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Essay about the catcher in the rye of holden caulfield
How society affected holden caulfield
Analysis of Holden in the Catcher in the Rye
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John F. Kennedy once said, “Conformity is that jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”. Both Holden and Juno possess views, attitudes and behaviours that contrast social norms, Holden resists conformity by avoiding his issues while Juno embraces reality and approaches her problems and Holden has a negative outlook on social influences while Juno has a carefree attitude toward social influences. J.D. Salinger’s novel, Catcher in the Rye and Diablo Cody’s film, Juno both involve a main character who resists social expectations in their individual ways. J.D. Salinger’s novel, Catcher in the Rye and Diablo Cody’s film, Juno both involve a main character who resists social expectations in their individual ways. Both Holden and Juno possess …show more content…
views, attitudes and behaviors that contrast social norms. Holden tends to distance himself from society. Holden states, “You could see the whole field from there and you could see the whole team bashing each other all over the place…. practically the whole school except me was there” (Salinger 5). Holden alienates himself from the rest of the students by watching the football game from the top of a hill. He does not join the other students to cheer on his team but rather avoids all his peers in general. Holden prefers to isolate himself from society. Juno does not conform to the ideas or expectations set by society about pregnancy. Juno says, “I was thinking I could, like, have this baby, and give it to someone that like totally needs it.” Juno does not conform to the ideas of society as she chooses to have the baby.
Instead of having an abortion as people would expect her to do being a teenage mother, she decides on her own oath despite the disapproval of others. Both Juno and Holden refuses to conform to social expectations and chooses to maintain their unique …show more content…
identity. Catcher in the Rye and Juno both involve a main character who resists social expectations in their own individual ways.
Holden resists conformity by avoiding issues while Juno embraces reality and approaches her problems. Holden issue revolves around the reality that he refuses to follow rules set by society. “Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules…game my ass, some game. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it’s a game, all-right” (Salinger 12). Mr. Spencer advices Holden to play by the rules but Holden rejects the idea just as he rejects society. He does not conform to the principles of society despite people pressuring him to do so. Juno embraces the reality that she is pregnant and attempts to find an answer to her problem even if her solution does not align with social norms. Juno says, “I'm going to give it up for adoption and I already found the perfect couple, they're going to pay for the medical expenses and everything.” Juno finds a solution to the problem at hand by taking action. While still choosing to have the baby, she attempts to find a suitable adoptive family. Juno does not dwell on the fact that she will be a teenage mother but rather comes up with a solution that is ideal for both herself and the baby. Juno takes a positive approach to her problem unlike Holden who dwells on his problems. Holden and Juno can be portrayed as nonconformist heroes through different perspectives. While Juno embraces the
reality of the situation, Holden tries to avoid the problems at hand. Catcher in the Rye and Juno both involve a main character who resists social norms in their individual ways. Holden has a negative outlook on social influences while Juno has a carefree attitude. Holden has a general negative view of the world so his perspective on social principles is also negative. Holden states, "One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies" (Salinger 22). His constant view of people as being phony does not change despite changing school. Holden sees many people as being phony but in reality he also proves to be phony. He does not have a valid reason to disagree with the principles of society unlike Juno who has a reason to fight for her beliefs. Holden does not conform to principles society due to his negative outlook on life and the world. Juno also resists the attempts of individuals that demand conformity. “How do you know I'm so poisonous? What if these adoptive parents turn out to be, like, evil molesters?” The lab technician says that it is toxic to raise a baby in a teenage mother’s environment. Juno replies to the woman with a humorous response. Juno proves to have a carefree attitude towards social expectations as she resists the woman’s attempts of conformity in a humorous manner. Holden and Juno resist social influences for their own reasons. Holden resists conformity due to his negative attitude about life while Juno resists conformity with a carefree attitude. J.D. Salinger’s novel, Catcher in the Rye and Diablo Cody’s film, Juno both involve a main character who resists social expectations in their individual ways. Both Holden and Juno possess views, attitudes and behaviours that contrast social norms. Holden resists conformity by avoiding his issues while Juno embraces reality and approaches her problems and while Holden has a negative outlook on life and social influence, Juno has a carefree attitude. Holden and Juno both maintains their unique identify and true self through active resistance towards the expectations of society. Non-conformity of individuals has led to progress, breakthrough and new discoveries as people chose to challenge and question general principles and the norm.
Immaturity of Holden in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye 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 is not just abnormal, he has problems that other teenagers, including the students at Pencey, experience going through adolescence. An example of this is Holden's jealousy towards Stradlater when he finds out he is going on a date with Jane Gallagher, “Boy,was I getting nervous” (42). Every teenager has bouts of jealously especially about the opposite sex, and Holden is no different. Holden's rebellious nature, to an extent, is typical for a teenage boy. His rebellious nature of smoking when it is not allowed, “You weren't allowed to smoke in the dorm...I went right on smoking like a madman.” (41-42). Holden is also anxious about change, which again to an extent is normal, “Do you happen to know where they go, the ducks...”(60), and he has the right to be; change,especially during adolescence, is a terrifying but exciting ride into the unknown, and similar to other adolescents Holden is afraid but intrigued about the unknown.
