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Review of the catcher in the rye
Holden Caulfield Catcher in the Rye character analysis
Character development of holden caulfield
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What does it take to grow up? This is the existential question that many teenagers have to face when they are transitioning from childhood to adulthood. Teenagers have to explore the cruel reality of the adult world and learn how to be independent when growing up. However, many factors affect the process of growing up and teenagers must learn from these experiences. Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye is uncomfortable with his own weaknesses and inability to mature, so he insults other people for their flaws, notices the contrasting innocence of children to his own nature, and attempts to engages in activities strictly meant for adults.
Holden shows his weaknesses and inability to mature through his snap judgements in assuming labels of others.. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield aims criticism at other people for not being perfect:
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“These intellectual guys don’t like to have an intellectual conversation with you unless they’re running the whole thing… The thing he [Luce] was afraid of, he was afraid somebody’d say something smarter than he had.
He really amused me” (Salinger 191). The context of the dialogue is a phone call in which Holden calls Luce to gain advice. Holden criticizes and judges Luce’s arrogant atmosphere in which Luce seems like he does not want anyone to sound smarter than him. However, this is criticism only aimed at himself. Holden is a hypocritical character in the sense that he points out other’s imperfections when they are really parallel to his own. His perception is that he is the only character who has not been damaged by the adult world; although, he is slowly becoming more of an “adult” when he denounces other adults in his life- this transforms him into a human incapable of seeing his true faults. Holden also criticizes the conversation of Sally and George: “He [George] was the kind of a phony that have to give themselves room when they answer somebody’s question… It was the phoniest conversation you
ever heard in your life…” (Salinger 165). The context of this thought was that George rudely interrupted Sally and George, so Holden was annoyed at George and ultimately made a snap judgement about him. Holden also points out that Sally and George engage in a phony conversation, and that makes both characters superficial in his point of view. To contrast this, Holden can actually be a “phony” himself since he does not tell George and Sally right away his thoughts on them; he is being dishonest. His weaknesses are elaborated on by proving that he is a “phony” and his accusations of other people’s flaws only further prove that he is unable to mature. Holden notices the innocence and happiness that is evident in his younger sister, Phoebe; it contrasts to his own behavior that is flawed in comparison to childhood. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden describes his sister as very smart and never mentions any character flaws: “You should see her. [Phoebe] You never saw a little kid so pretty and smart in your whole life. She’s really smart” (Salinger 87). When Holden is describing his sister whilst walking through the streets, he is using words of kindness instead of the harsh words he usually uses when judging adults; this shows that children contain innocence and cannot be falsely judged to have flaws . These two characters contrast because Holden has many mental and emotional flaws, and Phoebe is unflawed (in the way Holden describes her). Holden sees his past, innocent self reflected in his sister, Phoebe. This just highlights the fact that Holden far from the innocence that he once had, but is still far from becoming an adult. At the end of the novel, Holden also expresses happiness for his sister riding the carrousel: “I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around…” (Salinger 275). Holden feels happy about Phoebe riding the carrousel because her happiness is contagious, opposite of Holden’s contagious judgemental atmosphere that he contains around adults. What Holden thinks about Phoebe is pure and loving, unlike his constant criticism of adults around him. Phoebe is a pure and innocent character, completely opposite of Holden; her unflawed nature totally contrasts Holden’s hypocritical and flawed nature. Holden tries to engage in activities strictly meant for adults; his inability to handle them shows his immaturity and also brings out flaws in his character. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden tries to have sex with women in an attempt to feel more like an adult: “I was starting to feel pretty sexy and all, but I was a little nervous anyway. If you want to know the truth, I’m a virgin” (Salinger 120). In the context of the text, the prostitute he hired regards him as a casual appointment and not as someone who she actually cares for. Holden is not aware of casual sex and he thinks that sex should be between two people who love and care for each other; this shows his childish thinking and reasoning that only further proves his inability to mature. Another reason why Holden decided to hire a prostitute is because he wanted to attempt to become more mature. Having sex is a way to boost Holden’s self-esteem and a way to fulfill an “adult” duty. Holden is also frequently spending his money on alcohol and going to bars, attempting to start up a habit that adults frequent: “Boy, I sat at that goddam bar till around one o’clock or so, getting drunk as a bastard. I could hardly see straight” (Salinger 194). The purpose of including Holden’s thoughts in this instance was to show how drinking affected his health and responsibility. Getting drunk is a way of coping with his current situation- he wants to forget how cruel the adult world can be. It affected his physical health drastically- this just shows that Holden is a weak character and he cannot face his own responsibilities head on. Holden’s immaturity in not maintaining his composure in a healthy way proved that he could not possibly handle the complexity of the adult world. Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye has many character flaws, but only can see them in other people and blinds himself from the disappointment of being an adult by exploring the adult world and reminiscing about childhood. He points out the flaws in other people that are really his own, sees the past innocence he once had reflected in his sister, and develops “adult” habits like drinking and having sex. J.D. Salinger made Holden uncomfortable with his own weaknesses and inability to mature to relate to teenagers in everyday life who could be going through similar journeys. Salinger wanted readers (particularly young people) to have a story they could follow and learn from mistakes Holden made throughout his journey,
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
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 also has a negative perspective of life that makes things seem worse than they really are. In addition to Holden’s problems he is unable to accept the death of his brother at a young age. Holden’s immaturity, negative mentality, and inability to face reality hold him back from moving into adulthood.
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.
At first glance, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye simply tells the story of Holden Caulfield, who is often characterized as annoying and whiny by the people around him. The anti-hero frequently speaks on impulse, making quick and often inaccurate observations of others. Holden’s immature and overly critical attitude turns off those he encounters, who are displeased with how callow he is. However, what these characters fail to understand is that there is actually a sort of sophistication behind Holden’s reasoning. In fact, throughout the novel, Holden disguises his maturity through outward displays of childishness.
