Kelsey Bernard Mrs. Maggert English III November 7, 2016 [01 month 2016] Help Me, But Don’t great title! Good job! In the book The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, the main character Holden gets kicked out of his school because he is failing 4 [zero - nine you spell out, anything larger than 10 you can use numerals] classes. All throughout the story he goes talking from girl to girl and goes bar hopping, trying to avoid the reality of life because it’s too much for him to handle. As he makes his way back home where he has to tell his parents once again that he has been kicked out of another school, he has to face some sticky situations. Holden suffers from depression and anxiety because of his brother's passing, He is insecure …show more content…
and can't seem to cope with reality, relationships, and commitment. “I’m the most terrific liar you'll ever saw in your life” (Salinger 22), Holden uses lying as a way to escape reality because he doesn't want to face real world problems, He would rather Feel numb than feel nothing at all.
Because when he feels something, he’s sad and depressed and feels as if he wants to die. “ I wasn’t sleepy or anything but I was feeling sort of lousy, depressed and all, i wish i was dead” (Salinger 118). He lies to everyone he knows to be able to steer away from situations he doesn’t want to be in. or to make himself seem more interesting. For example, when Holden was on the train talking with one of his prior Pency classmate's mother, he lied about his name, why he wasn't at school, and about the woman's son. Holden did this and felt guilty afterwards because he found that she was a caring person and wanted her to be able to trust …show more content…
im Holden isn’t very good at maintaining a relationship, whether it be with girls, his family, or friends for that matter. He doesn't have good relations with people because he has a hard time trusting them, “ people are always ruining things for you” (Salinger 114), or giving them a chance, “ I was surrounded by jerks, I’m not kidding” (Salinger 111), “ All I ever meet is witty bastards” (Salinger 197). His depression and anxiety play part in his difficulty because after his brother died, he lost a part of himself. He didn't like telling people his personal business to begin with but he shared special information with his brother Allie and his sister Phoebe, and when allie died apart of his world was cut off. Holden has a hard time committing to things.
He could never stay at one school because he never care to commit to it. He always thought it was everyone else's fault he got thrown out and never took responsibility for his actions. “They kicked me out, I wasn’t supposed to come back after christmas vacation, on account of I was flunking 4 classes and wasn't applying myself (Salinger 7). “One of the biggest reasons I left elkton hills was because i was surrounded by phonies” (Salinger 19), this quote proves that Holden was more concerned about the people he was surrounded with rather than his studies, and couldn't apply or commit himself to bettering his education. Holden also had a hard time being committed to girls, he would either lose interest or find a reason not to like her. “I wasn’t too crazy about her, but I’d known her for years” (Salinger
137). Holden's life has been a cluster of disaster and sadness which have reflected depression and anxiety on his life. With his brothers passing it triggered a depressed side in Holen, but even though Allie isn’t with holden anymore he still believes his spirit is still around him and listens to him, “ what I did, i started talking sort out loud to Allie, I do that sometimes when I’m depressed.” (Salinger 129) Work Cited Page Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print.
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
Compulsive lying is another characteristic that Holden exhibits. Holden would tell people lies just so they could not become closer to the real Holden. Holden tells lies on numerous occasions to gain. Holden pathetically tells Mrs. Morrow, " I have to have a tiny operation… it isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on my brain" (58). She tells Holden that she is very sorry and she is hopeful that he shall be well soon. Holden then catches him self in a lie and he remarkes, "Once I get started, I can go on for hours if I feel like it," (58). This compulsive lying shows that Holden is not satisfied with himself and that he feels that people will judge him critically.
In the novel Holden is what you would call an unreliable narrator. The definition of unreliable is - a person or thing that cannot be counted on or trusted. You cannot trust Holden if you know that he lies all the time. Since the reader knows that he is a habitual liar you may never know the difference from when he is telling the truth or when he is telling another one of his stories. Holden goes in and out of mental lapses throughout the novel that affected his mind and psychological state greatly.
The novel The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger depicts a journey of a young man named Holden Caulfield where he encounters many of life’s challenges. As Holden has been bouncing between schools all his life, he just recently got kicked out of his current one: Pencey Prep. He has trouble focusing in school and has experienced many traumatic events in his life, like the death of his little brother Allie. Many believe the novel should be banned, but there is an underlying message Holden is trying to communicate. Throughout Holden's journey many feel that there were ban-worthy moments, but the traits he demonstrates are most powerful: compassion, maturity/coming of age and intelligence.
In the novel The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger,Holden the main character tries to take on adult and mature situations but finds himself in reality not getting very far. Holden Caulfield who goes to Pencey has failed four out of five classes and gets the notice that he is being expelled from the school. He leaves the school and goes out and tries to adventure into the real world. Holden takes on many challenges and obstacles throughout the book . Although Holden wants to be independent many people perceive Holden in numerous different ways to his actions and feelings. Faith and Stradlater both perceive Holden as irritating, when in reality he tries to distract himself from being depressed. For example when Holden was in the phone
I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I'm going, I'm liable to say I'm going to the opera. It's terrible. (pg.16) Holden's ability to lie is one of the first traits that he reveals about himself. He takes pride in saying that he is a good liar. His inability to have normal conversations and relationships is possibly one of the factors that has him shunned by his peers. Holden's insecurity is one of the reasons for his compulsive lying. This, in turn, is why he can't find his place in the world.
