Jordan London Miss Raub English 13 March 2014 Alienation: Holden Caulfield’s Way of Self-Protection It is apparent from reading The Catcher in the Rye that one of the novel’s main themes is alienation. The theme of alienation is most clearly visible as a form of self-protection through the actions of the protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield. Caulfield’s self-imposed isolation as a form of protection can be seen in his physical seclusion from the outside world, in his constant acts of lying, and in his condemnation of society as being “phony.” The Catcher in the Rye focuses on Holden Caulfield’s journey to New York City after he learns that he has flunked out of the fictional Pencey Preparatory School. Caulfield, a troubled sixteen-year-old boy, is totally alienated from his environment and from society as a whole. (Telgen 120) Caulfield is not alienated by others, rather he chooses to alienate himself. He feels a desire for isolation sometimes because he cannot stand the company of others, or because he becomes disappointed with their company, and at other times because he feels a need to drive others away. (Engel 53) CAULFIELD’S PHYSICAL ISOLATION FROM THE WORLD Caulfield chooses to physically isolate himself throughout The Catcher in the Rye. Holden narrates his story while isolated in a “crummy place.” When talking about his brother, D.B., Holden indirectly reveals he is in a psychiatric hospital. “That isn't too far from this crumby [sic] place, and he comes over and visits me practically every week end. He's going to drive me home when I go home next month maybe.” (Salinger 1) Caulfield’s presence in a psychiatric hospital reveals to the reader that he is alienated to a serious extent. Caulfield’s seclu... ... middle of paper ... ...atcher in the rye is due to his rebellion against all the phonies in the world that he constantly complains about. Holden constantly criticizes people of being phony, when ironically he, too, is phony. By believing that the world around him is not genuine, and that he is one of the few truly genuine people, Caulfield feels protected and safe. But as a result, he forces himself into alienation. CONCLUSION Holden Caulfield is clearly at odds with society. He prefers isolation rather than the company of others. He frequently lies when there is no need to do so. And he deems most people to be phonies without reasoning that in himself. It is clear that Holden Caulfield alienates himself as a form of self-protection. There is no doubt that he is a troubled individual in desperate need of help. Perhaps Caulfield has found help in the “crummy place” where the novel began.
A theme throughout Catcher in the rye is Holden continuously writing about how mad or frustrated he is, and that is largely down to how much he isolates himself from society.
Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger is about a boy named Holden Caulfield who struggles with the codes of conduct his upper class lifestyle follows. For Holden, loss of innocence is not about smoking a cigarette as much as it is about his realization that the rules placed on him by society are phony. Holden distracts himself by focusing on his feelings of alienation because he does not want to face his own deep sadness over his own loss of innocence.
Catcher in the Rye is one of the most famous books in American literature. Written by J. D. Salinger, it captures the epitome of adolescence through Salinger’s infamous anti-hero, Holden Caulfield. Holden Caulfield learns about himself and his negative tendencies, and realizes that if he does not do something to change his perspective, he may end up like his acquaintance James Castle whom he met at Elkton Hills. Holden tries to find help to mend his outlook on life through Mr. Antolini so he does not end up like James, who did not want to face the problems he created for himself. This is proven by the similarities between James Castle and Holden, Mr. Antolini’s willingness to try and help Holden, and Holden’s future being forecasted by James.
American Literature is widely known for possessing themes of disillusionment. Faulkner, Harper Lee, Fitzgerald, and Hemingway dominate this category of literature. However, the most influential piece of American Literature is arguably J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. What makes this piece of art stand so far out from any other work of literature is the attributes that make this novel so relatable. The source of this raw, real emotion that completely captivates the reader is Salinger himself. The Catcher in the Rye ‘s main character Holden Caulfield is undeniably Salinger. This work of fiction nearly resembles an autobiography. J.D. Salinger uses his novel to express his disillusionment through motifs, pathos, and symbols.
Holden Caulfield, portrayed in the J.D. Salinger novel Catcher in the Rye as an adolescent struggling to find his own identity, possesses many characteristics that easily link him to the typical teenager living today. The fact that the book was written many years ago clearly exemplifies the timeless nature of this work. Holden's actions are those that any teenager can clearly relate with. The desire for independence, the sexually related encounters, and the questioning of ones religion are issues that almost all teens have had or will have to deal with in their adolescent years. The novel and its main character's experiences can easily be related to and will forever link Holden with every member of society, because everyone in the world was or will be a teen sometime in their life.
“Isolation is the sum total of wretchedness to man.” (Thomas Carlyle). In the story Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, this coming of age book tells of the teen troubles experienced by the main character Holden Caulfield. After Holden gets expelled from his school Pencey Prep, Holden leaves school a couple days early to explore New York City. In his travels he experiences isolation from friends at school, feeling disconnected from his family, as he tries understand these periods angst he finds some peace.
Imagine, a character so unique, so different, that everyone seems to find familiarity with him. The fact that this character is so different is what drives the reader towards him, and ultimately calls to the outcast within us all. Holden Caulfield was originally imagined to be a completely new idea, from the mind of J.D. Salinger. He wanted to call back to the thoughts of his youth, in hopes that readers could take a trip into his mind. What he didn’t expect, however, is that the trip readers were taking were into their own minds, questioning themselves. Catcher in the Rye has topped favorite book charts, banned book lists, and is even involved in a number of famous murders. A storytelling revolution, instant hit, and literary icon, Catcher in the Rye begs for further analysis, both into the mind of Holden, and the reader.
