Tragedy changes one drastically, whether it is in a negative or positive way. Something that used to be the norm, is no longer there. It has a ripple affect on the surrounding people. One person, one life, affects hundreds. Why does such a horrible thing happen? Is it just another case of being a victim of circumstance? Both of those questions are examined through the books The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Ordinary People by Judith Guest as they follow the lives two troubled teenage boys, Holden Caulfield and Conrad Jarrett. While some may believe that two books stylistically differ, ultimately they relate more through the mutual themes of depression and the way one copes with it, social acceptance, and family tragedies. As typical male teenagers, both Holden and Conrad initially do not open
It is fascinating that both of the boys seem to connect better with girls than with other guys. In both novels the boys move in and out of friendships with the guys at their schools, but are consistent with the girls they are interested in. Such as Holden when he find out his old friend Jane is going on a date with his roommate Stradlater, ”Jane Gallagher. Jesus ... I couldn't get her off my mind. I really couldn't. ‘I oughta go down and say hello to her, at least’” (Salinger 37). It appears that both boys have one girl they have been and will continue to keep their eye on. For Holden, its Jane Gallagher and for Conrad, its Jeannine Pratt. Conrad also struggles socially with other boys his age and it is shown when he admits, "Yeah. About friends. I don't have any. I got sort of out of touch before I left” (Guest 83). Obviously to them, connections with girls in their lives have made a bigger impact than the boys have. A friendship like Holden and Jane’s lasted through tough times, but when it comes to the friendships with the guys, they are long
Depression is the storm whose rain can drown a person to oblivion if they have nothing to cling onto. This sea of confusion swirls in an endless tsunami of despair whose only savior is love, for its intensity shines through the storm and calms the sea. Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D Salinger, explores this emotion through Holden Caulfield. Adolescence is often a time of confusion and yearning to find a place of belonging; this is no exception to Holden who seeks connection with other people and struggles to understand the changing world alongside his transition into young adulthood. Holden’s struggle throughout the novel ultimately illustrates the hypocritical notions society tries to teach the new generations such as being an individual
'The novel has long ignited disapproval, and it was the most frequently banned book in schools between 1966 and 1975. Even before that time,
Protected by a cocoon of naiveté, Holden Caulfield, the principal character in the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, therapeutically relates his lonely 24 hour stay in downtown New York city, experiencing the "phony" adult world while dealing with the death of his innocent younger brother. Through this well-developed teenage character, JD Salinger, uses simple language and dialogue to outline many of the complex underlying problems haunting adolescents. With a unique beginning and ending, and an original look at our new society, The Catcher in the Rye is understood and appreciated on multiple levels of comprehension. The book provides new insights and a fresh view of the world in which adolescents live.
The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D.Salinger, is a novel written to convey the emotions of transitioning from a child to an adult. The story takes place primarily in New York City, New York, following teenage boy Holden Caulfield during a short snippet of his life. The reader travels through this time as Caulfield is kicked out of secondary school and journeys to New York shortly after. The novel’s purpose is to detail the painful experience of being a teenager through the eyes of a boy who does not understand adults and experiences withdrawal from society due to his discontent with it. This experience relates to many which is why the book is still to this day so popular and why it is a valuable piece of literature.
When one finds themselves in a reader’s position, they search for things in the novel that they can relate to. J. D. Salinger wrote a story that contained countless topics that people, past, present and future, can relate to in several ways. The novel follows the story of a troubled boy named Holden who leaves school due to his poor academic performance, an altercation with his roommate, and complications with his emotions due to the traumatic loss of his brother. He quickly understands how his narrow view of the world will lead him into trouble when he finds himself alone. The reader accompanies Holden through his stressful experiences over a period of three days through which we learn of his pain-filled past and negative outlook on the future. Some of the barriers Holden came upon during the time period of the novel are themes of everyday life. In The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger intends to grab his audience’s attention with the story of a young teen named Holden Caulfield who must face emotional damage, hidden truths, and accepting responsibility
Holden always thinks friendships are fake. He always thinks people are insincere, which is one of the reasons why Holden is running away from being a part of the “society”. On the other hand, Charlie is happy with his new friends- Patrick and Sam. But he had no friends before he met Patrick and Sam. His friend shot himself.
... is trying to catch Holden in the midst of a “fall.” But Mr. Antolini “fall” describes is very different from the one Holden had imagined. Holden desires an idyllic world of childhood innocence; But Mr. Antolini describes that Holden is giving up or disengaging himself from the real world, or that he would fall in a void that removes life around him. In both these cases, we see that Holden envisions himself as the protector rather than the one to be protected. Holden is the one who really needs to be “caught”. But Mr. Antolini thinks that Holden feels disconnected from his environment, and, his assessment is accurate. Holden wants to attempt to be his own saviour, but Mr. Antolini’s imagines Holden’s falling presents in a more accurate image of what awaits Holden on the other side of the “cliff.” This thus reveals the weaknesses of Holden’s romantic outlook.
