Holden Caulfield is J.D. Salinger’s main character in The Catcher in the Rye. We learn several interesting things about Holden, however, while learning the these we are not experiencing or seeing what Holden is. We learn about it through Holden’s perspective throughout the entire story like, for example, the death of his younger brother, Allie or the time James Castle committed suicide by jumping out of the school window. Most of these experiences have a significant meaning behind them and we find these out by reading the book. We get to know Holden in a personal way. While reading, comprehending, and understanding Holden’s emotions towards the encounters he has with the characters in this book, which makes it very interesting.…
Holden Caulfield is the protagonist and the first-person narrator of the book. I liked the narrating style of this novel, it used common slang terms that Holden and most teenagers would use. The narrating style makes the story seem realistic and gives a detailed capture of what is exactly going on in Holden's head. The repetition in the book set the tone of Holden, he repeatedly used words that lacked concern. The diction in this book gives hints about what time period this story is taking place in before the specific year is actually revealed. Holden uses words such as dough to mention money and says grippe when he talks about the flu. These words let me know the story took place in the mid 1900’s.…
When Holden is in the presence of the better; such as his sister, his teacher Mr. Antolini,…
Holden Caulfield--a character from Catcher in the Rye--can only be described as a sympathetic character. Although Holden acts in a way sometimes that will make you feel unsympathetic towards him, we know he has mental problems causing him to end up in a hospital. Holden tends to lose his temper occasionally giving him the feel of an unsympathetic character; when you find out his condition it makes you feel otherwise.…
Holden would be able to function in todays society just not the best. Holden would most likely be a kid who avoids contact with others unless he needed something. In the book Holden is almost trying to isolate himself in some cases. The way he talks bad about everybody except for a few people is a sign that he is trying to be alone. Holden is also a bit weird with the way he thinks like he asks the weirdest questions people today might not want to listen to those questions.…
In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, seven year old Charles Baker Harris, also known as Dill, is shipped from Meridian, Mississippi to Maycomb, Alabama to stay with his aunt, Miss Rachel. His recently-divorced mom and his step-dad pay little attention to him; they buy him toys to play with in his room, so not to bother them, and they send him off to Maycomb during the summer. In J.D. Salinger’s coming of age story, The Catcher in the Rye, protagonist Holden Caulfield comes from a very wealthy Manhattan family that sends him to different boarding schools, no matter how many times he flunks out. There are numerous similarities between Dill and Holden, namely the hardships they each face, including a great loss of innocence.…
Trivial and interesting are the personality traits that come to mind when thinking of the character, Holden Caulfield. The title of the book by JD Salinger reveals much about the personality of Caulfield. Holden Caulfield, the main character of The Catcher in the Rye, is explained in great detail with the title. The life experiences of Caulfield have shaped him in each and every way. Holden Caulfield’s personality is revealed to be protecting, childish, and at the same time very confused.…
The world of childhood is sheltered from the corrupt adult world and maturation is a sometimes difficult pathway between the two. The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger, is a fictional novel seen through the eyes of sixteen year old Holden Caulfield after he is expelled from Pencey Prep. Holden leaves Pencey two days early to explore New York City before he has to return home. On his excursion, he meets prostitutes, nuns, his old girlfriend, and his sister Phoebe, while traveling around the city contemplating life and his future. Through the varying behaviors of Holden Caulfield, his maturity is shown to be stuck in a limbo between his imminent departure from the childhood world and his fear to move into the world of adults. Holden finds sexual activity intriguing in some situations, but also perverse and immoral. When Holden comes home,…
Constantly alternating between conflicting feelings of superiority and inferiority, Holden Caulfield’s unachievable dreams, delusional fantasies of grandeur, and erratic behaviour all lead to his slow decomposition over the course of the novel. Thus it is clear that his wide array of character flaws, including his cynical, depressive, and often unreasonable attitude and thoughts are rooted in some underlying emotional and mental health issues. Holden takes on a journey that transforms him from a dreamy romanticising idealist to a…
“You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you don't trust enough.” - Frank Cane. Throughout the novel, Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield shows us that he is not a trusting man. He is constantly telling and showing the reader that trusting is some sort of weakness. He thinks that he’s protecting himself when in reality he’s isolating himself from everyone. Holden Cualfield’s has trust issues that leave him with undeniable loneliness.…
Holden Caulfield, the novel’s protagonist, is a pivotal character in The Catcher in the Rye. Holden is characterized as an innocent, apathetic, naive teen who is seeking knowledge of life and the meaning of becoming an adult. Holden’s struggle with seeing the genuine nature of people is something that acts as a barrier for him throughout the novel. Holden is troubled and burdened throughout the story, which causes him to have a warped view on an array of subjects. Holden passes strict judgement on everyone, as he struggles to transition from adolescence to adulthood. Holden appears to be stunned when he sees how different the life of an adult is comparison to that of children. His views on topics such as, life, his future, and sex. Holden approaches each of these subjects with strict views, and feels dejected when he realizes there are more multiple perspectives to these topics.…
Holden Caulfield has difficulty coping in life with his judging, loneliness, depression, and anti-social behaviour. Holden is cynical in life and rarely ever is happy. An anti-social person is described as Persistent lying, using charm or wit to manipulate others for personal gain or for sheer personal pleasure, intense egocentrism, sense of superiority, repeatedly violating the rights of others by the use of dishonesty and misrepresentation, hostility, significant irritability, agitation, impulsiveness, aggression or violence, poor relationships, irresponsible work behavior and failure to learn from the negative consequences of behavior; according to Mayo Clinic.com. Holden displays all of these symptoms. Things symptoms are also habits of other people, just not serve enough for them considered to be anti-social or carrying one specific trait, like the habit of lying for example. Holden claims these people to be phonies but in fact, he does the same thing. "One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. That's all. They were coming…
“She’s super annoying.” “He is literally the dumbest person I know.” “She’s a fake.” The problem with most of these high-school judgments regarding other people is that they lack evidence, and rely on others’ preconceived notions, that may not be accurate. I admit, even I may judge a person solely based on what I hear from my friends or just because I do not like him, without any actual concrete proof of his actions. But not Holden. Even though Holden is judgmental and critical, often calling people phony or unintelligent, he “never lets anything stand by itself.” Holden doesn’t care if he’s criticizing his best friend or worst enemy, as long as he has the appropriate evidence to back it up. That is the key to his authority. Holden is able…
In this novel, Holden Caulfield gets kicked out of his school and stays in New York for a couple of days before returning home. During his travels Holden does not maintain any relationships and he associates most adults with being phony. He is constantly trying to protect himself and his sister Phoebe from being exposed to the harsh adult world. In The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger uses rhetorical devices to explain Holden’s struggles and establish the theme of preserving his own innocence and the innocence of those around him.…
“You could tell they didn't want me around”, Holden constantly displays his lack of self-confidence through bringing himself down in J.D Salinger’s the Catcher in the Rye, which follows seventeen year old, angsty teen, Holden Caulfield as he tells the in depth story of a trip to New York after flunking out of Pencey School. Holden’s loneliness and isolation highlights his inability to recognize his traumatizing past and lack of closure due to his brother’s recent death, establishing his depression and furthering his apathetic attitude towards school, aspirations, and his future entirely.…