Now having identified and explained all of Holden Caulfield’s emotional struggles between his curiosities with growing up and his need to preserve innocence through symbols and imagery, Holden begins to realize this efforts are useless. He is aware life goes on and everyone will be exposed to the cruelty and phoniness of the world at some point or another. He just believed he could postpone the inevitable truth for the ones he considered to be still innocent including himself.
In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caufield attempts to protect himself from his impending adulthood by visiting New York to escape his fate. The novel follows Holden as he travels New York City in order to get away from his responsibilities of going to school. Holden suffers throughout the novel, from feeling irritated by the “phonies” at Pency Prep, to being beaten up, and even contemplating suicide, but yet he perseveres. Holden lets the reader know his deep thoughts, and gives the reader his frank opinion on life. In his many adventures in the city, Holden’s innocence gets the best of him, as he attempts to casually chat with a prostitute, or when he tries to strike a conversation with an
The Catcher in the Rye is a novel that follows the journey of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year old boy between the end of his fall semester and Christmas break at his boarding school. Through a first person point of view, this book is able to focus on moral issues such as the process of maturing, change, and phoniness in the world. While focusing on these moral issues, the novel also focuses on how Holden is forced to handle these situations. Due to his poor mental health, Holden does not handle these situations maturely. In fact, Holden has actions and behaviors that match those of psychological behaviors such as PTSD and depression. These symptoms and his overall mental health is believed to be a result of his upbringing and his childhood.
Superficially the story of a young man getting expelled from another school, the Catcher in the Rye is, in fact, a perceptive study of one individual’s understanding of his human condition. Holden Caulfield, a teenager growing up in 1950’s, New York, has been expelled from school for poor achievement once again. In an attempt to deal with this he leaves school a few days prior to the end of term, and goes to New York to take a vacation before returning to his parents’ inevitable irritation. Told as a monologue, the book describe Holden’s thoughts and activities over these few days, during which he describes a developing nervous breakdown. This was evident by his bouts of unexplained depression, impetuous spending and generally odd, erratic behavior, prior to his eventual nervous collapse.
The Catcher in the Rye revolves around Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the novel, and his disillusionment. Holden’s disillusionment illustrates that he has a problem accepting such. Aforesaid is based upon multiple factors, most which have brought Holden lasting traumas. A remedy is required for Holden to accept his disillusionment and enable an improvement of his situation. For Holden’s remedy, the consultation of psychologists, and additional specialized health professionals would be the core of an apt remedy for Holden’s psychological and physiological state based upon the numerous causes of such and the everlasting trauma of some of the determinants of aforesaid situation. The origins of Holden’s disillusionment revolved mainly around the death of his younger brother Allie three years ago, of which he still experiences the trauma to this day. His disillusionment is caused by both
...ality in the narrative is having to deal with alienation and how he deals with it, with the world. One of his other psychological features is having depression, which elucidate to Sigmund Freud. Holden’s last trait has to do with having immature relationships with women and focuses on both the author and Holden. Holden Caulfield could also be known as a wallflower. He is shy, always excluded to the world, and is always focusing in his own mind, which somewhat makes him have a normal trait. But that doesn’t cover his mental disorders.
Many young people often find themselves struggling to find their own identity and place in society. This search for self worth often leaves these young people feeling lonely and isolated because they are unsure of themselves. Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger's main character in the book The Catcher In the Rye, is young man on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. One contributor to this breakdown, is the loneliness that Holden experiences. His loneliness is apparent through many ways including: his lack of friends, his longing for his dead brother, and the way he attempts to gain acceptance from others.
He wanted to experience life in the wilderness where nobody can tell him what to do. During his childhood, McCandless occasionally see violence in his household. McCandless found out that his father had a second family. He recognized and realized that his entire life was full of lie. This made him believe that living in solitude is the best way to live. From all the tragedy that happened in his life, McCandless still has faith until his death. Caulfield admitted to himself that he was an atheist, “Sally said I was sacrilegious atheist. I probably am” (Salinger 137). In the novel of The Catcher in the Rye, Caulfield always had trouble every time he was trying to get along with someone. Holden Caulfield is socially awkward in general with people. Caulfield was always trying to accomplish something but ended up neglecting his own words. McCandless wrote a letter to Ronald Franz on how he was motivating Franz to not delay his willing, “don’t hesitate or allow yourself to make excuses. Just get out and do it. Just get out and do it. You will be very, very glad that you did” (Krakauer 58). Caulfield will most likely to not listen to the advice that McCandless gave to Franz. Caulfield poor judgement to people made him to not trust anyone unless himself and Phoebe. Caulfield always have negative thoughts about people on how he was freaked out when Mr. Antolini was patting to comfort him. Caulfield’s lifestyle is also doesn’t match McCandless lifestyle in the wild. McCandless quoted, “two years he walks the earth, no phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes” (Krakauer 163). When Caulfield was wandering in New York City, he was doing what he was not supposed to be doing at his age. Caulfield smokes cigarette, drink alcohol, and invited a prostitute to his hotel room. Caulfield’s lifestyle is an indication that he can’t really survive