Isolation causes even the most joyful person on earth to decline to deep, dark places of horrid thoughts and actions. This feeling can lead to loss of self-worth and even suicidal tendencies. Isolation is portrayed three different ways in The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Although forced isolation and societal isolation can fiercely drag someone to appalling depths, self-inflicted isolation is the most gruesome to overcome. Ralph finds himself in forced isolation because he has no power over what occurs. When the boys’ plane crash-landed on the island, Ralph was automatically forced to take on a leadership role. He was not able to regulate the necessary resources that are crucial to the survival of the stranded boys. Ralph slowly becomes isolated from the savages as they transfer their loyalty to Jack. Golding writes, “The fair boy began to pick his way casually towards the water…the fat boy hurried after him,” (Golding 8) Even from the very beginning, the taking on of this role in society causes Ralph to overthink the situation, therefore resulting in the loss of trust from the other boys. He is then forced to befriend Simon and Piggy to …show more content…
attempt to survive on their own, without the help of the other savages. This could result in added pressure on Ralph to try to outlast the rest of the stranded boys. He endeavors to lure them back to his leadership by creating opportunities to escape from the island; the savagery, influenced by Jack, overpowers their desire to go home and forces Ralph into an unreliable role. If the isolation is not forced upon the character, then an outside influence must be responsible. Chief Bromden becomes isolated due to societal impacts. He pretends to be deaf and mute, in order to escape the criticisms of the rest of the patients in the ward. McMurphy states, “’Is that right? You deef, Chief?’ ‘He’s de-de-deef and dumb.’ McMurphy puckered his lips and looked at my face a long time…‘Well what the hell, he can shake hands, can’t he? Deef or whatever. By God, Chief, you may be big, but you shake my hand and I’ll consider it an insult,” (Kesey 25). This results in feeling alone and invisible. It also leads to Chief feeling like he has no power to take on opportunities as illustrated with the fishing trip with McMurphy. Ultimately, Chief begins to hallucinate at night about visions of fog and his thoughts get the best of him. This fog is a representation of his seclusion from society, which almost drives him to insanity. The influence of society on a character is damaging, but the greatest enemy to man is himself. Holden causes isolation for himself owing to his protective and judging nature.
He constantly attempts to “shoot the bull” also to “shoot the old crap around” and does not trust anyone with any of his ideas (Saligner 55-57). Holden is a closed book that is nearly impossible to open. He gives Stradlater the opportunity to see a part of him that is sacred and unshared; it results in the tearing of a genuinely written essay. Holden thinks, “She probably knows what a phony slob he was,” (Salinger 3). Calling people phonies is Holden’s way of expressing his unwillingness to have faith in society with his secrets. This doubt of everyone that Holden encounters and his seclusion lead to gargantuan effects in his
life. The decline of self-esteem as an effect of self-deterioration can lead to harsh and painful thoughts and actions. Holden states, “What I really feel like though, was committing suicide. I felt like jumping out the window. I probably would’ve done it too, if I’d been sure somebody’d cover me up as soon as I landed,” (Salinger 104). Tearing oneself up from the inside out is one of the most horrid things a person can do to themselves. Life is worth living; it is destructive to put yourself through self-inflicting segregation that could lead to dire circumstances, such as suicide and self-harm. Holden thinks, “What I did, I started talking, sort of out loud to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed,” (Salinger 98). Other effects of self-deterioration can be more on the disheartening side. Depression and longing for people that you know you cannot have can bring about even more pain and sadness. Because this isolation transpires inside the victim’s head, it is not easily recognized by outsiders. This makes it lethal to self-inflict isolation on yourself. Out of the three types of isolation, self-inflicted isolation deteriorates a person the most severely. Societal isolation can make a person feel invisible and/or ignored. Additionally, no one has control over forced isolation as it is a result of situational drama. However, self-inflicted isolation makes for an ongoing internal battle within a person resulting in a total change of identity. Therefore, isolation is a lethal weapon that causes almost five thousand suicides annually.
