Holden Caufield from The Catcher In the Rye
A family can be classified as one of many things. It can be a group of people living under one roof; a group of people of common ancestry; or even a unit of a crime syndicate like the Mafia (Merriam Webster). But to Holden Caulfield, the main character of J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher In The Rye, his family was what we as a society normally think of when that word is spoken. There are always variations on a theme, but a typical family consists of two parents and at least one child. During the 1950’s when the novel is set, adoption was virtually unheard of and divorce could be considered a sin where as today these are common practices. But one thing about family that has prevailed through the decades is the family’s affect on a person’s existence. The way a person interacts with their family can affect them for the rest of their lives. And the way a family interacts with a specific person can affect that person for the rest of their life. It is a two way relationship which is often complicated and confusing, especially to Holden.
Holden’s family is obviously very important to him. The novel opens with talking about his parents and his brother. Holden negatively criticizes them to hide the fact that he truly loves them. But, one would ask, how can you love those you never see? Holden is constantly being shipped from one boarding school to another. This absence between him and his parents intensifies his general alienation from everyone. Holden’s only real love in the family is for his sister Phoebe. The bond and respect between brother and sister can not be broken no matter how far the distance between them. When Holden arrives back in New York, he immediately wanted to call someone; his sister Phoebe. "She wouldn’t’ve cared if I’d woke her up…" (Salinger 59) Many people her age would not appreciate being woken up that late at night, especially by their brother, but there is a mutual respect between Phoebe and Holden that would allow for this event to occur. Through out the whole novel, this relationship continues because she is his little sister and he would never hurt her. In today’s world, this type of relationship is next to impossible.
Again, this is one of the few people that Holden likes and doesn’t consider a phony like everyone else. He talks highly of her and he sees himself in her in the way that she alternates between behaving like an adult and behaving like a child, the way he says he also does. It bothered him greatly when she asks him if he “got the ax again,” referring to his expulsion. She starts asking him questions about his future and what he likes (if he likes anything at all) and it forces him to wake up. Everyone has been telling Holden to realize his situation and put more effort into schoolwork and relationships and to start caring. Holden’s reality is very simple: he wants to be the catcher in the rye to protect children’s innocence and stop them from growing up because all adults are phonies. Again and again, being told that that isn’t plausible annoys him. He feels betrayed, when his own sister, someone who he thought would understand him, joins everyone else in telling him to put forth more
Phoebe tries to help Holden by asking him to name one thing he likes. However, when Holden mentions Allie, Phoebe tries to be his wake up call and remind him that Allie is dead (Salinger 171). This part in the novel shows how Holden is still attached to Allie, and will not forget about him. However, Phoebe tries to remind Holden that Allie is dead, attempting to make Holden let go of what happened in the past. Phoebe attempts to get Holden’s mind off of his removal from his school by asking him what he wants to become in the future (Salinger 172). This is when Phoebe’s words of advice and support start effecting Holden. Holden begins to think about his options, and what he truly wants to do in the future. “Why can’t I? Please, Holden! I won’t do anything-I’ll just go with you, that’s all! I won’t even take my clothes with me if you don’t want me to-I’ll just take my-” (Salinger 206). This quotation shows how supportive and encouraging Phoebe is towards Holden. When Holden tells Phoebe that he is leaving, Phoebe’s reaction is very affectionate. Phoebe brings a suitcase filled with her clothes, and begins to beg Holden to let her follow him. Phoebe’s encouraging words of advice, is another source of familial love for Holden to move on, and look forward towards his
In The Catcher in the Rye, Carl Luce is a foil for Holden Caulfield in that Carl’s Maturity emphasizes Holden’s Immaturity. While talking to Carl Luce, Holden would not let go of the topic of Carl’s current sexual status asking him “how’s your sex life” (Salinger, 144). Carl many times told Holden to drop subjects on his sex life; from his ex-girlfriend, too bad jokes, and to his current girlfriend. Carl has a sense of privacy not wanting to talk about it while Holden is so excited about the topic he starts raising his voice without noticing. In the story, it is revealed that Holden is a Virgin which could be the reason behind his fascination. He is uninformed about sex and uncomfortable with the idea of it. This also adds another difference
