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The Catcher in the Rye essay
Literary analysis for the catcher in rye
Catcher in the rye analysis essay
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Tom Stoppard once said, “If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older.” Childhood is hard to let go of and becoming a mature adult is also challenging. But dwelling in the past does not make growing up easier. In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield, the main narrator of the book, has issues with childhood and adulthood. He shows these issues by telling readers his thoughts and memories from the past. He makes it clear throughout the book that he does not want change. Holden is stuck between entering the adult world and staying with being a child that he has been for so long. Although Holden is 16, he still acts and thinks like a child. An example of this is when after Maurice, an angry pimp, …show more content…
An example is when Holden finishes talking to Old Spencer, his history teacher at Pencey Prep, he says to the readers, “I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life” (Salinger 16). This shows how Holden did not really care for what Old Spencer was saying to him because he said he was lying most of the time. He is not willing to take advice which would be to him and his future. Holden will never get anywhere with people if he lies about everything. He might think it is fun to lie, but it really shows how immature Holden really is. Also during this conversation with Old Spencer and him Holden shares, “Oh I feel some concern for my future… but not much, I guess” (14). This shows how Holden wants to avoid his future which he thinks is becoming an adult. He is not showing and interest in school because he has flunked out of many schools such as the most recent one Pencey Prep. He is not really prepared for the real world if he cannot get good education. He also does not want to go to college because he might feel like he would lose his childhood and adulthood would change everything for him. Education and school is a big part of one’s future and Holden shows that he is not ready for his. This is a childish act because Holden is implying that he does not want to grow up. Entering the adult world is somewhat far from Holden’s reach because of …show more content…
Towards the end of the book, Holden took Phoebe, his favorite sister, to the carrousel except Holden did not ride with her. He says while she is riding, “All the kids kept trying to grab the gold ring, and so was Old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she’d fall off the goddam horse , but I didn’t say anything or do anything” (Salinger 211). This shows how Holden is maturing because Holden for one is protective and two, he does not want her to grow up. But Holden showed that he is somewhat letting go of it, and seeing that Phoebe is ready to grow up. This also helps Holden realize that since Phoebe is now growing up he might need to grow up also. He starts to let go of protecting innocence and childhood, but only a couple weeks later when he had returned home, he was put in an institute for mental care. This shows how Holden did not get better by this moment at the carrousel and he is still stuck between childhood and adulthood. Another moment is when Holden wants to find Phoebe and he describes the Museum of Natural History and he tells us, “Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you” (121). Holden used to go to the museum a lot and it was a big part of his childhood. What Holden means when he says that one would be different is that one would get older and
phonies and all he hates. By being in the stage where he is, he manages to avoid change, control his world with his own hands, yet. creates a paradox between what he is, and what he wants to be. Possibly the main reason why Holden doesn’t want to become an adult. is his perception of ”phoniness” and hypocrisy surrounding adult.
Holden’s immaturity causes him many problems throughout the story. Although he is physically mature, he acts more like a child. “All of a sudden I started to cry. I’d give anything if I hadn’t, but I did” (p. 103). This occurs when Maurice argues with Holden about money that Holden owes to a prostitute. The situation becomes too much for Holden to handle, and he breaks down like a child. Holden also tries to have immature conversations with people who have become adults. Another example of imma...
... the other children on the carrousel reaching for their gold rings he realizes, “If they fall off, they fall off” (211). This is so significant because Holden becomes conscious of the fact that whatever happens, happens. He cannot control or protect anyone, or himself, from the future. Holden’s last two sentences of the novel really capture the entire journey he has gone through: “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody” (214). This is Holden getting over everything that has happened to him. He understands that he can overcome what has happened from him in order to learn from his past and move forward to the future.