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
J.D Salinger in the Catcher in the Rye said “The mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one”. This quote means a mature man wants to help others while an immature man is all about himself. Holden is self-centered person . He is an immature boy ,who doesn't like change and kept stating that mature people are phonies.
Growing up is not easy. The desire to slow down or stop the process is not unusual for adolescents. Resisting adulthood causes those who try to run away from it to eventually come to terms with the reality of life: everyone has to grow up, and fighting against it makes it much harder to accept in the end. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield often tries to resist the process of maturity in an effort to avoid the complicated life he might face as an adult, making him an unusual protagonist for a bildungsroman; this struggle, however, opens Holden’s eyes to the reality and inevitability of growing up, helping him realize that innocence does not last forever.
In the modern world, everyone must make the transition, no matter how scary or daunting it may be, into adulthood at some point in their lives. Most individuals are gradually exposed to more mature concepts, and over time, they begin to accept that they can no longer posses the blissful ignorance that they once had as a child. Others, however, are violently thrown from their otherwise pure and uncorrupted adolescent lives through a traumatic event that hurls them into adulthood before they are ready. The novel The Catcher on the Rye written by J.D. Salinger, explores the struggle children face to adapt to adult society through the main character Holden Caulfield, a teen that lost his innocence, and is still attempting to cope with the fact that everyone grows up.
Growing up poses challenges to most people at some point in their lives. 16-year-old Holden Caufield is no exception. He is an apathetic teenager who’s flunked out of many schools. Underneath the cynical exterior though, Holden is troubled. He has different methods for escaping his problems but in the end they just cause him more problems. J.D Salinger, in his novel The Catcher in the Rye shows that often times when an individual faces problems in their life they will try to find a means to escape, instead of solving them.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield goes on a psychological journey that forces him to grow up. He starts off as an immature teenager. However, through his experiences he is able to become a mature young man.
Growing up and becoming mature can be an intimidating experience; it is difficult to let go of one’s childhood and embrace the adult world. For some people, this transition from youthfulness to maturity can be much more difficult than for others. These people often try to hold on to their childhood as long as they can. Unfortunately, life is not so simple. One cannot spend their entire life running from the responsibilities and hardships of adulthood because they will eventually have to accept the fact that they have a role in society that they must fulfill as a responsible, mature individual. The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger follows the endeavours of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old teenage boy who faces a point in his life where he must make the transition from childhood to adulthood. In an attempt to retain his own childhood, he begins hoping to stop other young children from growing up and losing their innocence as well. As indicated by the title, “The Catcher in the Rye” is a book that explores a theme involving the preservation of innocence, especially of children. It is a story about a boy who is far too hesitant to grow up, and feels the need to ensure that no one else around him has to grow up either. His own fear of maturity and growing up is what leads to Holden’s desire to become a “catcher in the rye” so he can save innocent children from becoming part of the “phoniness” of the adult world.
There is one event that unites all human beings. This event is the process of growing up and becoming an adult. The transition into adulthood from childhood can be very long and confusing. As a kid most of them can not wait to become an adult but once you experience adulthood you miss your childhood. The novel Catcher in the Rye shows how a teenager on the break of entering adulthood can get scared. Through the main protagonist Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger captures the confusion of a teenager when faced with the challenge of adapting to an adult society. Holden is faced with many problems as some teens
Upon introduction, Holden Caulfield gives the impression of being a textbook teenage boy. He argues that Pencey Prep, the all-boys academy at which he studied, is no greater than any other school and is “full of crooks.”(Salinger, 7) His harsh language only further argues that he is situated in an all-male environment and has no apparent filter for when swearing is inappropriate. Despite all of the indications that Holden is typical, it soon becomes evident that Holden’s personality does not conform to the teenage stereotype. Although he appears to have some friends, namely, his roommate, Stradlater, and ‘Ackley kid’, it is clear that he does not integrate well with his peer group. Holden’s inability to read social cues leaves him in the dust when all of his “friends” have matured enough to recognize his need for improvement. He is constantly making jokes out of everything without any thought as to how h...
The term “phony” reoccurs over the course of the novel; Salinger informs the reader, “you’ll find that you’re not the first person who was ever… sickened by human behavior.”(189) Initially, Holden is portrayed as an extremely judgmental individual; however, the reader cannot help but ignore the underlying truth to what Holden observes around him. Overall, Holden is disgusted by the superficial and hypocritical world that is evolving around him. Holden Caulfield encounters numerous “phony” people. Many of his acquaintances have traits that make them easily capable of being labeled as pretentious, much like Ward Stradlater and Carl Luce. Yet, there are other individuals that the common reader would not consider “phony”, for instance the actors of the play. He describes the actor as doing more showing-off than real acting, and makes them appear conceited. Additionally, when he is conversing with other viewers, he also believes they are superficial in the way they are discussing the play. By Holden’s quick perceptions of people, Salinger presents Holden as a hypocritical, disapproving villain. Alternatively, Holden describes people for what they really are and wishes that the world could be a much simpl...
Thinking back as a teenager, have you ever had conflicting feelings between staying as a child or becoming an adult? While wanting to mature because of the rights and freedom only given to adults, adolescents do not want to leave their simple life as a child. The protagonist Holden Caulfield from the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger has conflicting emotions on this topic. Despite wanting to remain in childhood, he also desires to become an adult. However, throughout the novel it is evident that his wish to stay as a child is greater than his eagerness to grow up. He expresses the pain and challenges that come with growing up. Therefore, the process of growing up and entering the adult world is challenging as it brings changes,