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Symbolism essay on catcher in the rye
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Symbolism essay on catcher in the rye
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holden Caulfield, the main protagonist in The Catcher In The Rye, is an unsympathetic character throughout the story. Holden being a young kid that was kicked out of his boarding school is trying to find his way back, but his life is complicated from traumatic events growing up like death and be shipped away to boarding schools. With the motifs reinforcing the the loss that affects Holden, and J. D. Salinger ideal of growing can be difficult. Holden is a unsympathetic chartier the novel The Catcher in the Rye.
Holden caulfield has a problem with fitting in through the book witch creates a rude and disrespectful attitude. Throughout the novel Holden is in everus situations in public were he starts to insulting random people he has no correlation
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with. Phony is a word used extensively by holden when he is describing people, no matter the person holden believes anybody is at phony. “It’s at phony. I could puke every time I hear it”(Salinger, 2014, p.12). When someone talks about things other than what Holden believes he thinks that they are phonies. This creates a barrier between Holden and anybody else because he does not want to be friends with anybody that is at phony in his mind. Holden is a very awkward person and does not understand why people clap or applaud for music like a person singing or playing an instrument. “ If you sat there long enough and heard all the phonies applauding and all you got to hate everybody in the world.”(salinger, 2014, p.157). Understanding what holden thinks of everybody already this is just showing that holden is a very unsocial person and doesn't like that many people. Also Holden tries to understand anybody but just starts insulting them by just looking at them. Another thing that stops Holden from fitting in is his problem to try to hang out with someone his age. In Holden's mind he thinks that he is really old then he is, he feels like he's in his 20’s but he really is only 16. “ I can’t sit in corny places like this sober can’t cha stick at little rum in it or something” (salinger, 2014, p.78). This shows that Holden is try to act older than he really is but trying to get alcohol from the bartender in a club. Instead of handing out with friends he is lonely in a club trying to get older women because he's alone. But later along Holden starts to calling people phonies for being a privileged kids at the club, but Holden is also a privileged at the club just holden is lonely and the other people are not alone so it bothers him. Another reason that holden is seen as unsympathetic is the fact that he fights authority throughout the novel in many different ways.
As a 16 year old Holden fights back or does not listen to people that are older or have authority over him. Growing up Holden was shipped to boarding schools constantal and he was never really home so it affected him. “ I wanted to call phoebe but i did not want to wake u my are parentes and them find out what happened.” (salinger, 2014, p.165). Holden is also afraid to talk to his parents about what happen, he wants to talk to somebody that has no authority over him so he does not get in trouble. That's Holden's main problem about calling his parents he's fine talking to phoebe but when someone with power comes he does not want to talk to them like his parents. “I Said i’m asking a question did they say what time they get back” (salinger, 2014, p.163). Again this is showing that he does not want to talk or even see his parents, even though they send Holden too expensive boarding schools and more. This does not matter to Holden at all tho he just is trying to hind from them and not let them know that he was kicked out of the school. Holden also does not respect most adults he and because of this he is disrespectful to them if he doesn't like them. For example he will start thinking rude things about them or just not have respect if they are talking. “ I can see the big phony bastard shifting into first gear asking jesus to send at few more stiffs” (salinger,2014,p.20). Even when somebody is just talking about what they believe in Holden stars to think mean thing about them for no reason at all just because he does not like the person. And Holden does like listening to most adults because he thinks that they are are just phoneys are trying to talk to the younger people. But most of the people that Holden thinks are phonies and rude to are really trying to help other people out with tips or just advice, just Holden does not like
it. Lastly the reason Holden is unsympathetic because the fact that he does not have any care for things that his family provides for him like his education. Holden has been sent to my expensive boarding schools over the years but he fails out of all of schools that he goes to. “ I was flunking out four subjects and not applying myself” (salinger,2014,p.6). Holden is not just failing because he needs extra help he is just failing because he doesn't care or try. Why would a person feel bad if he does not care himself. Holden does not care that his parents are spending a lot of money on the schooling but he still couldn’t care less. Holden also does not understand that he that he is one of the provided kid that he makes fun of. Holden makes fun of the kids that are given expensive things or how they dress but Holden is the same way but he makes fun of them but not himself. “On my right there was this joe yale looking guy in a gray flannel.” (salinger,2014,p.95). This is why there are people that dont like Holden because he is insulting the way the person dresses and does not know. The person goes too expensive school so he looks nice but Holden also goes to a school that is nice and people dress like that there but Holden finds it stupid to do. (add last mofit) So all in all Holden has problems like everybody else, but that does not mean that he has to be unsympathetic to everybody. Throughout The catcher in the Rye Holden shows everybody that he is a rude person with calling anybody a phony because he thinks its stupid, then Holden not understanding authority and trying to fight the responsibilities , and with Holden not caring about his schooling and be kicked out. Holden can not grasp the true meaning of everything that is given to him but still even because he is young he is still unsympathetic to everybody and about everything.
