and society through his actions and decisions. Holden shows his hate towards the adult world by mentioning “phoniness” throughout the book, insinuating that he will never be like this, even though it’s impossible. His constant failing at school evidences that he isn’t planning to have a common future by having a job like most people would. It was evidently explained that Holden doesn’t fit in because he doesn’t want to be part of humans’ corrupted society. Regardless of how one feels about society, it is evident that its flaws made a teenager retract from accepting humans’ adult world, and instead negated to be a part of it.
Throughout the novel Holden seems to be excluded from any group. He feels alienated from the rest of society, but I believe that Holden stays bitter on purpose. He keeps a cynical, sarcastic outlook on life so as to escape his true feelings. This is not uncommon for people who have trouble accepting their problems. Many of the times that Holden criticizes people it is something he does himself. (Pg 13) “… one of the reasons I left Elkton was that I was surrounded by phonies…” Holden himself is many times what he refers to as a “phony”. He knows that he lies and pretends to like people that he would rather not be with. (Pg 125) “… I told her I loved her and all. It was a lie of course…” His bitterness is a shield against his reality, a reality he doesn’t like at all. Yet at the same time Holden really wants to communicate with people. (Pg 66) “ I damn near gave my kid sister Phoebe a buzz…” He is torn between the two ways to act and cannot reach conclusio...
To Holden, everyone is either corny of phony. He uses these terms to describe what a person is if they do not act naturally and follow other people?s manners and grace. Holden dislikes phonies and thinks of them as people who try to be something they are not. He loathes people who showed off because it seems unnatural every time they do not act like themselves. Holden does not allow himself to have friendship because of his dull attitude. In the beginning of the book, the reader knows that Holden is lonely when he separates himself from the rest of the Pencey students by watching the football game from Thomsen Hill and not the grand stands. Holden is not a very sociable person partly because he finds himself better than many others. He dislikes his roommate because of his generic leather luggage. His next door roommate Ackley does not seem to want a friendship with him either. Holden finds Ackely?s zit crusted face ridiculous and doesn?t want him in his room at first. This shows the reader that Holden is a lonely person because he chooses to be lonely and does not want anything to do with people who do not fit into his perception of normal.
He complains about his school, saying that it is just like any other school and uses language that makes him sound very obnoxious. Holden seems to focus on girls quite a bit, just like any other teenage boy. He seems to focus on one girl in particular, a girl named Jane. We soon learn that Holden’s personality is not your average personality. Holden does seem to have some friends but he does not fall into many peer groups with the type of personality he has. Holden isn’t able to read social cues like most teenagers learn to do. For this reason, he seems to play around a lot in the wrong situations. Even his friends have matured enough to recognise that Holden needs to ‘grow up’. Holden’s resistance to emerging adulthood is the cause of many of the problems he is faced with during the
Holden had a tough time fitting in at his schools because he thought of almost everyone as phonies. "`It's full of phonies, and all you do is study so that you can learn enough to be smart enough to be able to buy a goddam Cadillac some day, and you have to keep making believe you give a damn if the football team loses, and all you do is talk about girls and liquor and sex all day, and everybody sticks together in these dirty little goddam cliques' (pg. 131)." He seems to have a history of expulsion and failure at various schools because of his lack of ability to cope with others. Ordinary problems of his had turned into major conflicts with other students. "I hate fist fights. I don't mind getting hit so much - although I'm not crazy about it, naturally - but what scares me most in a fist fight is the guy's face. I can't stand looking at the other guy's face, is my trouble. It wouldn't be so bad if you could both be blindfolded or something. It's a funny kind of yellowness, when you come to think of it, but it's yellowness, all right. I'm not kidding myself. (pg. 90)" Holden got into a fight with his roommate at school because he was going out with his ex-girlfriend. He's afraid that the guy is taking her from him, even though he's not with her anymore. These are problems that are normal, but Holden has trouble dealing with them.