In the The Catcher and the Rye by J.D Salinger, the main character Holden, constantly moves from place to place in search of comfort and acceptance. Holden mentally isolates himself from society because he feels as if he does not fit in. He calls the people that are not like him phonies. Because of this, he is in search of a physical and mental place in which he is accepted and there are no phonies. Holden starts his journey when he leaves Pencey Prep. He leaves not only because he was kicked out, but because he felt as if he did not belong; he adds that being around Pencey Prep makes him “sad and lonesome” and that “it is full of phonies.” He describes leaving to be a vacation. When he leaves, he stays in a hotel. Holden gets tired of staying at hotels, so he calls Mr. Antolini. Holden asks to stay with him because he enjoys him as a teacher. Unfortunately, Holden’s comfort with Mr. Antolini diminishes when Mr. Antolini touches him in a way Holden feels is inappropriate. He quickly leaves Mr. Antolini’s apartment. He is disappointed because he feels as if his trust with Mr. Antolini is broken. Holden was hoping that staying at Mr.Antolini’s would be a safe haven from his parents, so when Mr. Antolini touches him becomes discouraged. …show more content…
After leaving the apartment, Holden realizes he has nowhere to go.
He decides to sleep in the waiting room of Grand Central Station. It is during this time period that Holden has time to think. He starts thinking about how he is going to run away; his plan is to say goodbye to Phoebe and then travel to a place where no one knows him and start over. This reveals how Holden tends to isolate himself. It is when Holden meets up with Phoebe that he decides not to leave. Phoebe serves as comfort to Holden and he does not want to lose that. When Holden is around Phoebe, he fits in. This is the comfort and acceptance he is looking for, so he decides to
stay. As Holden moves from place to place, he does not have a plan he just goes with the flow. He is lost. During the time of his journey, he contacts many of his old friends hoping to connect with them, and is disappointed when he doesn’t. He goes to places that he believes will satisfy him and when they don’t, he gets up and moves to a new place until he realizes that he does want to run away anymore. When he watches Phoebe on the merry-go-ride, he realizes that he is happy and that makes him comfortable. Holden’s physical journey is a depiction of his mental journey; his journey is finding acceptance.
Holden checked into the Edmont Hotel in Manhattan, where he hired a young prostitute named Sunny. This scene depicts Holden’s struggle with confused adolescence. Holden thought that sleeping with a prostitute would make him a man. However, when he was confronted with the burgeoning sexual situation, he yielded. After all, he is still just a child. “The trouble was, I just didn’t want to do it. I felt more depressed than
... has to go away. He runs to Phoebe’s school to leave her a note to meet him. While he’s waiting he notices “Fuck you” (201) on the wall. “It drove me damn near crazy,” he thought. Holden sees Phoebe with her suitcase as she tells him, “I’m going with you. Can I? Okay?” (206) Holden’s response was “No. Shut up”. Phoebe got angry and didn’t let up until Holden agreed that he wouldn’t leave. She went on the carrousel in the park and while she was going around and around, Holden felt so happy that, “[he] was damn near bawling”. (213)
Not only does he feel alienated from the other kids at school, he also doesn’t get along with people in his family. The only person that Holden gets along with in his family is his sister. Throughout the novel Holden has a relationship with his sister. As shown in this quote from chapter ten. “But I certainly wouldn't have minded shooting the crap with old Phoebe for a while”(). Phoebe is the only person that Holden ever reaches out to in the novel. Holden likes and connects to Phoebe because of her innocence. Holden feels like he doesn’t belong when he gets to Penn Station. When Holden arrives to Penn Station he wants to call a family member or friend but he feel likes he has no one to call. For an example when Holden says “The first thing I did when I got off at Penn Station, I went into this phone booth. I felt like giving somebody a buzz … but as soon as I was inside, I couldn't think of anybody to call up”(). Holden doesn’t feel close to any friends or family members to give them a call. Holden feels this way a lot thought the story. Not belonging is a big theme in Catcher in the
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
Phoebe tries to help Holden by asking him to name one thing he likes. However, when Holden mentions Allie, Phoebe tries to be his wake up call and remind him that Allie is dead (Salinger 171). This part in the novel shows how Holden is still attached to Allie, and will not forget about him. However, Phoebe tries to remind Holden that Allie is dead, attempting to make Holden let go of what happened in the past. Phoebe attempts to get Holden’s mind off of his removal from his school by asking him what he wants to become in the future (Salinger 172). This is when Phoebe’s words of advice and support start effecting Holden. Holden begins to think about his options, and what he truly wants to do in the future. “Why can’t I? Please, Holden! I won’t do anything-I’ll just go with you, that’s all! I won’t even take my clothes with me if you don’t want me to-I’ll just take my-” (Salinger 206). This quotation shows how supportive and encouraging Phoebe is towards Holden. When Holden tells Phoebe that he is leaving, Phoebe’s reaction is very affectionate. Phoebe brings a suitcase filled with her clothes, and begins to beg Holden to let her follow him. Phoebe’s encouraging words of advice, is another source of familial love for Holden to move on, and look forward towards his
Holden choices to seclude himself rather than face potential disappointment in relationships. The death of Allie deeply affected Holden and his view of the world. The pain of Allie’s death forced Holden to cut off emotional ties with others for self-preservation. In the opening chapters of the novel, Holden detached himself from his peers at the football game stating, “I was standing way the hell up on top of Thomsen Hill”(1.3). Holden isolated himself from others instead of bonding with his friends and peers. Holden saw and heard his classmates, but they were unable to see him. This disconnect protected Holden from forming a bond that would ultimately have to be broken when Holden left Pencey Prep.
