There will always be a moment where we all change, but most of us would prefer to hold on to remaining an adolescent. "Catcher in the Rye" written by J.D. Salinger, is a story about a high-school student, Holden, who looks for a reason to change and move on from his depressing page of life. The novel depicts the adventures of Holden as he processes a change. Through Holden's resistance to change, Salinger expresses that people sometimes crave for the past which impacts us negatively, but we would be better off if we learn to move on and find something special.
In the beginning of the book, Holden often craves for his familiar past. During Holden’s visit to the museum he observes the sameness of everything. Holden mentions that “the best
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thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move.” (121) The “museum” is used to refer his memories with Allie when they were both a adolescent. Because it was “the best thing,” it depicts that the museum was one of Holden’s most favorable areas and experiences that he would like to return to. The phrases “everything always stayed the same” and “nobody’d moved“ describe that no change is made although many years have passed. The museum exhibition also represents Holden’s happy memories alive. As Holden returns to his elementary school, he feels emotional. "When [he] got there, it felt funny. [He] wasn't sure [he'd] remember what it was like inside, but [he] did. It was exactly the same as it was when [he] went there." (199) Holden returns to his school to meet Phoebe. This quote entitle that Holden remembers his school in a high manner, because he used to attend the school himself. The phrase “exactly the same” represents that Holden still looks back into his past and recognizes the similarities. Another phrase, “I wasn’t sure I’d remember… but I did” also portrays that Holden craves and remembers his past in a highly detailed way. As Holden consistently craves for his past, he is effected in a negatively which causes him to have a negative tone and low social monitoring skills as well. He commonly mentions that "people never notice anything." (9) The word “people” shows that Holden thinks that he is different from the others. It also creates a phenomenon in which he builds up a shield to protect himself from becoming a phony. Throughout the book the word “people” is often used by Holden. He believes all the other “people” are phonies. The phrase “never notice anything” also represents that people do not care about others and think for themselves first which correlates to having low social monitoring skills. "There's a word [he] really [hates]. It's a phony. [He] could puke every time [he hear it." (9) “Hate” and the phrase “puke every time [he hears] it,” describes how much Holden dislikes the word or more like the type of person. In Holden’s perspective, the word “phony” pertains to people that think in a positive way or have a bubbly personality. Simply, people that are different than him or a person he cannot be; he also believes that everyone is a “phony” especially women and strangers. By the end of the book, Holden starts to let go of his past and move on as he finds a valid reason. During the encounters with Phoebe, he for the first time receives the affection that he had been craving for. "You can't take anything. Because you're not going. I'm going alone. So shut up." (206) The phrase “shut up” expresses how Holden is angry with Phoebe as she constantly tries to leave New York with him. With the phrase of “you can’t take anything” shows us that Phoebe has been trying to leave with him. Holden states that “I’m going alone,” which also shows us that he does not want to stay with people that don’t love him and believes that he had been living in a society where he was not loved. Phoebe is someone that everybody loves. He is unable to understand why she would want to go with him. However, "[He] felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around." (213) The affection of love that he had been craving for since Allie’s death. The phrase “damn happy” causes Holden to seem to have found the key to moving on in his life. He for the first time uses a positive word also causing us to believe that he is starting to feel the affection of love from Phoebe. She is not able to replace Allie’s spot, but becomes a new path for Holden to walk towards. The phrase “going around and around” also represents a circular pattern meaning that although she moves away she will always return to him. She shows and gives him the love that he desperately needed and wanted. Her actions start to break the shield around Holden that had been keeping him from not being able to move on with his life without Allie. To become a better person, Holden decides to go to the hospital.
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.
Despite Holden's resistance to change, he starts to change. "Catcher in the Rye," reminds us that changing is not easy to process mentally. Going through the true process of change, it requires us to let go of the past and move on which is hard. The novel represents the hardship of changing. It reminds us how great the value of finding something special and precious is as well as a valid reason although it requires us to let go and move on with our lives. All it requires is to simply let
go.
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.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is a popular novel that was originally published in the 1950’s. In the book, Salinger explores various themes through the main character Holden and his interactions with others. Some of these themes include, alienation, loss and betrayal. Holden constantly feels betrayed throughout the novel by several people, including his roommate, teacher, and sister.
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
Catcher in the Rye is a complicated book about a young man going through, what appears to be a nervous break down. This is a book about the boy’s negative self-talk, horrible outlook on life, and a life itself that seems to keep swirling down the toilet. He keeps trying to fill his life with something, but the reality of it is he doesn’t exactly now what he needs. It’s complicated to understand at parts, because all he does is think of things in the worst possible conditions.
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.
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.
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.
The Theme of Change: The Catcher in the Rye Change has one of the large-scale consequences on our inhabits. Even though it is often never observed, change occurs every minute and every second we are living on this world. We live each day without recognising the dissimilarities in us, if it's a personal or a mental change. It's not until we gaze back on our past through recollections and images that we realize how much we've really altered over time. Sometimes, we have to look actually deep and analyze locations or things that are untouched by change to help us realize how much we indeed have changed. J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye exemplifies the hardships of Holden, a troubled adolescent considering with his fear and disapprove of change in his life. The extent to which his anxiety with change moves is shown by his concept of being the catcher in the rye area, catching young kids that drop off the cliff. The tranquility he finds inside things residing the same is epitomized by his admiration of the never-changing Eskimos in the repository. The contradictory effect of change upon him, however, is best shown through his trauma regarding the death of his dear male sibling, Allie.
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 has been described, analyzed, rebuffed, and critiqued over the years. Each writer expresses a different point of view: It is a story reflecting teen-ager's talk--thoughts-emotions--actions; or angst. I believe it is an adult's reflection of his own unresolved grief and bereavements. That adult is the author, J.D. Salinger. He uses his main character, Holden, as the voice to vent the psychological misery he will not expose -or admit to.
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.
The Catcher in the Rye Holden Gets Influenced Everyone gets influenced by someone, even heroes do. The Catcher in the Rye, a novel written by J. D. Salinger, talks about Holden Caulfield, a 16 year old boy that is trying to live through his problems. Holden tries to learn from his experiences as well as from the ones of others. He goes through many hard times, but he always takes them as a chance to imagine how it could have ended if he had done something about them or what cold had happened if he was not so “yellow”.
Holden shows a particular liking towards children over adults. He values the innocence and authenticity of children and he tries to protect them from the phoniness and evil of the world. When he goes back to his old school at the end of the novel to give a note to Phoebe, he sees an obscenity on the wall that infuriates him. He says, "Somebody'd written `F*** you' on the wall. It drove me near damn crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and then finally some dirty kid would tell them-all cockeyed, about it and maybe even worry about it for a couple of days. I kept wanting to kill whoever'd written it" (201). When Holden's sister Phoebe demands that he tell her one thing that he really likes, Holden's responds saying, "I like Allie...And I like doing what I'm doing right now. Sitting here with you, and talking and thinking about stuff..." (171), showing that he's most content in the simple and innocent world of his childhood.
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.