The Catcher in the Rye - Holden and Modern Teenagers
The characteristics of Holden from the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.
Salinger, will be compared to the "modern teenager". The characteristics of
both sets of teenagers are basically similar, but in some parts, they are
different. I chose myself as the modern teenager to be compared to Holden. There
will be four major subjects to be talked about in the essay. The main subjects
that are going to be discussed in this essay are academics, family, experiences
and slang. I thought these four categories are interesting and easy to explain.
In school, we are very similar in many ways. Both of us do not do well
academically. We both have problems with grades in our classes. Holden failed
four out of five of his classes while I failed none. But instead I received
four "C's" from four out of eight of my classes. Although Holden has problems
with grades, ironically he does well in his English. Holden stated, "I'm quite
illiterate, but I read a lot." (p.18) Reading books improves your grammar and
vocabulary. This was be the reason why Holden does well in his English class. I
do not read much and therefore I have problems in my grammar.
The family background of Holden and I are fairly similar, both of us come from
opulent families. Holden and I are both very lucky to be studying in eminent
institutions. Unfortunately, Holden does not take this advantage. Holden's mind
is elsewhere in a reverie, day dreaming how to save the virtuous children from
the evil. While studying away from his family makes Holden's relationship with
his family worst. I study in a private school with my sister and we go home
every day and meet our parents when we get home. Since Holden does not spend
quality time with his parents long enough, he rarely talked about them in the
book. Holden even wrote about his brother in a negative way, "Now he's out in
Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute."(p.2) Using the word prostitute means a lot,
maybe he did not know him as much as he needed to. Unlike me, I will never
insult my sister a prostitute because that is like insulting yourself.
The two organizations explained in this assignment are “Anheuser Busch” and “MOLSON Coors”. Anheuser Busch is a multinational company brewing more than 100 brands in the United States and holds a 45.8 percent of the beer market share1. The company is recognized as the No. 1 brewing company by Fortune magazine – “World’s Most Admired Company”2. Dreaming Big, Unity and Culture are the three main driving values and guiding principles which account for the success the company has achieved during the years1. All these combined with the dedication and motivation
Part of the irony in Holden’s story is that physically, he looks mature, but mentally, he is still very much a child: “I act quite young for my age, sometimes. I was sixteen then, and I’m seventeen now … I’m six foot two and a half and I have gray hair ” (9). There is no middle ground, adolescence, for Holden. He can only be an adult, physically, or a child, mentally. Holden’s history teacher, Mr. Spencer, tries to appeal to him by using a metaphor: “Life is a game, boy.
Holden’s life went through a major change at the age of 13 when his younger brother, Allie lost his battle to Leukemia. Holden fondly speaks of his red headed brother in the
The following Essay must be a minimum of 5 paragraphs of 10-12 sentences each (a sentence is 10 words or more) .
The first and most obvious characteristic found in most teens, including Holden, would be the desire for independence. Throughout the novel, Holden is not once found wishing to have his parents help in any way. He has practically lived his entire life in dorms at prestigious schools, and has learned quite well how to be on his own. This tendency of teenagers took place in even in ancient history, where the freshly developed teen opts to leave the cave and hunt for is own food. Every teenager tries, in his or her own way, to be independent. Instead of admitting to ones parents of a wrongful deed, the teen tries covering up the mistake or avoiding it in hopes that they won't get in any trouble. They feel that they have enough intelligence to think through a problem without going to their parents for assistance. When Holden hears the news that he has been expelled from Pency, he concludes that his parents would not know of this for a few days. Therefore, he would wait from Saturday all the way to Wednesday, let his parents "get it and thoroughly digest it", and then face the consequences, which will more than likely be less severe after his parents calmed down. He states on page fifty-one, "I didn't want to be around when they first got it. My mother gets very hysterical. She's not too bad after she gets something thoroughly digested, though." In taking the independent route, Holden does not look for sympathy or help from either of his parents.
Holden Caulfield is a very intelligent teenager, but doesn’t apply himself to school. Holden dropped out of four schools, one of them being Pencey Preparatory School. Holden did not fail out because he wasn’t smart enough. Holden is smart. He constantly reads books, but could not pass anything other than English. In fact, one of his favorite teachers at Whooton, Mr. Antolini, told Holden, “You’re a student- whether the idea appeals to you or not. You’re in love with knowledge…” (pg. 189) He fail...
that he is trying to hide his true identity. He does not want people to know who he really is or that he was kicked out of his fourth school. Holden is always using fake names and tries speaking in a tone to persuade someone to think a cretin way. He does this when he talks to women. While he is talking to the psychiatrist he explains peoples reactions to his lies like they really believe him, when it is very possible that he is a horrible liar and they are looking at him with a “what are you talking a bout?” expression. Holden often lies to the point where he is lying to him self.
Holden is like most teenagers: he’s trying to find his place in society without having any sort of direction. One of the main reasons this is hard for Holden is because he doesn’t have any role models and is misguided. His brother D.B. lives all the way in Hollywood “being a prostitute” (Salinger 2) and he resents his parents. Everyone around him seems to be “phonies “and Holden is continuously trying to be different but notices that the lifestyle he wants just doesn’t fit in the world he lives in . He constantly rejects certain ways of living but can’t seem to find the purpose for his own and because of this he criticizes the life of the...
