Throughout the history of literature, humans have learned from one another, using examples from their elders to help compose stories of their own. The novel The Catcher in the Rye, written by J. D. Salinger, is a coming of age story about a teenager named Holden Caulfield. Salinger was well known for representing teenagers for who they are, young people who were not perfect and had secrets. Many authors since Salinger have agreed with this notion. Salinger's character Holden is the renowned archetype, an original model or type after which other similar things are patterned, that many authors use today to model their characters after. The character Charlie from Stephen Chbosky's novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Holden Caulfield are …show more content…
two similar teenagers in the respect that they both look for love in people they cannot have, which eventually leads both to having mental break downs. LOVE OF A DEAD RELATIVE As humans, it is a natural occurrence to want to be loved, but for both Holden and Charlie, they search for love in people who cannot reciprocate their feelings. Losing a loved one can be a very stressful situation, especially if one is close to the deceased. At a young age, both Holden and Charlie had the displeasure of losing the person closest to them. For Holden, at the age of thirteen, it was his brother Allie as shown in the quote, "He's dead now. He got leukemia and died when we were up in Maine, on July 18, 1946. You'd have liked him. He was two years younger than I was " (Salinger 38). In the Catcher in the Rye, Holden tells us that his brother has passed on without any foreseeable warning. One second he is describing Allie's baseball glove with green writing on it, and the next he says that he is dead. The suddenness of Holden saying that Allie is dead shows that it is a sore subject and that he truly misses and loves his brother. For Holden, Allie was the person in his life that he could literally look over his shoulder, and see his signature red. He knew that no matter what, Allie would be there for him, until he was not. Unlike Holden, Charlie did not lose his younger brother. At the age of seven, Charlie's beloved Aunt Helen was killed in a car accident.
"I'm really glad that Christmas and my birthday are soon because that means they will be over soon because I can already feel myself going to a bad place I used to go "(Chbosky 74). Birthdays and Christmas are typically associated with happy memories and excited anticipation, but Charlie has deep-seated anxieties about these special days because his Aunt Helen died on his birthday, December 24. He misses her more than anything. Every year, unlike other members of Charlie's family, his Aunt Helen would get Charlie two gifts: one for his birthday and another for Christmas. The year she died, she forgot to get Charlie a second gift; but despite the bad weather, she went out to get one anyway. On the way home with the gift, the snow was falling too heavily and she crashed. Because of the circumstances surrounding Aunt Helen's death, it causes Charlie to feel that her death was directly his …show more content…
fault. Both Holden and Charlie refuse to let go of the emotional pain that comes along with loving someone who is no longer of this earth. By holding onto "affection(s)" that "were unavailable.", both boys were not able to come to terms with their loses and pasts, which led them to not being mentally sound (Mendelsohn 124). LOVE CAUSES MENTAL BREAKDOWNS In "Brochure Discusses Coping With Grief", grief is described as an overwhelming human emotion that, if not handled properly, "normal grief reactions include insomnia, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Post-traumatic grief reaction includes yearning for the deceased, a pre-occupation with the deceased, feeling stunned and difficulty accepting death". The repercussions of not being able to grieve properly are evident in how Holden responded to his brother Allie's death ; "I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it. I even tried to break all the windows on the station [...], but my hand was already broken and everything by that time" (Salinger 38-39). Holden could not handle Allie's death, and by responding in such a violent way, it caused him to be hospitalized in fear of him acting out violently again. Because he had to be hospitalized, "he was unable to attend the funeral, to witness the completion of the life process," which did not allow him the sense of closure Holden needs to move on; that later leads to another mental breakdown ("Academic Help"). Abuse is a very serious crime, especially when it involves children. In the article Childhelp Child Abuse Statistics Comments, it is stated that every year more than three million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving more than six million children. Twenty point seven percent of those reports involve sexual abuse. Being abused as a child can cause serious mental damage to the victim, "including various kinds of phobic, depressive, anxiety and eating disorders, not to mention borderline personality, antisocial personality and multiple personality disorder" ("Child Abuse Has Many Potential Impacts"). Child abuse, more specifically molestation, can also cause mental breakdowns; which can be seen through Charlie. Charlie finds himself experiencing somewhat of flashbacks, where he sees him and his Aunt Helen sitting on the couch watching the television. The more and more Charlie remember, he realizes that his relationship with Aunt Helen was not like what he thought. Every time Charlie's parents would leave Charlie and his sister home alone, their Aunt Helen would molest Charlie. Not being able to deal with the realization that his loving relationship with his Aunt Helen was actually one of abuse, Charlie's mental health deteriorated; "The doctor told me that my mother and father found me sitting on the couch in the family room. I was completely naked, just watching the television, which wasn’t on. I wouldn’t [...]. But it didn’t work" (Chbosky 208). Love is a wonderful thing that can cause both happiness and pain. Both Holden and Charlie are similar in the respect they had the displeasure of experiencing an extreme kind of pain because of their love. A pain so extreme that it caused their view of the world to become distorted. Their mental health deteriorated to the point that they could not control themselves. CAROUSEL V. TUNNEL A carousel goes around and around, never going anywhere.
