The Catcher in the Rye takes place during the roaring 1940s and 50s, a time of new technology and modernization of the US. In this time things found important today, such as school, were pushed to the side. For example, it was considered normal for children to finish high school, get married, and find a job; occasionally high school graduates would attend college. The main character in this novel, Holden Caulfield, a rebellious and lonely teen, is considered the first “normal” teenager found in a novel during that time. Holden gets expelled from his fifth private school, while still recovering from the death of his younger brother Allie. Allie plays a key role in The Catcher in the Rye because after his death Holden spirals into a depression, …show more content…
his brother admires Allie, and Holden relies on his younger brother. Holden’s brother, Allie, dies of leukemia when Holden was ten years old, and as a result he sinks into a deep depression. During the aftermath of Allie’s death, Holden is psychoanalyzed after he “slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it”(39). An unexplained violent action is a sign of depression, and the cause of Holden’s violent outburst was from his anger towards the loss of Allie. Holden also isolates himself by sleeping in the garage that night, and isolation is also a sign. While Holden is in New York City, he admits that is fears crossing the street, falling off the curb, and continuing to fall until no one saw him. To keep himself calm Holden would “say to [Allie] ‘Allie don’t let me disappear. Allie don’t let me disappear. Allie don’t let me disappear. Please Allie.’ And when I’d reach the other side of the street without disappearing, I’d thank him”(198). Holden uses his imagination of Allie as a coping mechanism to reassure himself, that he won’t disappear. He does to represent the feeling of loneliness he feels now that Allie’s gone, because rather than talking to someone that’s alive, he talks to his dead brother. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden describes Allie as the smartest, and the nicest of his family, therefore idolizes and admires his deceased brother.
Holden first introduces his brother and exaggerates that he is “about fifty times as intelligent. His teachers were always writing letters to my mother, telling her what a pleasure it was having a boy like Allie in their class”(38). Unlike Holden, Allie excelled in school while he was there, and wasn’t rebellious like Holden is. Even though Allie was extremely intelligent, Holden also believes “it wasn’t just that he was the most intelligent member in the family. He was also the nicest”(38). Even though Holden brags about Allie being very smart, he is also nice, something Holden struggles to be. For example, when he meets a new person, he automatically labels them and believes they’re phony. In addition to believing he was smart and nice, he thought very highly of Allie, saying “My brother, the one that died, that I told you about, was a wizard. I’m the only dumb one”(67). Comparing Allie to a wizard represents Holden apotheosizing and glorifying him. Also, unlike Holden’s siblings, Holden is not smart, therefore is considered a trouble maker in the family, and as a result, is sent to multiple boarding …show more content…
schools. Even though Holden’s brother passed away a few years before, Holden still relies on Allie to help him directly and indirectly.
After Stradlater convinces Holden to write a composition for him while he goes on a date with Jane Gallagher. Afterwards, Holden decides to that he’s “not too crazy about describing rooms and houses anyway. So what I did, I wrote about my brother Allie’s baseball mitt”(38). Holden’s first instinct is to write something related to Allie, therefore using Allie to help him write a descriptive composition for Stradlater. When Sunny, a prostitute, leaves his hotel room, he admits that when he is “felt so depressed, you can’t imagine. What I did, I started talking, sort of out loud, to Allie”(98). When he feels depressed or alone, Holden finds comfort in talking to Allie, and imagining that he’s still alive and with him. As he walks down the streets of New York City, Holden has to overcome his fear of stepping off the curb to continue walking, and says “I had this feeling that I’d never get to the other side of the other side of the street… Every time I’d get to the end of a block I’d make believe I was talking to my brother Allie” (197-198). Though his brother isn’t with Holden, he seeks comfort and security in talking to Allie, and relies on him to help him complete simple
tasks. In The Catcher in the Rye, even though Allie is not alive, he significantly alters Holden mentally and physically, and as the novel progresses. Besides Holden’s sister Phoebe, his brother Allie is one of few people who Holden likes and cares for. Allie also seemed to be one of few people that cared for Holden. Even though Allie wasn’t alive during Holden’s adventures and struggles in the novel, Holden often relies on and talks about him. A key role in The Catcher in the Rye is Allie, because Holden spirals into a depression after his death, he is admired by Holden for the characteristics he doesn’t have, and Allie helps Holden overcome struggles he faces.
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.
To begin with, you must first take in to consideration Holden’s feelings towards his little brother Allie. Holden consider Allie “the smartest person in their family”. “..it wasn’t just that he was the most intelligent member in the family. He was also the nicest …. God, he was a nice kid, though” (5.7).This means that Holden looked
The Catcher in the Rye by, J.D. Salinger is told through Holden the narrative in the story. The setting of the novel takes place in the 1940's early 1950's. Holden is sixteen years old and he has a lot of problems in his life. He becomes seriously depressed to the point he cannot deal with people and life around him. The 1940's were different from today. However, Holden Caulfield is similar to many other teenagers who go through the same problems.