In the novel “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden is deals with one of the largest obstacles one would ever face in one’s lifetime. He must deal with the concept of development and the idea that he’s growing up, that he’s no longer a child and must accept maturity. This internal struggle is evident in multiple aspects of this novel, particularly highlighted when Holden visits the museum and the carousel at the conclusion of the novel.
According to the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, in the U.S. alone, 5.5 million teens suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, which is approximately 4% of teenage boys and 6% of teenage girls. PTSD is a mental health disorder triggered by a traumatic event, in a person’s life and causes depression, anger and loneliness along with aggression, out-of-place sexual behavior, self-harm, abuse of drugs or alcohol, low self-worth, and not being able to trust others. Although only a small number of people are diagnosed with PTSD, most people have felt the effects of at least one of its symptoms in some way after a traumatic incident in their life. Consequently, a literary character that is experiencing many of these symptoms is easy to relate to for many readers due to the fact that they understand what the character is going through. One stellar example of a character displaying the majority of the symptoms of PTSD is Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. Because of Holden’s timeless struggles, along with the novel’s historical setting and important life lessons, Catcher in the Rye is a crucial book for high school students to read.
He is very immature and easily angered. When Sally declined Holden’s proposal to run away with him, Holden immediately became infuriated. Also, Holden feels the need for control through his conversations with people. He often acts impulsively and is a habitual liar, often lying for no reason. An example of Holden’s lack of control is his reaction to Allie’s death. Holden became angry and punched out the windows of his garage. Conrad also lacks self- control. Upon his brother’s death, Conrad attempts suicide. Once released from the hospital his friendships begin to deteriorate and he even fights one of his friends. Conrad let’s his emotions take over without the use of his brain, similarly to Holden. Conrad, unlike Holden, however, doesn’t lie and only lied one time before. Both characters experience a form of healing by the novel’s end. Holden has just begun his state of rehabilitation, while Conrad finds the strength to forgive himself and begin rebuilding
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.
Every human being in this world will go through challenges at some point in their lives. The novel, Catcher in the Rye authored by J.D. Salinger depicts the life of a young high school student named Holden Caulfield who grieving the death of his brother. Several stages of grief are demonstrated in Holden’s character such as anger, denial and depression, and some social problems. From the beginning of the story Holden feels confused and makes continuous mistakes because he is mentally stuck in his brother’s death.Throughout the story Holden goes through the different stages of grief including anger and depression,, and has social problems as a result of his brother death but eventually comes to accepting the death.
It is amazing that two completely different characters could not only be faced with an identical dilemma, but also both react in such comparable ways. The resemblance of the characters’ struggles because of alienation in the popular novels The Catcher in the Rye and Speak is astonishing. Alienation can be caused by many factors and result in many consequences. But it is interesting how the situations individuals face can be quite similar. Within Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, and Anderson’s novel, Speak, both protagonists are alienated by those around them. As a result, they must endure the negative effects of this isolation and, ultimately it leads both these individuals to alienate themselves.
For my Literature Circle assignment I read the novel entitled The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger.Taking place in the 1950's, The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most popular American books of all time, though, its hero is not really a hero at all. Main character Holden Caufield, is a 17 year old, disproved and misunderstood, classic "screw-up", who does poorly in school, loses his team's equipment, and takes an impulsive trip to New York. Distraught by the death of his 11 year old brother Allie, Holden wanders around his birthplace of New York, reconnecting with old friends and making new enemies. The main conflict of this novel is Holden transitioning into an adult and trying to cope with his brother’s death. One main theme displayed all throughout this novel would be depression. For the duration of this novel, Holden spends his time alone, and even if he is in the company of other people, you hear his thoughts of being depressed. Most of this depression is derived from his brother’s death, but there are many other things accountable for his mental issues. Although much of this novel was just Holden’s opinions and thoughts, I found this novel to be very interesting and thought provoking.
There is one event that unites all human beings. This event is the process of growing up and becoming an adult. The transition into adulthood from childhood can be very long and confusing. As a kid most of them can not wait to become an adult but once you experience adulthood you miss your childhood. The novel Catcher in the Rye shows how a teenager on the break of entering adulthood can get scared. Through the main protagonist Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger captures the confusion of a teenager when faced with the challenge of adapting to an adult society. Holden is faced with many problems as some teens