Holden Caulfield Character Analysis
Mrs.Schomer
ENG 3K3-11
14 July 2008
The novel The Catcher in the Rye is about a young protagonist, Holden Caulfield, who tells the story about his life from a mental institution and how he got himself into that situation. Holden is not as perfect as he wants to be, due to his constant lying, his tendency to judge others and the negative situations he gets himself in. His inability to recognize that he is a phony and a hypocrite directly contributes to his physiological problems.
Holden Caulfield thinks he is perfect, but yet he claims to be a very good liar, “I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life” (Salinger 16). He works his way with things by lying, he believes that it is a gift and that it is necessary to lie for the …show more content…
I have quite a bit of equipment at the gym I have to get to take home with me. I really do.
He looked up at me and started nodding again, with this very serious look on his face. I felt sorry as hell for him, all of a sudden. But I just couldn’t hang around there any longer (Salinger 15). Holden would use lying to distract him of what he really was because he was unable to deal with problems and every chance he had he would avoid it all. Lying
is a major part of his psychological problem because it neglects the real him and does not let him realize who he truly is.
Holden would find his own faults in others by judging them, He started telling us how he was never ashamed, when he was in some kind of trouble or something, to get right down on his knees and pray to God. He told us we should always pray to God- talk to him and all- wherever we were. He told us we ought to think of Jesus as our buddy and all. He said he talked to Jesus all the time. Even when was driving his car. That killed me. I can just see the big phony bastard shifting into first gear asking Jesus to send him a few more stiffs (Salinger 17). Holden would consistently do this with everyone around him everyone he met was a phony and would not meet up to his standards, “Besides being a terrific piano player. It was very phony-I mean him being such a big snob and all. In a funny way, though I felt sort of sorry for him” (Salinger …show more content…
Holden was not able to deal with problems but yet he would try to pick at many. Holden had a problem with Stradlater because he went out with Jane, Holden’s childhood love, he provoked Stradlater and then could not help himself out of the problem, Get your lousy knees off my chest, I told him. I was almost bawling. I really was, go on, get offa me,ya crumby bastard. He wouldn’t do it, though. He kept holding onto my wrists and I kept calling him a sonuvabitch and all, for
ENG 3K3-11
14 July 2008
The novel The Catcher in the Rye is about a young protagonist, Holden Caulfield, who tells the story about his life from a mental institution and how he got himself into that situation. Holden is not as perfect as he wants to be, due to his constant lying, his tendency to judge others and the negative situations he gets himself in. His inability to recognize that he is a phony and a hypocrite directly contributes to his physiological problems.
Holden Caulfield thinks he is perfect, but yet he claims to be a very good liar, “I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life” (Salinger 16). He works his way with things by lying, he believes that it is a gift and that it is necessary to lie for the …show more content…
I have quite a bit of equipment at the gym I have to get to take home with me. I really do.
He looked up at me and started nodding again, with this very serious look on his face. I felt sorry as hell for him, all of a sudden. But I just couldn’t hang around there any longer (Salinger 15). Holden would use lying to distract him of what he really was because he was unable to deal with problems and every chance he had he would avoid it all. Lying
is a major part of his psychological problem because it neglects the real him and does not let him realize who he truly is.
Holden would find his own faults in others by judging them, He started telling us how he was never ashamed, when he was in some kind of trouble or something, to get right down on his knees and pray to God. He told us we should always pray to God- talk to him and all- wherever we were. He told us we ought to think of Jesus as our buddy and all. He said he talked to Jesus all the time. Even when was driving his car. That killed me. I can just see the big phony bastard shifting into first gear asking Jesus to send him a few more stiffs (Salinger 17). Holden would consistently do this with everyone around him everyone he met was a phony and would not meet up to his standards, “Besides being a terrific piano player. It was very phony-I mean him being such a big snob and all. In a funny way, though I felt sort of sorry for him” (Salinger …show more content…
Holden was not able to deal with problems but yet he would try to pick at many. Holden had a problem with Stradlater because he went out with Jane, Holden’s childhood love, he provoked Stradlater and then could not help himself out of the problem, Get your lousy knees off my chest, I told him. I was almost bawling. I really was, go on, get offa me,ya crumby bastard. He wouldn’t do it, though. He kept holding onto my wrists and I kept calling him a sonuvabitch and all, for