Holden believes he can act like a grown up but is not ready to accept the responsibilities that come with being a grown up. After escaping the social normality happening at Pencey he runs off to New York City, on a mission to escape his responsibilities and feel like a kid again. “I don’t give a damn, except that I get bored sometimes when people tell me to act my age. Sometimes I act a lot older than I am - I really do - but people never notice it.”( Salinger 15). Holden explains he could care less, yet he then states he cares sometimes. By stating
Holden’s childhood was far from ideal, with Allie dying, his dysfunctional parents and the revelation that he had some “perverty” stuff happen to him when he was a kid. Due to this, he isn't ready to step into adulthood and leave his childhood behind. This is why Holden is mostly alienated from adults and connects more to the innocence of children like the girl at the park and his sister, Phoebe. However, Holden is disillusioned with both adulthood and childhood. He already knows how it feels to be an adult; drinking alcohol, being independent, living by himself and caring for Phoebe, but isn’t ready to immerse himself in it.
Holden says "What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff--I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all." (page TBD) This quote goes well with Holden resisting to grow up. Holden says this when he's standing over the ledge and looking down on the children. Holden believes that it is important to maintain a child's innocence and we see this throughout the book. Constantly Holden is helping children and making sure they are doing well and are okay. We see this a lot when Holden talks about his sister Phoebe. Holden does not want to grow up and he proves that when he says that adults are phony and then Holden will look at a child and he will think that he wants to save that child from growing up because he doesn't want that kid to become a phony like the rest of the adults. In the song When We Were Young by Adele she says You look like a movie/You sound like a song/My God, this reminds me/Of when we were young/Let me photograph you in this
Holden Caulfield is a sixteen-year-old who explores New York City after he is expelled from his prep school (Salinger). He cannot return back home because he is afraid of his parents’ response and takes no responsibility for his actions whatsoever. Holden hates the adult world, where he calls all adults “phonies.” In his world, one can’t go back to childhood, but one can’t grow up because that will make one a phony (Bloom, The Catcher in the Rye 124). Holden is stuck in between a world, where he doesn’t want to remain a child or grow up into the adult he is expected to become. According to Chen, Holden fears the “complexity, unpredictability, conflict, and change” of the adult world. He occasionally acts like an adult, when he hires a prostitute (Salinger 119), checks into a hotel room (Salinger 79), and takes care of his sister, Phoebe. As a result of Holden’s immense fear of growing up, he tends to partake in childish tendencies, such as wearing a bright red hunting hat. These actions are his way of isolating and protecting himself. Holden is stuck in his own little world. These actions are very immature; Holden does not accept the adult world for what it is. He needs human contact, care, and love, but he has built a barrier, preventing himself from these interactions (Chen). He also acts like a child by acting out “pretend” scenarios even when no one is
Throughout the novel Holden resembles characteristics of an adult. An example of Holden being an adult is staying in a hotel by himself, underage and often goes out to drink. He goes to clubs to drink his problems away. In the
Throughout the book Holden admits he doesn't like change. Holden fear of growing up , becoming an adult and thinking of of it disgust him. For example the museum, Holden like it because the exterior of it did not change and says the only thing that would change would be you.In the text Luce says “Same old Caulfield.When are you going to grow up already?”(144). Holden wants things to stay how they are and how his life is. Holden considers adults phonies and he doesn’t want to be consider phony as well. When he describes the museum he says the best part about it is that it never changes, only you do.Holden bonds with his sister taking her to the zoo, museum and the carousel.He wants to Phoebe to experience what he did and to get the memories alive. “What I have to do, I would have to catch everyone if they start to go over the cliff- what I have to do, I mean if they are running and they don't look where they are going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That is all I have to do. I would just be the catcher in the rye”(173). This quote show how by holden is catching them from falling down the cliff which symbolizes stopping them from adulthood. “Thousand of little kids and nobody’s around- nobody big , I mean except me”(173). This quotes implies how young innocent kids won't be exerted by adults
...ut the exact flaw in his life that is holding him back from realizing his true potential in life. “you don't like anything thats happening” (p.g 169). At this point in the book Holden has been kicked out of Pencey prep, and comes home to phoebe while his parents aren't there hoping to find something he can carry on his journey out. Before he does anything he sees phoebe. Holden tells Phoebe that the school is full of “phoneys” and that the teachers are where he mostly got the idea of them being phoney. This quote from phoebe is basically telling Holden that he has a negative attitude towards life and basically everything he hasent experienced such as adulthood. Holden has a negative towards adult hood just because of the negative things he hears and has seen. Although Holden has never really given the thought of adulthood a chance, much less even experience adulthood.