A person who is able to live life with many struggles such as dropping out of school and dealing with a family member’s death can really continue pursuing their lifestyle in the future. In The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, it becomes evident that Holden has difficulty accepting himself and others as he constantly defines people as "phony". Before we can understand why Holden leaves on his journey at all, we must understand his struggle. Holden leaves Pencey because he was surrounded by phonies and wants to find success elsewhere. He tries to find someone to communicate with by turning to his family. Holden just wants someone to talk to and wants to break his depression by succeeding.
In Psychology Today, Dr. Alex Lickerman asserts that there numerous reasons and implications that cause us to lie in his article, “Why We Lie.” Dr. Lickerman infers that the most common motive to lie is to protect ourselves. He claims that we lie often in order to “avoid suffering painful consequences, shame, embarrassment, or conflict.” Holden admits to being a compulsive liar early on in the book. Salinger includes several instances of Holden lying, including when he speaks with Mrs. Morrow on the train while speaking about her son (54), and also while Holden converses with the nuns at the station, claiming that he had plenty of money to donate (110). However, what stands out is when he attempts to lie to Phoebe about being kicked out of Pencey. Phoebe knew him too well and was able to force the truth out of her brother. While Holden lied to Mrs. Morrow and the nuns in order for them to not get involved in his personal issues, as well as boost their self-esteem, he lied to Phoebe so she would not be disappointed. Phoebe’s opinion is one of the few that Holden cares about. Hall also points out that individuals even lie to themselves about fears and desires (106). As mentioned earlier, Holden has been lying to himself by trying to avoid adulthood as he is starting to believe he does not need to grow up. Holden fears that my growing up, he will be leaving Allie behind, even
Holden dropped out of high school, and occasionally got into fights. According to a quotation on page 5 of The Catcher in the Rye, it states, “Well. . . they 'll be pretty irritated about it," I said. "They really will. This is about the fourth school I 've gone to.
that he is trying to hide his true identity. He does not want people to know who he really is or that he was kicked out of his fourth school. Holden is always using fake names and tries speaking in a tone to persuade someone to think a cretin way. He does this when he talks to women. While he is talking to the psychiatrist he explains peoples reactions to his lies like they really believe him, when it is very possible that he is a horrible liar and they are looking at him with a “what are you talking a bout?” expression. Holden often lies to the point where he is lying to him self.
Holden’s skepticism and sarcasm stem from his belief that many people are fake. He believes that many people are insincere in their attitudes, and in what they express publicly, like when Ernie the piano player shows off, “Anyway, when he was finished, and everybody was clapping their heads off, old Ernie turned around on his stool and gave this very phony, humble bow” (84). Holden knew that Ernie thought highly of himself so he thought it very fake for him to give a seemingly humble bow. Holden seems to act one way and feel another, because he always involves himself with people that make him feel depressed, and then feels bad about it. He cynically evaluates mannerisms of people including their word choice. He comments on a word Sally selected, and says “Grand. If there’s one word I hate, It’s grand. It’s so phony” (106). Certain words cause Holden to repel people, based on the deceit that he thinks the word carries along. Feeling as if he is drowning in a sea of falsehood, Holden constantly find himself feeling depressed because nothing is what it is trying to be.
Many of the times that Holden criticizes people, it is something he does himself. (Pg 13) “. one of the reasons I left Elkton was that I was surrounded by phonies.” Holden himself is many times what he refers to as a “phony”. He knows that he lies and pretends to like people that he would rather not be with.
In the beginning of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is an immature teenager. Holden gets kicked out of his school, Pencey Prep, for failing four out of five of his classes. He says, “They kicked me out. I wasn’t supposed to come back after Christmas vacation … I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself and all” (Salinger 4). Holden does not yet realize the severity of his actions. He does not comprehend that when he does not apply himself, he does not do well. This could partly be due to the fact that when he gets kicked out of one school, he knows that his family will just pay for him to be allowed into another boarding school. Part of the irony in Holden’s story is that physically, he looks mature, but mentally, he is still very much a child: “I act quite young for my age, sometimes. I was sixteen then, and I’m seventeen now … I’m six foot two and a half and I have gray hair ” (9). There is no middle ground, adolescence, for Holden. He can only be an adult, physically, or a child, mentally. Holden’s history teacher, Mr. Spencer, tries to appeal to him by using a metaphor: “Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules” (8). Holden then reflects on this to hims...
Everybody feels depressed at some time or another in their lives. However, it becomes a problem when depression is so much a part of a person's life that he or she can no longer experience happiness. This happens to the young boy, Holden Caulfield in J.D Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye. Mr. Antolini accurately views the cause of Holden's depression as his lack of personal motivation, his inability to self-reflect and his stubbornness to overlook the obvious which collectively results in him giving up on life before he ever really has a chance to get it started.
...’s habitual lying relates back to times where he is hypocritical about his environment being full of phonies. Salinger provides these small details of deceitfulness in order to further advance Holden’s character and the work as a whole.