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Coming of age essay resources
Literary essay coming of age
The meaning behind the book catcher in the rye
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Literary Analysis In the book The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, characterization of Holden Caulfield reveals a classic coming-of-age story. Throughout the novel, Holden’s character develops and begins to transition from being a child to being an adult. His journey in the story helps him recognize his true identity, in both positive and negative ways. The Catcher in the Rye takes places in the late 1940’s to the early 1950’s in both Pennsylvania and New York. The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, finds himself stuck in difficult situations and must find his own way out. The book emphasizes his struggles against death and growing up, as well as Holden’s innocence. His journey throughout the novel shows readers just how hard life can prove to be. Although Holden can be described as a realistic, cynical teenager, he can also be categorized as straightforward. This is one of Holden’s strengths, he sees the truth for what it really is, not how he wants it to be. For example, Holden describes his old school, Pencey Prep, saying, “I didn’t know anyone there that was splendid and clear-thinking at all.” (Salinger 3) Pencey Prep had claimed that they had the capability to “mold” young men, but Holden could see right through it. Holden’s straightforward characteristic also leads him to be independent and self-reliant, which are also Holden’s strengths. Holden Caulfield, throughout the novel, excludes himself and seems to be victimized by the world around him. His isolation is a form of protection for himself, but it is also the source of his problems. Holden’s sense of superiority is a cause of his isolation; he is trying to prove to others that he is above interacting with them. His alienation is the cause of most of his prob... ... middle of paper ... ...self, he is dealing with mostly his own internal problems. This conflict contributes to one of Holden’s main weaknesses, his constant confinement. However, as the story continues and Holden’s character continues to develop, his isolation among public affairs starts to diminish. Holden’s conflict slowly begins to amend itself and soon enough Holden is no longer carrying the burden of his cynical psyche. By the end of the book, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger’s purpose was clear. He wanted to create a novel with the main character characterized as an outcast, rather than a popular or strong protagonist. J.D. Salinger gave the story a different perspective, hoping to make readers look at life with a different perspective also. After reading this novel, readers will be able to view adulthood and childhood at different angles, giving life a whole new approach.
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.
In the novel, Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is an example of a prosaic rich adolescent boy,with a pedestrian set of problems, but a psychoanalysis reveals that Holden has a plethora of atypical internal conflicts. Internal conflicts that other students at Pencey, such as Stradlater and Ackley, would not normally experience.
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is a classic novel about a sixteen-year-old boy, Holden Caulfield, who speaks of a puzzling time in his life. Holden has only a few days until his expulsion from Pency Prep School. He starts out as the type of person who can't stand "phony" people. He believes that his school and everyone in it is phony, so he leaves early. He then spends three aimless days in New York City. During this time, Holden finds out more about himself and how he relates to the world around him. He believes that he is the catcher in the rye: " I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in a big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around-nobody big, I mean-except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What have I to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff..." (173). He briefly enters what he believes is adulthood and becomes a "phony" himself. By the end of the story, Holden realizes he doesn't like the type of person he has become, so he reverts into an idealist; a negative, judgmental person.
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.
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.
Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye follows the journey of a young boy, Holden Caulfield, from adolescence to adulthood. There are a number of symbols that Salinger uses to help to portray the various stages that Holden goes through as he matures into adulthood. The snowball incident, his sense of fulfillment when at the museum, and his run in with a pimp, are all representations of how Holden is deeply obsessed with innocence thoughts and how reluctant he is to give them up.