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.
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 novel, The Catcher in the Rye, written by JD Salinger, touches on the themes of innocence, death, and the artifice and the authenticity in the world, while following the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, through his weekend trip to New York City. As the story unfolds, Holden, as narrator, becomes more vulnerable to the reader, and starts to express his feelings surrounding the death of his brother, Allie, as well as his feelings about himself. Holden is faced with a truth that has haunted him for many years: adulthood. Many of the qualities Holden exhibits, which he sees as negative, are those of the average person: struggle, loneliness, deep sadness. He is one of many classic protagonists that encourages the reader to relate to them on
Holden is intelligent and sensitive, but his thoughts and feelings are full of cynicism and negativity. He sounds bored and tired with almost everybody and everything. Holden constantly focuses on the hypocrisy and social rules of the world around him, and judges them to be oppressive and phony. Holden uses his cynicism and negativity to distance himself from almost everyone. However, Holden has good memories and thoughts about his younger sister, Phoebe, and of his younger brother Allie, who died a couple of years ago.
Since its publication in 1951, The Catcher In the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger has served as a conflagration for debate and extreme controversy. Although the novel has been the target of scornful criticism, it has also been the topic of wide discussion. The novel portrays the life of sixteen year old, Holden Caufield. Currently in psychiatric care, Holden recalls what happened to him last Christmas. At the beginning of his story, Holden is a student at Pencey Prep School. Having been expelled for failing four out of his five classes, Holden leaves school and spends 72-hours in New York City before returning home. There, Holden encounters new ideas, people, and experiences. Holden's psychological battle within himself serves as the tool that uncovers the coming-of-age novel's underlying themes of teen angst, depression, and the disingenuous nature of society. The novel tackles issues of blatant profanity, teenage sex, and other erratic behavior. Such issues have supplemented the controversial nature of the book and in turn, have sparked the question of whether or not this book should be banned. The novel, The Catcher In the Rye, should not be banned from inclusion in the literature courses taught at the high school level.
For example, Holden states, “…You’d have liked him. He was two years younger than I was, but he was about fifty times as intelligent… He was also the nicest member of the family in lots of ways. He never got mad at anybody…” Holden always thinks of his brother Allie as a good and intelligent boy. When Holden thinks about Allie, Holden shows his love for him and how much he likes him.
Allie, Holden’s young brother who died several years earlier, was a key symbol throughout the story. When Holden remembers incidents from his past involving Allie, his attitude changes, such as when he writes the composition about Allie’s baseball glove or when Holden broke his hand after punching all of the windows after Allie died. He feels that Allie was one of the few people who were not phony in a world full of phonies. More importantly, Allie represents the innocence and childhood that Holden strives to find throughout his multi-day journey. In Holden’s opinion, Allie represents the purity that Holden looks for in the world. Holden admits that he admires Allie more than he admires Jesus, and even prays to Allie at one point, rather than Jesus. Allie is Holden’s role model, whom he judges the rest of the world according to. When Allie dies, it creates turbulence in Holden’s life.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is a coming-of-age novel set in New York during the 1940’s. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the story, is a detached seventeen-year old boy harboring feelings of isolation and disillusionment. He emphasizes a general dislike for society, referring to people as “phonies.” His lack of will to socialize prompts him to find nearly everything depressing. He’s alone most of the time and it’s apparent that he is very reclusive. This often leads him to pondering about his own death and other personal issues that plague him without immediate resolution. Holden possesses a strong deficit of affection – platonic and sexual – that hinders and cripples his views toward people, his attitude, and his ability to progressively solve his problems without inflicting pain on himself. The absence of significant figures in his life revert him to a childlike dependency and initiate his morbid fascination with sexuality. In this novel, Salinger uses Sunny, Sally Hayes, and Carl Luce to incorporate the hardships of discovering sexual identity and how these events affect adolescents as they try to understand their own sexuality.
The Catcher in the Rye focuses on Holden Caulfield’s journey to New York City after he learns that he has flunked out of the fictional Pencey Preparatory School. Caulfield, a troubled sixteen-year-old boy, is totally alienated from his environment and from society as a whole. (Telgen 120) Caulfield is not alienated by others, rather he chooses to alienate himself. He feels a desire for isolation sometimes because he cannot stand the company of others, or because he becomes disappointed with their company, and at other times because he feels a need to drive others away. (Engel 53)
In J.D. Salinger’s controversial 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main character is Holden Caulfield. When the story begins Holden at age sixteen, due to his poor grades is kicked out of Pencey Prep, a boys’ school in Pennsylvania. This being the third school he has been expelled from, he is in no hurry to face his parents. Holden travels to New York for several days to cope with his disappointments. As James Lundquist explains, “Holden is so full of despair and loneliness that he is literally nauseated most of the time.” In this novel, Holden, a lonely and confused teenager, attempts to find love and direction in his life. Holden’s story is realistic because many adolescent’s face similar challenges.
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
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.