The Catcher in the Rye revolves around Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the novel, and his disillusionment. Holden’s disillusionment illustrates that he has a problem accepting such. Aforesaid is based upon multiple factors, most which have brought Holden lasting traumas. A remedy is required for Holden to accept his disillusionment and enable an improvement of his situation. For Holden’s remedy, the consultation of psychologists, and additional specialized health professionals would be the core of an apt remedy for Holden’s psychological and physiological state based upon the numerous causes of such and the everlasting trauma of some of the determinants of aforesaid situation. The origins of Holden’s disillusionment revolved mainly around the death of his younger brother Allie three years ago, of which he still experiences the trauma to this day. His disillusionment is caused by both
To conclude, Holden try’s desperately on holding on to his innocents. Triggered by the loss of his brother, Holden makes it his mission to protect kids from there inevitable maturity, sealing them from phony’s and. When he realised that he could not achieve the qoel of saving all children from growing up Holden has a nervous breakdown. He dosint understand the proses of life ad he can’t pick to stay a child for ever when in reality growing up is inevitable. ‘’We've let the blade of our innocence dull over time, and it's only in innocence that you find any kind of magic, any kind of courage.”
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.
I would like to discuss how Holden’s misinterpretation of the Robert Burns poem, “Coming Through the Rye”, sums up his deepest desires by taking a journey through his troubled adolescence and his journey to self–discovery that results in his breakdown. According to Phoebe, the original line in the poem is “if a body meet a body”. However, Holden’s misinterpretation of “if a body catch a body” removes all sexual connotations from the original poem. Holden is a deeply disturbed adolescent in search of a way to preserve his childhood innocence. His “red hunting cap” is a symbol of his uniqueness and his rejection to conform to society.
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.
J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye is a compelling narrative on the themes of isolation and individualism. Holden Caulfield’s loneliness, a more distinct manifestation of his isolation problem, is a driving force throughout the book. A majority of the novel portrays his almost frantic quest for companionship as he darts from one meaningless encounter to another. However, while his behavior is a stark indicator of his loneliness, Holden consistently shies away from self-reflection and therefore doesn’t really know why he keeps behaving as he does. 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.
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.
The alienation experienced by the main characters of The Catcher in the Rye and Speak are alike in the fact that they are alienated by similar types of people, and for the same reasons. Holden and Melinda are both alienated by their peers. They do not fit in to any of the groups amongst the adolescents their age. The feeling of being isolated is shown in Holden’s quote, “Everybody sticks together in these dirty little goddam cliques. The guys that are on the basketball team stick together, the Catholics stick together, [...]” (Salinger, 170) and again in Melinda’s quote, “We fall into clans: Jocks, Country Clubbers, [...] I am clanless” (Anderson, 14). Their statements are so similar that there is no doubt they are being tortured with the same feelings of loneliness from being isolated. The two characters are alienated for the same reasons: they both do not know how to properly function within society. They were not properly educated in socialization; therefore do not fit in amongst the others their age. Holden demonstrates his ...
In a perfect world, everyone would be happy with the way they are and everyone would accept the differences of others. Unfortunately, the world we live in is not perfect and not everyone accepts who they are . Is there a reason why people cannot be content with their lives or with the differences of other people? The answer is yes, and the reason for the discontent is society. With society telling the masses what is, and is not acceptable, it is no wonder that people seem “lost”, and are desperately searching out their place in the sun. This search for identity seems to be the case in JD Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye. Through settings in the novel and symbolism, Salinger illustrates that while the main character, Holden Caulfield, needs the support of the environment around him, the environment also needs Holden as a person. Holden Caulfield is out of place in any environment in which he is placed. At Pencey, his school, Holden gets excluded from the activities of his classmates. At the very beginning of the novel, Holden becomes expelled because his grades are not up to Pencey’s standards and also because he does not feel like he belongs there. Holden separates himself from his classmates for the most part by not becoming involved in the school. Although Holden is the equipment manager of the fencing team, he distances himself from his companions by losing the equipment, showing that he does not fit in, and he really does not want to. As he reflects back on his final day at Pencey he says: “ They kicked me out. ...I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself at all. They gave me frequent warnings to start applying myself...but I didn’t do it” (Salinger 4). The school is throwing Holden out because he is not what they want to represent to potential students. They want to show examples of fine, upstanding young men, instead of giving off the image of the failing, confused young man. Salinger uses Pencey as a mock society of some sorts. Holden does not fit in at Pencey, and he most definitely does not fit in as seen in the later settings of the novel. A second example of Holden’s isolation from his classmates can also be seen when he stands alone on the top of the hill during the “big game”.
A human society is often described as a group of people involved in persistent personal relationships, or as a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or social territory. People tend to believe that doing what everyone else does, is the only correct path for life. If someone dares to break the pattern, does what he wants, or wears different clothes from what everybody else wear, he would frequently be seen as a strange or weird person. This is not it, every little thing someone does that differs from what it is “normal”, is seen as bad or bizarre. Holden Caulfield, of “Catcher in the Rye” is a character who stands out from common people. Holden doesn’t believe that he needs to follow what everyone else does. Contrary to that, Holden does what he wants and acts how he likes. By acting like this, Holden is not considered as a normal teenager, but as a unique one. Caulfield has often trouble fitting in society. Holden won’t fit into society because he doesn’t want to be a part of it. Hints displaying Holden not wanting to be part of society are his constant failing at school, his powerful revulsion for “phony” qualities, and his distancing himself from people.
J.D. Salinger's novel Catcher in the Rye revolves around Holden's encounters with other people. He divides all people into two different categories, the "phonies" and the authentics. Holden refers to a "phony" as someone who discriminates against others, is a hypocrite, or has manifestations of conformity. A person's age, gender, and occupation, play a key role in how Holden interacts with them.
in all but one of his subjects. He does not like to talk about his
To begin with, Holden’s love for the innocence and purity of childhood makes him very hesitant to transition into an adult life. Generally, he finds children to be straightforward, easygoing, and simply pure in every way. This is because they always say what they mean, and never try to set a false façade for...