Holden Caulfield and Mersault have both been alienated in their worlds as the authors have so clearly portrayed in both books. But as much as both have been alienated‚ one is an essentialist while the other remains an existentialist. Holden Caulfield being the essentialist that he is‚ has psychological motivation for every action he takes. He is a teenager that is struggling with the fact that everyone has to grow up‚ which to him means that you have to become "phony or corrupt". While
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One night my brother Holden and I were watching lightning as it stormed. He started talking about the future and where he wants to be in four years when he graduates from college. Then he told me to always work hard and follow my dreams. He also told me to have a positive outlook on things. Holden has always had a positive influence on my life because he has showed me what reality is like‚ he has always supported me through things‚ and he’s a hard worker. The way Holden has showed me what reality
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Transcendentalism Essay Transcendentalism is known as the philosophical movement as a protest to the general state of culture and society. Many Transcendentalists include Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. The way Chris McCandless acted during the end of his life were a lot like these Transcendentalists. Many people‚ including myself‚ would consider Chris McCandless to be a Transcendentalist. The ways that he hated on society‚ burned his money after he ruined his car‚ and went out into
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Many people might consider high school as a place to learn and make friends‚ but according to a recent survey‚ about one in ten people do not enjoy school. Like these teens‚ Holden Caulfield‚ who is the main character in the novel‚ Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger‚ experiences a struggle between his close friends. These struggles were caused as part of him tries to be at an adult level and the other part tries to keep away from “phonies”. Holden uses slang words‚ catch phrases‚ and seeks
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Comparison and Contrast Essay: Catcher in the Rye and Stand by Me Themes in literary works are recurring‚ unifying subjects or ideas‚ motifs that allow us to understand more deeply the characters and their world. In The Catcher in the Rye and stand by Me‚ the major themes reflect the values and motivations of the characters. As its title indicates‚ the dominating theme of The Catcher in the Rye is the protection of innocence‚ especially of children. For most of the book‚ Holden sees this as a primary
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think that they could have done something to prevent it‚ even though they can’t. In the book‚ Catcher in the Rye‚ by J.D. Salinger‚ the main character‚ Holden‚ has a brother named Allie‚ who passed away when he was ten. Holden and Allie were very close‚ and Holden misses Allie a lot. Throughout the book‚ there are many examples of how Allie’s death effects Holden in a negative way. In the book‚ Catcher in the Rye‚ J.D. Salinger uses Holden to show how death of a loved one can effect someone in a negative
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Innocence and Purity Innocence is to be free from sin or moral wrong‚ and purity is freedom from guilt or evil. According to J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye‚ innocence and purity grow weaker with time and life experience. The main character Holden holds onto his innocence and purity for as long as possible before understanding that it is inevitable that he grow up. J.D. Salinger proves that innocence and purity fade with time and age. He proves that life experiences can change a person
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Throughout the book The Catcher In The Rye‚ Holden Caulfield faces many struggles due to the fact that he does not like dedicating himself to certain ideas or people. In the book Holden finds it extremely difficult to devote himself to other people and is constantly finding reasons to push people away. Holden even calls almost all the other characters in the book “phonies” because he wants to find reasons not to care about other people due to the fact he is afraid of losing people he cares about
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A coming-of-age novel is when a protagonist undergoes adventures and/or inner turmoil in his growth and development as a human being. Keeping that in mind‚ Holden was dealing with the realities of growing up‚ and becoming "phony". He was slowly realizing that he could never censor the world from profanities‚ and that he could never rub off all the "****-Yous" on the walls. At the end when Phoebe is on the Merry-Go-Round‚ he says that he has to let her grab the ring‚ which his way of letting her
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Her childish innocence brings joy to Holden since it serves as a stark contrast to his dreary and depressing worldview. He is interested in preserving innocence and keeping childhood last forever‚ as seen in his desire to be the “catcher in the rye” figure‚ “[catching] everybody if they start to go over the cliff…[coming] out from somewhere and [catching] them” (Salinger 173). When he meets up with Phoebe once again towards the end of the novel‚ he is shocked to find her maturing with
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