Unreachable Dreams in The Catcher in The Rye

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Unreachable Dreams in The Catcher in The Rye

Many people find that their dreams are unreachable. Holden

Caulfield realizes this in J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. As

Holden tells his story, he recounts the events since leaving the Pencey

School to his psychiatrist. At first, Holden sounds like a typical,

misguided teenager, rebellious towards his parents, angry with his teachers,

and flunking out of school. However, as his story progresses, it becomes

clear that Holden is indeed motivated, just not academically. He has a

purpose: to protect the young and innocent minds of young children from the

"horrors" of adult society. He hopes to freeze the children in time, as

wax figures are frozen in a museum. After interacting with Phoebe, his

younger sister, Holden realizes that this goal is quite unachievable.

Holden wants to be the Catcher in the Rye, then realizes it is an

unreachable ideal.

Holden begins his story misguided and without direction. After

flunking out of the Pencey School, Holden decides to leave early. Before

he leaves, though, he visits his teacher, Mr. Spencer. Mr. Spencer and

Holden talk about his direction in life: "'Do you feel absolutely no

concern for your future, boy?' 'Oh, I feel some concern for my future, all

right. Sure. Sure, I do.' I thought about it for a minute. 'But not too

much, I guess,'" (14). After leaving Pencey, he checks into a hotel where

he invites a prostitute up to his room. He gets cold feet and decides not

to have intercourse with her, though. Later, Holden decides to take his

old girlfriend, Sally Hayes, to the theater. After taking her to the

theater, Holden formulates a crazy plan which entails running away with

Sally, getting married, and growing old together. Sally thinks that he is

crazy, and she decides to go home. During his stay away from home, Holden

drinks and smokes, showing even more misdirection. However, when Holden

returns home and talks to his sister, Phoebe, his direction becomes clear.

Holden wants to be the Catcher in the Rye to protect children from

the world in which he is forced to live. While talking with Phoebe, she

asks Holden what he would like to be. He responds saying:

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