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The catcher in the rye 4 character essay
The Catcher in the Rye Symbols, Motifs and Themes
Character analysis holden catcher in the rye
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“You’ll find you’re not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior.” This quote comes from Mr. Antolini, a former teacher of Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the novel. Holden is a conflicted, lonely, and disturbed teenager. He desperately needs guidance and direction, and even more so human interaction. Mr. Antolini tries to give him all of this, by attempting to guide Holden, giving him advice on issues he is struggling with, like, school and his home life. In a way, Mr. Antolini was striving to be a father figure to Holden. Trying to support him, and lead him on the right path in life. Holden’s immaturity is truly exposed when Holden runs out of the apartment, thinking Mr. Antolini …show more content…
is taking a pass at him. Whether Mr. Antolini was actually trying to molest Holden, or Holden’s attitude led him to jump to conclusions, this dilemma really casts light onto Holden’s irrational nature.
This event exposes his unfounded view of the world, where his obsession with sex and egotistical attitude block rational thinking. Holden’s interactions with Mr. Antolini reveals Holden’s desperate need for guidance, while also exposing traumatic incidences of Holden’s past, which help us to understand Holden more fully as a person. Holden’s incident with Mr. Antolini really gives hindsight to Holden’s lack of guidance throughout his life. When Mr. Antolini is giving him crucial advice on how to live his life, all Holden is thinking about is how tired he is and how nice Mr. Antolini was for taking the time to talk to him. This certainly shows how lost Holden is. Holden has been searching the whole novel for something that he cannot find. He desires guidance but when he receives it, he is uninterested. Holden is ultimately too conflicted to get anything at this point, because when he does get what he wants, he immediately desires something else instead. When Mr. Antolini touches Holden’s head, he irrationally assumes that Mr. Antolini is taking a pass at him. This shows his obsession …show more content…
of sex and how he is constantly thinking about it. The thought of touching Holden inappropriately could have never crossed Mr. Antolini’s mind. This showcases Holden’s self-absorbed, “all about me” attitude. He thinks people are always trying to get with him, even if they are not. “I know more damn perverts, at schools and all, than anybody you ever met, and they’re always being pervert when I’m around.” His self-centered attitude, his need for direction, and obsession with sex ultimately all fit together. His egocentricity denies him real connections with other humans, especially peers, which he so desperately needs and desires. His obsession with sex really showcases his immaturity and again, need for guidance. Holden thinks sex will fit the parent sized hole in his heart, but ultimately, he just needs direction and support. When Mr. Antolini tries to give him what he needs, Holden characteristically runs away, as he has done so in the rest of the novel with all his problems. He has dropped out of multiple schools after lack of effort caused him to fail out, he left Sally on their date when things turned sour, and he left the hotel after the episode with the prostitute. Holden runs away from all his current problems, but there are some deeper issues from which he cannot escape. J.D Sallinger includes this incident between Holden and Mr.
Antolini to explain deeply rooted incidences in Holden’s past that Holden would never come out and share. Holden characteristically, talks in a way that is very scattered and around the point. He doesn’t come out and say many things directly. Sallinger included this incident to showcase to the reader the motivations for Holden’s distrust and isolated attitude towards adults. Whether Mr. Antolini had bad intentions or not, what is really important is what this occurrence tells us about Holden. He says that “This kind of stuff’s happened to me about twenty time since I was a kid. I can’t stand it.” Holden’s lack of trust could have spurned from a childhood molestation from someone he was close to or trusted. It could explain his obsession with sex and his reluctance to partake in it. Even if Holden is exaggerating, which is very characteristic of him, he usually has some truth in what he’s saying. For example he says that Mrs. Antolini is about “sixty years older than Mr. Antolini.” This is clearly an exaggeration, but yet, there is some truth in the statement. Mrs. Antolini was probably a few years older than Mr. Antolini. Therefore, everything Holden says should be taken with a grain of salt, but that does not discredit his words overall. Holden has an awful relationship with his Dad, barely speaks to him and clearly resents him. This easily could have spurned from his childhood molestation. His
father could have molested him, or known about it, and this led Holden to resent his father and in the long run created this barrier of distrust towards any adult figures. Therefore, when Mr. Antolini reached out to Holden, attempting to be the father figure towards him, even the smallest physical gesture freaks Holden out enough to leave immediately. This insight to Holden’s past helps the reader to understand Holden’s past, and why he is the way he is now. In conclusion, Holden’s interactions with Mr. Antolini reveals Holden’s desperate need for guidance, while also exposing traumatic incidences of Holden’s past, which help us to understand Holden more fully as a person. Holden never really had a father figure growing up, as his relationship with his father was very unstable. Whether his father molested him, knew about it, or was out of the picture most of the time, Holden resents him for what happened to him. Mr. Antolini strives to be a father to Holden by reassuring and encouraging him. Holden, characteristically is uninterested in any guidance and plays it off. The sex-obsessed, egotistical, Holden then assumes Mr. Antolini is trying to molest him, and runs away. Holden then reveals his childhood molestation in a casual sentence. This entire incident with Mr. Antolini shows us how disturbing and painful Holden’s childhood was and how it has damaged him far passed the point of simple advice.