The negative light that Holden views the world under is a key contribution to his unhappiness. He is unable to see even a glint of sincerity in people’s actions which allows him to experience feelings of severe despondency and dejection. “People never give your message to anybody,” (pg. 166) shows how Holden no longer feels let down by people but instead expects the worst from them instead. He struggles to find genuinity in people’s actions, and in turn feels “lousy and depressed,” by nearly everything. Holden is constantly seen bringing down the adult world. It is shown he has an inner conflict between his adult and child self, leading him to feeling lost and without a place. He is disgusted by the adult world describing it as a place filled with “phonies” but, views adolescence as a source of happiness. He shows a direct fear of change by stating, “The best thing...was that everything always stayed right where it was.” (pg. 135). As Holden is being pushed out of his childhood and into an area where he feels out of place, it is only inevitable that this would be a source of his depression. Both of these internal conflicts add to Holden Caulfield’s
Holden Caulfield is a peculiar teenager. He's hypocritical, cynical, dishonest, and most of all...confused. All of these traits add up to an unreliable narrator, to say the least. You can never take what Holden says at face value: you have to read between the lines. In between the lines lies the fact that he is extremely lonely, and that his fear of abandonment causes him to isolate himself in opposition to that. He often tries to cover this up from both himself and outsiders, hence the lying and contradictory nature of his thoughts. The problem is, he doesn't know why he's lonely. He feels cut off from the rest of society; feels as though he is all alone in this world of supposed phonies. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden's loneliness shines through in the way he frequently reaches out to complete strangers for companionship (strangers he generally dislikes, too, which shows just how desperate he is for company). True to his contradictory nature, he also tries to isolate himself at the same time, for he fears abandonment. Abandonment, as a matter of fact, is at the very root of his issuance with creating connections: he reaches out to people and then immediately proceeds to push them away, for he is terrified of getting hurt by them.
To conclude my essay, Holden Caulfield yearns for closeness with other individuals. I discussed Holden's apprehension of individuals abandoning him, how Holden judges individuals as “Phonies”, and Holden's inclination and views towards himself. He strives to make connections and bonds with the individuals he meets, in light of the fact that he passes judgment on them and views everyone as an imposter or being “Phony”. Holden has some difficulty growing up and tolerating life, as it seems to be. Holden declines to consider with his feelings towards situations and events that occur, this is on because Holden cannot adversely and acknowledge the progressions in life. In turn, his inability to form bonds and meaningful relationships prompts his depression and...
Holden Caulfield is clearly at odds with society. He prefers isolation rather than the company of others. He frequently lies when there is no need to do so. And he deems most people to be phonies without reasoning that in himself. It is clear that Holden Caulfield alienates himself as a form of self-protection. There is no doubt that he is a troubled individual in desperate need of help. Perhaps Caulfield has found help in the “crummy place” where the novel began.
This can be seen when Holden comes back from his fencing team’s trip to New York. He says “I left all the foils and equipment and stuff on the goddam subway. It wasn’t my fault” (Salinger 3). Holden continuously makes excuses for what he does, not admitting that leaving the “equipment” on the “goddam subway” was his fault, and therefore not living up to his ideal self. By not accepting responsibility, there is no clear path for self-improvement or growth, which does not allow him to manage his existential anxiety in a positive way. Along with not admitting his mistakes, he isolates himself from society by not reaching out to anyone. This is shown through the fact that when he is in the phone booth he wants to call someone but “ended up not calling anyone” (Salinger 53). This shows his isolation from society because he does not have strong relationships with friends or family, which is needed to get to the path of self-compassion. Holden does not reach out to people because he is afraid of getting rejected. This fear of rejection causes him to not be able to connect with anyone, making him stuck on the path of self-hate. Additionally, he judges everyone around him while believing he does nothing wrong. When he is at a
It takes many experiences in order for an immature child to become a responsible, well-rounded adult. In J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger’s main character Holden Caulfield matures throughout the course of the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Holden is a juvenile young man. However, through his experiences, Holden is able to learn, and is finally able to become somewhat mature by the end of the novel. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield’s story represents a coming of age for all young adults.
As the novel reaches the last few chapters Holden slowly begins the process of inner change.
Many teens learn lessons the hard way during their childhood. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, a 16-year-old boy named Holden, wandering the streets of New York City meeting new people and reconnecting with others. The novel contains symbols, irony, and imagery that contributes to the overall theme on how growing up is a part of life.
J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is a remarkable book that gives readers a unique and perhaps gloomy perspective of the 1950's through Holden Caulfield, a cynical and peculiar teenager. Through The Catcher in the Rye Salinger describes important aspects of the 1950's. Salinger emphasizes several key characteristics of the 50's and criticizes them through Holden. In addition, Holden Caulfield is a very interesting character with several traits that put him at odds with society.