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
Throughout the novel when Ralph notices some of the boys have started to turn into savages, he tries to put an end to it as soon as possible. Ralph wants the young boys to remain as close to their old selves as much as they can, rather than transforming into unrecognizable people. Once the boys have gotten somewhat settled in on the island, they forget to watch after the most important job, as seen in Ralph’s eyes, “We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there might be a ship out there” (Golding 42). The majority of the group has turned to having fun rather than getting rescued. Ralph is one of the only people that has common sense and seems to know their correct priorities. We can see that choosing Ralph to be the leader may lead to benefiting them all. In chapter 11, Jack and his group have bombarded Ralph’s group and stolen Piggy’s glasses, so when Piggy asks what they are going to do, Ralph responds with, “Supposing we go, looking like we used to, washed and hair brushed- after all we aren’t savages really and being rescued isn’t a game--” (Golding 170). Ralph ends up handling this given situation like an adult. He can see quite clearly that the thought of salvation and maturity has no meaning to everyone in Jack's’ group. They have been treating their whole situation like it is just a game, but Ralph knows at this point that rescue is
Isolation can be a somber subject. Whether it be self-inflicted or from the hands of others, isolation can be the make or break for anyone. In simpler terms, isolation could range anywhere from not fitting into being a complete outcast due to personal, physical, or environmental factors. It is not only introverted personalities or depression that can bring upon isolation. Extroverts and active individuals can develop it, but they tend to hide it around crowds of other people. In “Richard Cory,” “Miniver Cheevy,” The Minister’s Black Veil,” and “Not Waving but Drowning,” E.A. Robinson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Stevie Smith illustrate the diverse themes of isolation.
and they both start off as the leaders. Later on the boys have a vote for leader and Ralph is selected. The first impression we get about Ralph is that he is active and doesn't like authority. When he found out that there were no grown ups on the island he "stood on his head and grinned" Piggy is the first of the other survivors that Ralph meets.
He also dislikes movies. “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s the movies. Don’t even mention them to me.”(2). Holden think that actors are phonies . He also thinks his brother D.B sold out for the financial success of Hollywood. Holden calls everyone phonies because they have a different perspectives and they don’t think like him. It is a way for Holden to separate himself from other people. Holden thinks the world is about to get him. Holden is a hypocrite because he calls people phonies but he said “I am the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It is awful.”(16). This quote show how of a terrific liar Holden really is and how he is not reliable.
Ralph shows that he has a better understanding of the boys than Jack. He knows that the boys need some sort of order on the island in order for them to survive. He starts a simple form of government and sets a few rules for them. Even though they don’t last very long, the fact that he tried to help the group is what makes him a better leader. Ralph’s wisdom and ability to look toward the future also has an advantage over Jack. He has a sense to keep his focus on getting off the island. When the fire goes out, Ralph gets upset because the chance to be rescued was gone as well. Ralph enforces his role of leadership as he gives the boys a sense of stability of an authority figure. He keeps the boys in pretty good order at the meeting by making a rule that they can only speak if they have the conch. Ralph knows that the littleuns are afraid and they need shelter to feel more secure. They work together for a while, but as the time goes on the smaller boys want to go play. They slowly lose all their help until Simon and Ralph are the only ones left to work on them. Ralph knows that this is a necessity and keeps bringing it up at the meetings. Jack, on the other hand, is doing nothing but causing chaos.