It is a symbolizes how Holden, who would like nothing to change and everything to stay the same, now accepts that this is a childish dream. He lets Phoebe go on the carousel, comfortable with this decision. Holden mentions that Phoebe protests, arguing that she is too big to ride the carousel, but Holden knows that she is lying and actually wants to do it and he buys her a ticket. Holden declines to ride, which shows him accepting his status as an adult. There is an element of awe to the moment, as the carousel is operating even though it is wintertime. It continues to always stay at the same pace, moving in circles; it stays the same while the children who ride it continue to grow older. In a way, the carousel is nostalgic of the statues in the Museum of Natural History, because they do not change. The pleasure Holden gets from watching Phoebe ride the carousel would seem to be, like his moments at the museum, self-deceptive. But Holden does show some signs of growth, he comments: “All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe [...] If they fall off, they fall off” (Salinger 211). By saying this it shows that Holden is coming to terms with the idea that every child will eventually “fall” out of innocence and into adulthood; that his “catcher in the rye” fantasy was just that, a fantasy. Holden cannot prevent or save children from growing up, just like he cannot prevent or save himself from
becoming an adult. As clique as it sounds, love can heal all wounds. For Holden and Charlie, they find the closure they need through loved ones who could actually in return love them. These people were able to pull both boys out of the dark depths of their depression just by being there for Holden and Charlie; showing them love and compassion.
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.
In the novel, Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is an example of a prosaic rich adolescent boy,with a pedestrian set of problems, but a psychoanalysis reveals that Holden has a plethora of atypical internal conflicts. Internal conflicts that other students at Pencey, such as Stradlater and Ackley, would not normally experience.
The carousel never changes, and continues to move in circles and always stays in the same speed; it stays the same while the children who ride it grow older. However, these children riding the carousel “kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and [Holden] was sort of afraid she’d fall off” (232). These children are teetering on the edge of innocence, close to falling from the safety of childhood into maturity. Holden, sitting on a bench watching these children on the edge of the cliff, cannot protect them from the fall. Holden explains this incapability as he admits, “if [children] want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them” (232). Holden concludes that he cannot protect these children or himself from falling off the metaphorical cliff into adulthood; therefore, he abandons his dream of being the catcher in the rye and accepts his own transition into adulthood. Although Holden’s bold efforts proved incapable, the symbolism of cyclical objects conveys that Holden’s desire of endless innocence cannot transcend
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.
In J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is a rather negative teenager who has been kicked out of yet another boarding school. Set in the late 1940s, he decides to leave his school, Pencey Prep, early and takes a trip to New York City. As Holden adventures through New York City, he seems to have a fixation on his brother, Allie’s, death. Allie dies a few years prior to the novel, and this tragedy has seemed to leave a long-lasting, negative impact on Holden. Because he has seen the harsh realities of adulthood, too early, Holden has tried not only to not grow up himself, but to also prevent others from having to face the sadness that comes with maturity.