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger as Holden Caulfield. & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is home to the protagonist Holden Caulfield. There is no coincidence that he holds a striking resemblance to the author of the novel himself. Salinger seemed to have a similar childhood as Holden describes in The Catcher in the Rye. Both men also seemed to have a certain fascination with younger children, especially younger women. J.D. Salinger based one of his most famous characters, Holden Caulfield, on personal experience. & nbsp; Holden's story in The Catcher in the Rye begins with Holden at his school, Pencey Preparatory, which is a boarding school. He was sent there by his parents, who seemed to be withdrawn from his life. Similarly, Salinger's parents sent him to Valley Forge Military School, where he had a neighbor who always seemed to be barging in, showing a resemblance to Salinger was also born in New York to upper-class parents. It seems as though Holden Caulfield's childhood is an identical match to that of J.D. Salinger's. The. & nbsp; Salinger had a deep love and fascination with young children, especially young women. In the 1970s, Salinger maintained a close connection with an eighteen year-old girl, Joyce Maynard, who eventually moved in with the author. J.D. Salinger continued to have many relations with younger women, much like this one. His fascination with young women is reflected in Holden, who has a similar mind-set. Even as a seventeen year-old, Holden is infatuated with his perception of Jane Gallagher as a little girl. It is this picture of innocence that Holden is in love with, and not what Jane is like now. The concept of, "the catcher in the rye," the cliff. Salinger used Holden to vent his love, and passion for children. & nbsp; Holden is almost an identical representation of what J.D. Salinger is truly like. His adoration for young women is shown in Holden's love for Jane, and in the concept of, "the catcher in the rye. " Both show similarities in their childhoods, from growing up wealthy in New York, to being sent away for school. J.D. Salinger used Holden Caulfield to expose his personal life, and possibly his personal feelings. & nbsp; & nbsp;
Holden will do absurd things just to avoid an uncomfortable situation even if it is his own sister whom he trusts more than anyone else. He searches for most of his afternoon for his sister and finally tracks her down. He has not seen her in a long time and he will have to tell her that he had gotten kicked out of Pency. Fearing what she might think or say, putting Holden in an uncomfortable position, made Holden leave when he could have been a little late for his date with Sally Hayes. Sally would have been reasonable if he was not there on time for seeing his sister whom Holden has not seen since he left for school. You do not just spend all afternoon searching for someone or something and once you find them or it leave, it just does not make any sense.
After Holden had breakfast, he began a long walk and stumbles upon a record called “Little Shirley Beans” which he buys for his sister. Holden continues to walk the streets of New York and later he ends up at a lousy park trying to look for Phoebe. He could not find Phoebe anywhere in sight, alternately, he observes two boys playing Flys Up and kids skating. Holden remarks, “God, I love it when a kid’s nice and polite when you tighten their skate for them or something” (119). Holden really values child innocence because it reminds him of his younger sister, Phoebe. In fact, Holden expresses, “That kills me. Old Phoebe. I swear to God you’d like her. She was smart even when she was a very tiny little kid,” (68). You get the feeling that Phoebe is the type of girl you will adore her when you first meet her from what Holden comments. Further, Phoebe is described to be wonderful according to Holden because she is always there to listen to Holden when he needs someone to talk to. As you are reading, Holden says, “She always listens when you tell her some. And the funny part is she knows, half the time, what the hell you’re talking about. She really does,” (167-168). He seems to appreciate Phoebe more than he would an adult or someone his age because Phoebe is a kid who is very mature for her age and who gives advice to Holden whether he likes it or not. Also, Holden admires his younger sister because she makes him feel younger and connected with
He seems to find happiness only while talking about his younger sister Phoebe or his dead brother Allie. Holden wishes that all people were like children with their innocence and their ability to be real, he wishes his job could be to catch them when playing in a field of rye, if they’re about to run over the edge, as Holden says “That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye” (173). Later in the story Holden goes to many bars and meets many people new and old attempting to find people like him, people who are genuine. This is a task that is impossible because he is a hypocrite. Even as he explaining how much he hates phonies he is lying to the people around him. Holden cannot find people he likes being with for more than a little while, making him lonely for most of the time. A thought he finds depressing. After wondering around New York for a few days he makes up his mind that he is going to run away and start over fresh, he decides that before he does this he must say good-bye to his sister. In the end Holden finds his sister Phoebe and they go to the zoo together, as he is talking to her he learns that he loves her and that his life here is better than life anywhere