Holden is afraid to leave his precious/innocent childhood behind and enter the corrupted, evil society adults and ha trouble accepting adults and society. Mr. Antolini basically is saying He’s falling down the rye, and still hasn’t hit rock bottom because he can’t fully understand adults and society. Everything doesn’t make sense to him, from adults being complete phonies to sex. He can’t understand adults which is why his transition from childhood and adulthood is very difficult and complex for him. His own actions and decisions often contradict itself due to, to opposing “worlds” of Holden. Childhood and
In his fight with Stradlater, Holden’s character is shown as a defender of innocence. He defends the memory of his brother through the report he writes for Stradlater. Because of Stradlater’s criticism on his brother’s death, Holden destroys the essay and says “All right, give it back to me, then,’ I said. I went over and pulled it right out of his goddamn hand. Then I tore it up.” Holden is tormented by the memory of his brother throughout the novel, and in this fight he defends his brothers memory by protecting the baseball glove. Later in this scene Holden is upset with Stradlater’s relationship with Jane. Holden explains, “If you knew Stradlater, you 'd have been worried, too. I 'd double-dated with the bastard a couple of times, and I know what I 'm talking about. He was unscrupulous.” Holden tries to defend Jane’s innocence and the reader is able to see Holden’s ethical code to protect the innocence and memory of others. In Holden’s confrontation with Maurice, Holden displays his detestation of the evil phony. “All of a sudden I started to cry. I 'd give anything if I hadn 't, but I did. 'No, you 're no crooks, ' I said. 'You 're just steeling five ' 'Shut up, ' old Maurice said and gave me a shove.” The scene between Maurice and Holden over the prostitute Sunny shows his emotions when it comes to fake people. In this scene he
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
Holden returns to school and goes to his bedroom in the dorm. In his room quietly reading, his neighbor Robert Ackley came in. Holden describes him as a pimply, insecure, annoying boy with a bad dental hygiene. When Holden’s roommate Stradlater who was “madly in love with himself” (27) arrived home after the football game, Ackley abruptly left. Stradlater tells him that he has a date with a friend of his, Jane Gallagher. Jane is someone that Holden really cares for and because he knows the way Stradlater is, Holden became worried for her. “It just drove me stark raving mad when I thought about her and Stradlater parked somewhere in that fat-assed Ed Banky’s car”. (48) Holden became depressed and lonely, so out of the blue Holden decides to pack his things and leave for New York a few days earlier. On the train to New York, Holden meets the mother of one of his schoolmates. Not wanting to tell his whole life story, he told her his name was “Rudolf Schmidt”, the name of th...
So he stays the night at his former teacher, Mr. Antolini’s place. While Holden for the most part thinks of everyone as a phony, Mr. Antolini is one of very few exceptions. He makes it clear that this teacher was one that he trusted and was close to. Since Holden’s views holds him back from having close relationships with his peers, his relationship with his former teacher becomes more important. While he was sleeping on Mr. Antolini’s couch, Holden says that something happens. “Boy, it really scared the hell out of me.” He says. He wakes up to find Mr. Antolini patting his head. “Boy, was I nervous!” He admits he felt very uncomfortable in the situation and quickly ran out. An adult he had managed to form a trusting relationship with, something that was very rare for Holden, had done something to make him very uncomfortable. While it is unclear, it is very possible that Holden is misinterpreting Mr. Antolini’s actions. In his eyes, it is a “flitty pass.” It is made clear, however, that Mr. Antolini had been drinking and most likely he was not in his right mind. Once again, Holden’s views and the reality of the situation aren’t the same and he sees it as a
The origins of Holden’s disillusionment and the reason that it all started is the death of his younger brother which he was very fond of and admired, Allie, three years ago. The death of Allie is very significant in Holden’s mind since it is an event which he remembers quite clearly at multiple occasions during the book. For example, when Holden is writing a descriptive composition for his roommate Stradlater, he decides to write about Allie’s baseball mitt since it is the only thing on his mind. “My brother Allie had this left-handed fielder’s mitt. He was
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.