We see during the novel that Holden wants to be able to protect innocence in the world, however by the end of the story he lets go of that desire. This is a point of growth for Holden. He finds that it is impossible and unnecessary to keep all the innocence in the world. While with Phoebe Holden says, “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye...I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff...That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye” (173). In this moment Holden wants to be able to preserve all the youth and innocence in the world. He doesn’t accept that kids have to grow and change and that they can’t stay innocent forever. Later on in the story when Holden is with Phoebe at a carousel again he thinks, “The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the golden ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them.” At the end of the novel Holden realizes and comes to terms with the fact that kids grow and lose their innocence. He moves from his want to be the “catcher in the rye” to...
Holden is not just abnormal, he has problems that other teenagers, including the students at Pencey, experience going through adolescence. An example of this is Holden's jealousy towards Stradlater when he finds out he is going on a date with Jane Gallagher, “Boy,was I getting nervous” (42). Every teenager has bouts of jealously especially about the opposite sex, and Holden is no different. Holden's rebellious nature, to an extent, is typical for a teenage boy. His rebellious nature of smoking when it is not allowed, “You weren't allowed to smoke in the dorm...I went right on smoking like a madman.” (41-42). Holden is also anxious about change, which again to an extent is normal, “Do you happen to know where they go, the ducks...”(60), and he has the right to be; change,especially during adolescence, is a terrifying but exciting ride into the unknown, and similar to other adolescents Holden is afraid but intrigued about the unknown.
As a 16 year old Holden fights back or does not listen to people that are older or have authority over him. Growing up Holden was shipped to boarding schools constantal and he was never really home so it affected him. “ I wanted to call phoebe but i did not want to wake u my are parentes and them find out what happened.” (salinger, 2014, p.165). Holden is also afraid to talk to his parents about what happen, he wants to talk to somebody that has no authority over him so he does not get in trouble. That's Holden's main problem about calling his parents he's fine talking to phoebe but when someone with power comes he does not want to talk to them like his parents. “I Said i’m asking a question did they say what time they get back” (salinger, 2014, p.163). Again this is showing that he does not want to talk or even see his parents, even though they send Holden too expensive boarding schools and more. This does not matter to Holden at all tho he just is trying to hind from them and not let them know that he was kicked out of the school. Holden also does not respect most adults he and because of this he is disrespectful to them if he doesn't like them. For example he will start thinking rude things about them or just not have respect if they are talking. “ I can see the big phony bastard shifting into first gear asking jesus to send at few more stiffs” (salinger,2014,p.20). Even when somebody is just talking about what they believe in Holden stars to think mean thing about them for no reason at all just because he does not like the person. And Holden does like listening to most adults because he thinks that they are are just phoneys are trying to talk to the younger people. But most of the people that Holden thinks are phonies and rude to are really trying to help other people out with tips or just advice, just Holden does not like
His fear of children growing up and facing the world drives him to shelter innocence as much as possible, but he is avoiding the problem of growing up instead of facing it. Holden , too, needs to let go of his innocence and face the world instead of having delusions of an ideal world that he wishes for. Antolini quotes Wilhelm Stekel “The mark of the mature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one” (Salinger 244) and Holden needs to mature by letting go of his innocence. Children cannot be sheltered from corruption to protect innocence. In order to mature, Children have to grow up and learn themselves that even though adulthood has a dark side, there is also a brighter
He complains about his school, saying that it is just like any other school and uses language that makes him sound very obnoxious. Holden seems to focus on girls quite a bit, just like any other teenage boy. He seems to focus on one girl in particular, a girl named Jane. We soon learn that Holden’s personality is not your average personality. Holden does seem to have some friends but he does not fall into many peer groups with the type of personality he has. Holden isn’t able to read social cues like most teenagers learn to do. For this reason, he seems to play around a lot in the wrong situations. Even his friends have matured enough to recognise that Holden needs to ‘grow up’. Holden’s resistance to emerging adulthood is the cause of many of the problems he is faced with during the