Despite his dislike for adults, there is one person whom he finds absolutely flawless and undamaged; his little sister Phoebe. Phoebe represents the youth that Holden can no longer get back. Holden's relationship with Phoebe reveals his thrive for connection with his younger self. Holden is lost between childhood and adulthood so he leaves himself with no other choice but to hold on to Phoebe, as he figures out how to avoid maturing. His fears of adulthood are reflected on the way he wants to “catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff…” (173). Not only phoebe but other children as well. He doesn't want others to experience growing as he has and he wishes to preserve the innocence that phoebe still has. Phoebe has yet to be corrupted by the adult world; therefore, he idolizes her. (P1A) His actions and way of thinking is a reflection of his fear of taking the full step into the adult society. It is through Phoebe that we see Holden as a child who doesn't want to grow
The way Holden speaks about him just portrays how much he meant to him. One of the first things he says about Allie is “He was also the nicest, in lots of ways. He never got mad at anybody. […] God, he was a nice kid, though. He used to laugh so hard at something he thought of at the dinner table that he just about fell off his chair”(Salinger 38). Holden seems to connect innocence to Allie and he feels like his was taken away from him when he passed away. The more Holden speaks about his brother the better it makes him feel because instead of drowning in the pool of despair he constantly feels he is in, he can look back on a happier time and feel some sort of relief. Some think that “Holden does not refuse to grow up so much as he agonizes over the state of being grown up”(Galloway 79-80). Some of the hesitancy he has over growing up stems from his childhood, he had been so naive to all the horrors of the world and he had fresh eyes to view life with but after the death of Allie his mind seemed to almost stop growing with him and everything that “normal” kids would want to do as they grew older seemed to become very hard for him like how he could never follow through with a sexual act with anyone no matter who it was. Allies dying stunted Holden’s growth in all ways because he just wanted to
Holden does not have a very stable relationship with his parents, or his older brother. His parents wish for him to go to school and earn a future for himself but instead, Holden flunks out of any school he attends either to rebel against his parents or because he does not have the drive to do anything for himself. He also believes that his brother is a phony, selling out to Hollywood instead of using his talents as a writer for “better purposes.” Holden does like two of his family members, however. Holden loves his brother, Allie, and despite the fact that Allie is dead, Holden still loves Allie dearly and refuses to include the characteristic of “dead” when describing his brother. Holden’s other younger sibling, Phoebe, is the only other family member that Holden likes, calling her a good kid and insisting “You’d like her” (Salinger 39) to the reader. Only when Holden is face to face with her and talking does he get frustrated, but every other description of Phoebe is positive. Similar to Holden, Chris only seems to like his sister. Throughout the scenes of Chris being alone, he recounts times of quarrel between his parents. Many flashbacks also reveal that he has not completely forgiven his father of both having an affair with Chris’ mother, or treating her poorly even after his father divorced his first wife. His sister is the only one in the family who knew about Chris’ plan before he put it into action. Both characters have unstable relationships with their parents, as well as only liking their younger
The novel “The Catcher in the Rye,” revolves around the protagonist Holden Caulfield as the story is told from his perspective. J.D. Salinger constructed Holden Caulfield as a cynical person who cannot accept to grow up. Throughout “The Catcher in the Rye,” J.D. Salinger uses symbolism to reveal and reinforce critical aspects of the protagonist Holden Caulfield. Three important aspects Holden acquired through Salinger’s use of symbolism are: his stubborn, uncompromising mentality; his softer, more caring respectful side; Holden’s cowardly way of acting and thinking.
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.
One definition of a microscope is "an optical instrument that uses a lens or a combination of lenses to produce magnified images of objects." Holden Caufield can be symbolized by a microscope and its parts: the field of view, the focus, and the magnifier.
From this previous passage, we see that Holden’s deceased brother Allie brought happiness to his life, even though he’s gone, and the traumatic, emotional effects that this loss has on him. The memory of Allie that Holden reminisces on actually brought happiness and optimism to his life, in contrary to the depressive and very pessimistic mood Holden seems to be stuck in throughout the novel. Phoebe’s reminder that their brother Allie was dead, shows that she has coped and accepted Allie’s death, though Holden hasn’t accepted that he was gone. He latched onto the happiness he felt with Allie, being one of the very few things that are bringing him happiness during the depressive, continuous downfall he’s currently experiencing in life, besides
The only girl in Holden’s life that he is secure around is his sister, Phoebe. While finally meeting with Phoebe, Holden experiences happiness: “I felt so damn happy all of a sudden,