Antolini during chapter 24 and chapter 25 because the scene shows key factors of a depressive episode. As stated on SparkNotes plot overview of The Catcher in the Rye, “ Mr. Antolini asks Holden about his expulsion and tries to counsel him about his future. Holden can’t hide his sleepiness, and Mr. Antolini puts him to bed on the couch. Holden awakens to find Mr. Antolini stroking his forehead. Thinking that Mr. Antolini is making a homosexual overture, Holden hastily excuses himself and leaves, sleeping for a few hours on a bench at Grand Central Station”. This serves as a basic summary of Holden’s interactions with Mr. Antolini. And during Holden’s time in Grand Central Station, he states in the novel that he may have misjudged Mr. Antolini. At this point, on pages 214 and 215 of the novel, Holden becomes indecisive about whether or not to go back to Mr. Antolini’s apartment. “The more I thought about it, though, the more depressed and screwed up about it I got” is how Holden describes these thoughts. Some of the symptoms shown are, as quoted from PsyCom’s article, “indecisiveness”, “feelings of fatigue”, and “anxiety”. Furthermore, Holden’s mood swings seem to be in rapid cycling throughout the course of The Catcher in the Rye, further hinting at him being
The one thing that stands in the way of what Holden needs is himself. He continues to cut himself off from everything he had once loved. His negative self will not let him get close to anyone else, while trying to get distant from those he once was close with. Holden never looks to the positive side of anything. He is just stuck in a deep hole and he can’t find a way out. Whenever Holden believes that he has found something that could help him, he himself some how shuts the door to his own happiness.
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... ...
Around every corner Holden sees evil. He looks out on a world which appears completely immoral and unscrupulous. The three days that the novel covers place a distressed Holden in the vicinity of Manhattan. The city is decked with decorations and holiday splendor, yet, much to Holden's despair "seldom yields any occasions of peace, charity or even genuine merriment."3. Holden is surrounded by what he views as drunks, perverts, morons and screwballs. These convictions that Holden hold waver very momentarily during one particular scene in the book. The scene is with Mr. Antolini. After Mr. Antolini patted Holden on the head while he was sleeping, Holden jumped up and ran out thinking that Mr. Antolini was a pervert as well. This is the only time during the novel where Holden thinks twice about considering someone a pervert. After reviewing Mr. Antolini, Holden finally concludes that maybe he was not making a "flitty" pass at him. He wonders if he just like patting guys heads as they sleep. This is the only time in the novel where Holden actually considers a positive side to something. However, this event does not constitute a significant change. As Holden himself says, "It's not too bad when the sun's out, but the sun only comes out when it feels like coming out."4. The sun, of course, is a reference to decency through the common association of light and goodness. His perception of the world remains the same.
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.
According to Jonathan Baumbach Holden hungers for a wise and benevolent authority (467). He seeks direction from the adults that surround him but only finds disillusion. The relationship between Holden and his parents is not very defined throughout the book. Holden only speaks of his father with criticism and judgement toward his profession as a lawyer. Since he is not accepting of this father’s conformity with society, Holden is left without a father figure he can truly call ideal. Baumbach states that Holden seeks out Mr. Antolini as a substitute father. He sees Mr. Antolin as his last resort after all the other adults in his life, including his father, failed him. He hopes a substitute father will be able to pick him up before he is fallen (463).
The two worlds of childhood and adulthood are not as separate as Holden thinks they are. He cuts himself off from the rest of the world by judging others around him, mostly adults. In the book it says, “ What I liked about her, she didn’t give you a lot of horse manure about what a great guy her father was. She probably knew what a phony slob he was.” (Pg 3). The book starts off with him judging an adult that he barely knows. Holden is physically an adult, but in his mind, he is only a child. He can relate to a child better than he can with an
Mr. Antolini?s theory as to what is wrong with Holden is right on, it?s just too bad he was unable to get through to Holden. Due to the fact that Holden has already given up on himself and is unwilling to apply the valuable advice he has been given. He has lost the substantial ability to find happiness in life and therefore can?t find the energy to motivate himself in anything he does. It?s a tragedy that someone as bright as Holden Caulfield is unable to find the strength within himself to persevere in a world of insanity.