In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden Caufield believes that innocence is corrupted by society. He exposes his self-inflicted emotional struggles as he is reminiscing the past. For Holden, teenage adolescence is a complicated time for him, his teenage mentality in allows him to transition from the teenage era to the reality of an adult in the real world. As he is struggling to find his own meaning of life, he cares less about others and worries about how he can be a hero not only to himself but also to the innocent youth. As Holden is grasping the idea of growing up, he sets his priorities of where he belongs and how to establish it. As he talks about how ‘phony’ the outside world is, he has specific recollections that signify importance to his life and he uses these time and time again because these memories are ones that he wont ever let go of. The death of his younger brother Allie has had a major impact on him emotionally and mentally. The freedom of the ducks in Central Park symbolize his ‘get away’ from reality into his own world. His ideology of letting kids grow up and breaking the chain loose to discover for themselves portrays the carrousel and the gold ring. These are three major moments that will be explored to understand the life of Holden Caufield and his significant personal encounters as he transitions from adolescence into manhood.
Even though most of us may not realized it, interest rate actually play an important role in our everyday lives due to its great effect on the buying power. For instances, if the interest rate is higher, people tend to reduce their spending and rather save it in the deposit account due to the large interest that they can gained. However, if the interest rate is lower, they rather spend it than keeping it in the deposit account. The reason for this is because the ups and down of the interest rates have a significant impact on their personal income. Furthermore, since interest rate have a major impact on investment it is important for the investors to keep track on these interest rate’s trend before making any decision.
Living wages became a hot topic in 1994 when Baltimore, Maryland officials adopted a policy that required all companies that received public funds or worked on government contracts to pay a wage that would sufficiently provide for the basic needs of the people they employed. Living wages differ among cities since it is calculated by the cost of living in that area. The cost of living is based on available childcare, healthcare, housing, food, and transportation costs. According to www.responsiblewealth.org, (2005) in 2000, the living wage amounted to $17,050 a year for a family of four, or $8.20 per hour for a full-time, year around worker. Most studies show that the economical benefits of living wages, such as worker productivity and reduced turnover, are increasing, and I must agree with Neumark (2003) who explains that living wages overall can reduce poverty, and living wage laws are effective, but there is an obvious tradeoff that occurs with wage increases, specifically employment reductions for individuals with little or no skills. Issues such as these will be discussed in greater detail in this paper.
Holden struggles with himself mightily and cannot fulfill his responsibilities. One of Holden’s struggles is that he has a bad attitude towards everyone. For example, at the school he goes to, he hates his roommates and his teachers. In addition to not liking anyone, Holden
Holden is the second eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Caulfield. Mr. Caulfield works as a lawyer. His wife is a homemaker. He is one of four children born to the couple. His relationship with his parents and siblings appears to be normal. Preliminary interviews indicate that Holden had idolized his older brother, D.B., throughout his childhood. Recently, however, his opinion has reversed. D. B. Caulfield, a writer, has recently relocated to Hollywood. Holden regards this move as a misstep for his brother and has even gone so far as accusing him of prostituting himself by ag...
Parents are the most important support system in their children’s lives. There is a breakdown in this support system for Holden. His relationship with his parents is very dysfunctional; he rarely talks to them and avoids seeing them in person. Mr. and Mrs. Caulfield have their own life agenda, which doesn’t include Holden as a priority. Their obligation is mainly to pay for the various boarding schools he attends. Holden’s parenting comes mostly from these boarding schools. Holden even feared returning home or was ambivalent about seeing his parents. When he did return home to visit his sister, Phoebe, he avoided his parents as much as possible. “It was a helluva lot easier getting out of the house than in, for some reason. For one thing, I didn’t give much of a damn anymore if they caught me. I really didn’t.” (p. 180) Any person that has a good relationship with their parents would certainly try go to them for help especially if they were in a difficult time in their life. Holden was undergoing a very difficult time in his life; he was lonely and desperate for someone to talk to. Instead of seeking his parents, he chose to avoid them. This portrays the lack of the primary support system in Holden’s life, his parents.
Holden and the Complexity of Adult Life What was wrong with Holden, the main character in The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D.Salinger, was his moral revulsion against anything that was ugly, evil, cruel, or what he called "phoney" and his acute responsiveness to beauty and innocence, especially the innocence of the very young, in whom he saw reflected his own lost childhood. There is something wrong or lacking in the novels of despair and frustration of many writers. The sour note of bitterness and the recurring theme of sadism have become almost a convention, never thoroughly explained by the author's dependence on a psychoanalytical interpretation of a major character. The boys who are spoiled or turned into budding homosexuals by their mothers and a loveless home life are as familiar to us today as stalwart and dependable young heroes such as John Wayne were to an earlier generation. We have accepted this interpretation of the restlessness and bewilderment of our young men and boys because no one has anything better to offer.