Holden struggles with himself mightily and cannot fulfill his responsibilities. One of Holden’s struggles is that he has a bad attitude towards everyone. For example, at the school he goes to, he hates his roommates and his teachers. In addition to not liking anyone, Holden
Holden Caulfield, the teenage protagonist of Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, struggles with having to enter the adult world. Holden leaves school early and stays in New York by himself until he is ready to return home. Holden wants to be individual, yet he also wants to fit in and not grow up. The author uses symbolism to represent Holden’s internal struggle.
Immaturity of Holden in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden, cannot accept that he must move out of childhood and into adulthood. One of Holden’s most important major problems is his lack of maturity.
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 Caulfield, portrayed in the J.D. Salinger novel Catcher in the Rye as an adolescent struggling to find his own identity, possesses many characteristics that easily link him to the typical teenager living today. The fact that the book was written many years ago clearly exemplifies the timeless nature of this work. Holden's actions are those that any teenager can clearly relate with. The desire for independence, the sexually related encounters, and the questioning of ones religion are issues that almost all teens have had or will have to deal with in their adolescent years. The novel and its main character's experiences can easily be related to and will forever link Holden with every member of society, because everyone in the world was or will be a teen sometime in their life.
Holden Caulfield is the narrator of the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. At first introduction, Holden is very judgemental about different characters and seems annoyed about his life. At times, the narrator is rude and has a sarcastic tone towards others when speaking. Holden would be a friend of mine because I enjoy the company of a friend who makes corny jokes.
As Holden Caulfield interacts with others and meets new challenges, he reveals his innermost feelings throughout The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. Some may interpret his behaviors as teenage angst, but others find that Holden reveals traits of a mental disorder. Specifically, Holden suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. Borderline Personality Disorder “is a serious mental illness marked by unstable moods, behavior, and relationships” (NIMH). He often experiences uncontrollable rage that results in altercations and behaves on impulse when handling money. He also shows signs of addiction when consuming alcohol. Additionally, Holden has trouble maintaining positive relationships with
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a story of Holden Caulfield's growth as a person. Some view Holden as a static character, and say that by the end of the novel he hasn’t changed. I’d say that on the contrary Holden is an extremely dynamic character throughout the story. Holden does change and grow as a character because he lets go of wanting to protect innocence in the world, we see Holden begin to grow into what Erik Erikson believes is the stage of development for adolescents, and he starts to be willing to apply himself.
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...
Many young people often find themselves struggling to find their own identity and place in society. This search for self worth often leaves these young people feeling lonely and isolated because they are unsure of themselves. Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger's main character in the book The Catcher In the Rye, is young man on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. One contributor to this breakdown, is the loneliness that Holden experiences. His loneliness is apparent through many ways including: his lack of friends, his longing for his dead brother, and the way he attempts to gain acceptance from others.
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
Lies, failure, depression, and loneliness are only some of the aspects that Holden Caulfield goes through in the novel The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger. Salinger reflects Holden’s character through his own childhood experiences. Salinger admitted in a 1953 interview that "My boyhood was very much the same as that of the boy in the book.… [I]t was a great relief telling people about it” (Wikipedia). Thus, the book is somewhat the life story of J.D. Salinger as a reckless seventeen-year-old who lives in New York City and goes through awful hardships after his expulsion and departure from an elite prep school. Holden, the protagonist in this novel, is created as a depressed, cynical, and isolated character and he expresses this attitude through his dialogue, tone, and diction.
In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger develops Holden Caulfield as a morally ambiguous character. Throughout the book, Salinger speaks as Holden and introduces him as a callous and subjective individual. However, the author permits the reader to be within Holden’s mind, giving the audience an alternative perspective of Holden’s true character. Without the obscurity of Holden’s personality, the work would lack a crucial element. As the protagonist, Holden serves as an equivocal adolescent that is relatable for the reader.
One reason is that Holden drinks and smokes at a young age. However, he gets past this because of his height and his gray hair. Another reason is that he does not care about his education. Even after failing school after school he still does not care whatsoever. He also said that he does not have much concern for his future either. In addition, Holden tries to flirt and date with older women that he does not know. Furthermore, Holden likes runs away from all his problems instead of facing them. For example, instead of telling the truth about his grades at Pency to his parents, he decides to stay on the run until he runs out of money and gets sick. Lastly, Holden repeatedly lies a lot throughout the book such as his name or even where he is going. In conclusion, I am certain that Holden is a problem
Holden doesn’t like the complexity of life and relationships. This is why he distances himself from his family and friends. After Holden is expelled from his school, he tries to stay away from his parents for fear of their reaction, even though learning of his expulsion is inevitable. He visits his sister Phoebe in their home multiple times throughout the novel because due to her young age, his sister and his relationship is simple. "For instance, within Holden, the desire to reject others conflicts with the desire to be accepted by others: he doesn't want to lend Stradlater his coat, but his overt actions belie this covert, warring want: he despises Ackley, but he invites him to see a movie; he hates movies, believing them to foster phoniness in society” (Mitchell). Holden struggles to “catch” others because he believes he is not accepted by others.