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.
After spending some time at Mr. Spencer, his history teacher's house and getting lectured regarding his poor efforts in school, Holden fabricates a story to leave his teacher’s house without seeming rude. On his way to his dormitory at Pencey, Holden claims that he is an exceptional liar, and would lie even about the most insignificant facts, such as where he is going. He then goes into detail about whom his dormitory is named after, and how much of a phony the man is.
Not just for Phoebe, but also for those people who cared for him. He mentions that "[he] could probably tell you what [he] did after [he] went home, and how [he] got sick and all, and what school [he’s] supposed to go to next fall, after [he gets] out of here, but [he doesn’t] feel like it." (213) The phrases “sick and all” and “after I get out of here” represents that Holden had gone to the hospital to receive physiological treatment. The phrase “what school [he’s supposed to go” also represents that Holden is applying himself for his future just like how his teacher wanted him to. Although Holden “[doesn’t] feel like it,” he is going to try so that he becomes a worthy person for not just Phoebe but also the people that he cares about.
Holden's brother died when he was growing up and throughout his life he has always been getting kicked out of school. Later, he then goes to New York for a couple of days so that he doesn't have to go home early and explain to his parents that he got kicked out. He then goes to his sister Phoebe's school to give her a letter and finds something inappropriate written on the wall and scrubs it out. At the end of the book, Holden and his sister Phoebe go to the carousel.
Another part where Phoebe shows her influence on Holden is when Holden states, “… the kids were trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she’d fall off the horse. The thing… is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it…if they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them.” Holden feels that by letting Phoebe ride alone, he will make good for her, something that his parents did not give him. At the same time, Holden reveals his feelings towards his Allie, who he loves and takes care of.
In life there comes a time when everyone thinks that they are surrounded by phoniness. This often happens during the teen years when the person is trying to find a sense of direction. Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old teen-ager is trying to find his sense of direction in J.D. Salinger's, "The Catcher In The Rye." Holden has recently been expelled from Pency Prep for failing four out of his five classes. He decides to start his Christmas recess early and head out to New York. While in New York Holden faces new experiences, tough times and a world of "phony." Holden is surrounded by phoniness because that is the word he uses to identify everything in the world that he rejects.
Holden does not try at all in school. Holden also said he was flunking four out of his five classes. The only reason he was passing English is because he is learning the same concepts as the ones he learned at the last school he flunked out of. The same night he talked to Mr. Spencer, he also got into a fight over a girl with his roommate, Stradlater. After this fight, Holden packed up his most valuable belongings and headed into the city.
Holden has a respect for women that he views as unnatural. He feels that his sexual desires should be similar to those of his roommate Stradlater and peer, Luce. Holden shows his confusion by saying, "The thing is, most of the time when you're coming close to doing it with a girl, a girl that isn't ...
...causes problems with all of the "pure" women that he has ever known, whether it is his mother or Jane, and he knows that he can fix all of that with Phoebe. She is the only girl that he is able to fully attach himself to without having to deal with romance. Holden can love Phoebe, and Phoebe can love Holden, but it can still be entirely innocent love.