Literary Analysis Essay On Catcher In The Rye

Holden Kim
What’s in a Name?
I have three different names, Holden, Jaesung, and Kim. Each of these cherished names hold their own set of stories and memories of me and my family. But out of my three names, Holden and Jaesung emerged from exceptionally intriguing beginnings.
When I was almost due as a baby, my parents were overjoyed. But the naming loomed ahead. The clock was ticking, and the nurse's patience was running out. My parents needed to name me quickly. That was when my father recalled his favorite book, The Catcher and the Rye. He read this book when he was a teenager, and he instantly treasured it. Holden Caulfield was someone who he could relate to as a human, and he was a humorous character. Additionally, the theoretical

definition of Holden is ‘fearless,’ which is a great attribute to a person. My father instantly took a liking to this name also because it was a unique name that people could remember me by, instead of common names such as ‘Matthew’ or ‘Daniel.’ Even now, many years after that fateful day, I can remember and appreciate my father’s decision.
Jaesung, my middle name, is also my Korean name. Koreans tend to place high value on their titles because in the olden times, royal families were known by their surnames. Therefore, names must be chosen by a close family member such as the parents, grandparents, or uncles/aunts. In Korea, names are separated into two characters. The first character is chosen by the grandfather from the father’s side. My first character is Jae. In Korean, Jae means to save or rescue. I was named this because my grandfather wanted me to become a hero who saved his friends.
The second character of my name is Sung, which roughly translates into “falling star.” Some time before I was born, my parents and grandparents were driving home in a car at night. As my mother was driving, she saw a momentary glimpse of a shooting star. The star was white and blue, and it was in the direction of our home. It was quite special to her because she had never seen a shooting star before. Later when she arrived home, my mother asked everyone else if they saw the star as well. To her astonishment, the only other person to see it was my father. My mother instantly thought of ‘Sung’ for the second character of my middle name because it reminded her of that special day and of the memorable shooting star that only my parents noticed.
After researching and discovering remarkable stories of how my name came to be, I can think back and admire the decision that my family has made. I used to think of names as labels that were put on everything. Now I know that there is so much thought, story, and tradition that comes into creating a name. My own name is special to me, and I can recognize its value to my life.