Ralph’s loss of order results in the inability for him to be trusted by the littluns, eventually leading to his fall from authority as a leader. Jack’s aggressive presence creates a common fear among the boys, and fear is the primary reason for his gain of control over both them and the island. Using his selfishness and impulsiveness in order to take advantage of the boys’ innocence, Jack develops leadership qualities which emphasize Ralph’s insecurities regarding his ability to obtain power. This emphasis brings Ralph to disappointment in himself and in the island’s corruption. Unknowing of how to react to their loss of sophistication, Ralph is left with only “his fading knowledge of the world” (Golding 162). His failure to obtain the role as a leader leaves him unable to fix the savage mistakes in the boys whom are now ignorant to the idea of a properly civilized society. The ideas of power and earning superiority over Jack distract Ralph, demonstrating his distinct values as an individual. Although the principles by which he lives are conducted under circumstances revolved around escaping the island, his individualistic approach to survival opportunities being evident through the isolation of Piggy. It is only when his death is upon Ralph that Piggy’s existence is recognized, confirming his value of self-involvement over companionship. The older boys see immaturity in the littluns because of their age and, consequently, lack of independence. Their weakness causes them to follow Jack even though they are fearful of his intimidating appearance and his potential as a powerful, evil force. Therefore, because of the littluns’ vulnerability, Jack is able to develop power in evil, resulting in
Holden Caulfield, - notorious for either being kicked out of schools or as he simply describes it “quitting”- having just been kicked out of yet another school for his lack of motivation, views life through a cynical lens as he deems those different from him as “phony”. Holden justifies his annoyance towards everything as he intermittently cuts off his tale to share some random pet peeve or irrelevant story, such as when he describes his roommate Stradlater as a “secret slob” (Salinger, 35) and continues on to critique his grooming habits, in an effort to validate how “phony” things really are. However, these tactics only further show his immaturity as Holden’s judgment of being a “phony” symbolizes his fear of growing up. Moreover, Holden’s greatest defense mechanism is pushing others away, this is seen as Holden visits his history teacher, Mr. Spencer and while he tries to
...is biased. The people he does not recognize as phonies are people he loves and has gotten to know, whereas many people he declares fake, he has never even spoken to. Holden will hear someone say one sentence and immediately judge that person based off of that, rather than taking his time to understand that person. Either way, Holden frequently complains about the world he lives in, and the reader begins to not take seriously what he is saying. The more Holden calls someone a phony, the easier it is for the reader to tell that Holden uses it to point out that someone is flawed, and rather than specifying on the flaw, the person is a phony. J.D Salinger makes it clear that Holden is flawed, but he is aware of his flaws, and even so he is able to be loved by others and cared for. One must accept that one can never be perfect to be able to live out one’s life contently.
...d to mean the world to him. Both his brother's death and parents desertion have evidently deeply impacted him. Holden pretty well lied to himself, claimed the he had no place in society, all to give him plausible reasons to isolate himself. By calling people phonies, which he frequently did, he was in all reality pushing them away before giving himself the chance to even debate getting to know them. 'Phony people' was like his own private excuse for avoiding making friends. Holden's only hope to attain happiness is to open up to others. If he refuses to, he will forever consider the world to be full of evil, corruption, and phony people. His cynicism, dishonesty and judgemental habits are like a cape that he wears to ward off the elusively hanging threat of abandonment.
Some may say that Holden is a hypocrite because it is only a part of seeking truth.. That being the case, this assertion does not justify Holden’s need to condemn other people, yet still exercises the same actions he is expressing disapproval of. For Holden to be able to find the truth, he does not have to contradict his own practices and beliefs. Due to his hypocrisy, Holden becomes an unreliable narrator, thus the audience cannot wholeheartedly like the protagonist. Nonetheless, J.D. Salinger writes Holden Caulfield as a dimensional character, and the reader uncovers his own vulnerabilities as the story continues. In short, Holden’s actions reflect the actions of the audience, and this only helps with the aspect of maturing and growing up. Holden is someone who is critical, but the audience soon realizes, that the biggest phony is himself. J.D. Salinger writes this novel to remind the audience that people have their own vulnerabilities, and as they cast out one another, it is key to remember that potentially the biggest phony in the world, could be
At the beginning, clearly Ralph feels that Jack is an ally, a companion; not a rival for leadership, "Ralph found himself alone on a limb with Jack and they grinned at each other ... that strange invisible light of friendship". The chosen leader of the group, Ralph tried to lead the stranded boys into some kind of order. The authority of Jack and the sensibility of Piggy easily sway him. When Ralph first meets Piggy, he sees him as a lower person who should be ridiculed. He starts off by asking for his name and he is told that people used to make fun of
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.
When Holden Caulfield first appears in the novel, it becomes self-evident that he is isolated from everyone else. During a football game at his school, he says, “The reason I was standing way up on Thomsen Hill, instead of down at the game was because I’d just got back from New York with the fencing team… I left all the foils and equipment and stuff on the goddamn subway…The whole team ostracized me the whole way back on the train (Salinger, The Catcher in The Rye 6). Consequently, Holden takes the action of watching the game from the hill because that was his form of self protection during this time. After being the cause of the fencing team not being able to participate in their meet, Holden therefore felt humiliated and he alienated himself from the rest of the student body, as a form of self protection.
Imagine if you were separated from the majority of the world, how would you feel? Maybe you are feeling independent because you are removed from the rest of the world. However, isolationism can cause numerous problems regarding the human brain. Isolation has an affect on human behavior, the feeling of being stuck in the past, and developing insanity.