Catcher in the Rye is one of the most famous books in American literature. Written by J. D. Salinger, it captures the epitome of adolescence through Salinger’s infamous anti-hero, Holden Caulfield. Holden Caulfield learns about himself and his negative tendencies, and realizes that if he does not do something to change his perspective, he may end up like his acquaintance James Castle whom he met at Elkton Hills. Holden tries to find help to mend his outlook on life through Mr. Antolini so he does not end up like James, who did not want to face the problems he created for himself. This is proven by the similarities between James Castle and Holden, Mr. Antolini’s willingness to try and help Holden, and Holden’s future being forecasted by James.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is an enthralling and captivating novel about a boy and his struggle with life. The teenage boy ,Holden, is in turmoil with school, loneliness, and finding his place in the world. The author J.D. Salinger examines the many sides of behavior and moral dilemma of many characters throughout the novel. The author develops three distinct character types for Holden the confused and struggling teenage boy, Ackley, a peculiar boy without many friends, and Phoebe, a funny and kindhearted young girl.
Childhood is an unusually hard thing to rid yourself of when it is time for you to pass into the intensified life of adults. Personally, I have yet to overcome that challenge. The Catcher in the Rye is a well developed story about a high school boy, Holden Caulfield, who is stuck between the stages of adolescence and adulthood, and is trying to discover his identity. All his life, Holden Caulfield has refused to grow up, and as the book progresses, he is on the fine line of leaving innocence and adolescence behind and passing into adulthood, but what gives him the needed shove into the realm of adulthood was getting over his brother, Allie’s death. To Holden, Allie is the main definition of innocence. Eventually Holden comes to the decision to be the catcher in the rye. After this decision he tries to follow through with his plan and ultimately decides that he can’t keep anyone from growing up. This seems to be his breaking point in the book where he finally overcomes all his negative emotions towards Allie’s death and accepts it for what it is, knowing that he has to move on.
Over the years, members of the literary community have critiqued just about every author they could get their pen on. One of the most popular novels to be critiqued has been J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. In favorable critiques, Holden Caulfield is a good guy stuck in a bad world. He is trying to make the best of his life, though ultimately losing that battle. Whereas he aims at stability and truth, the adult world cannot survive without suspense and lies. It is a testament to his innocence and decent spirit that Holden would place the safety of children as a goal in his lifetime. This serves to only re-iterate the fact that Holden is a sympathetic character, a person of high moral values who is too weak to pick himself up from a difficult situation.
The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J.D. Salinger that is told from the point of view of Holden Caulfield. Holden is a young man struggling with growing up and facing the adult world. As a misunderstood teenager, Holden learns to deal with the deception of the adult world and the consequences of his choices.
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is home to the protagonist Holden Caulfield. There is no coincidence that he holds a striking resemblance to the author of the novel himself. Salinger seemed to have a similar childhood as Holden describes in The Catcher in the Rye. Both men also seemed to have a certain fascination with younger children, especially younger women. J.D. Salinger based one of his most famous characters, Holden Caulfield, on personal experience.
The Catcher in the Rye told a story of Holden Caulfield and his struggle to find something pure in a world filled with “phonies” (Biography). It is arguable that some of Holden’s experiences could be comparitively autobiographical to Salinger’s real life. Much like J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a reserved character, attending Pencey Prep (Salinger, J.D.). Both Holden and Salinger were born and raised in Manhattan, and went to private schools in Pennsylvania. Another seemingly important characteristic between the two is that they were kicked out of numerous schools because of grades.
It takes many experiences in order for an immature child to become a responsible, well-rounded adult. In J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger’s main character Holden Caulfield matures throughout the course of the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Holden is a juvenile young man. However, through his experiences, Holden is able to learn, and is finally able to become somewhat mature by the end of the novel. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield’s story represents a coming of age for all young adults.
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 this thought of Holden’s, the carousel becomes childhood, and the gold ring becomes adulthood. Holden sees that when children are confident enough they will start to lean out of the seat in order to acquire or achieve the gold ring or adulthood. He also realizes that no matter how hard it is not to, advising the child when to start reaching for the ring will never end well. It is revealed to Holden that if the children fall, they fall and the only thing they can do is get back up and try again. This leads Holden to fathom the fact that maybe Pheobe is ready to take that risk even if Holden isn’t. This shows how he accepts the fact that adulthood is a fact of life and it is a person’s choices that effect how it