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Individual and society in the catcher in the rye
Individual and society in the catcher in the rye
Catcher in the Rye themes disregard conventional social roles
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Brandon Bowman Holden is to blame for his problems with society because he always has a negative attitude towards his peers. Holden is always saying “Phony” or putting someone down. He Makes all the schools he went to sound like they are the worst in the world but he wasn't willing to try. When he is at the club everyone else is having a good time and holden is sitting alone saying that everyone there's a bunch of tools. This is important because he is always complaining about something and he acts like it's because of one thing but throughout the book the same events keep recurring with him being negative. It's not society's fault that holden walked to a club and got all depressed because he saw people having fun. The quote “Social
He disregards most people because he thinks they are ‘phonies’ - materialistic, shallow and insincere people. To Holden, almost anyone who falls under that category is a phony and isn’t someone he wants to spend time with. However, because of Holden’s trauma, the reader can’t quite trust him. He sees the world through so many layers of protection, he is an unreliable narrator.
Early on in the story Holden shows the readers that he is able to analyze people and make an educated judgement of them. Holden blames his departure from Elkton Hills on the people he was surrounded by. He says,“One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies” (Salinger 17). This quote connects to the story because it seems Holden has trouble staying in one particular place if just a few things are not perfect. By understanding others, Holden is quick to decide that where he was at that particular time is not the place for him. This thinking does force him to go to another school, but at the same time, he decided that Elkton Hills is not the place for him. Being able to make a decision and stick to it without having second thoughts is something all high school students should be able to do. In the novel, Holden has come across people he knows like to manipulate others. With this mindset he does not completely avoid them, rather, he learns to deal with them. In chapter 19, there is an interaction where Holden knows his audience and adjusts his actions accordingly. Holden describes his friend, Luce, as an intellectual guy that voices his opinion. He says, “That’s the trouble with these intellectual guys. They never want to discuss anything serious unless they feel like it” (160). With this, it shows Holden knows his friend and knows how to talk without
There will always be a moment where we all change, but most of us would prefer to hold on to remaining an adolescent. "Catcher in the Rye" written by J.D. Salinger, is a story about a high-school student, Holden, who looks for a reason to change and move on from his depressing page of life. The novel depicts the adventures of Holden as he processes a change. Through Holden's resistance to change, Salinger expresses that people sometimes crave for the past which impacts us negatively, but we would be better off if we learn to move on and find something special.
In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger creates judgemental and superficial characters to critique capitalist ideologies. The biggest proponent of capitalism is the main character; Holden Caulfield. Socioeconomically, Holden is considered to be member of the upper-class because his family makes a large amount of money, and they are socially elite. Holden discriminates against those who posses less money than him, and even requires his roommates to have expensive luggage. Holden gives monetary value to many other objects including shoes, a baseball glove, and women. Holden’s discrimination of those in lower classes, and his belief in “sign exchange value” reveal his capitalist morals. Another novel that criticizes capitalism in a
From the protagonists’ point of view, the adult world Holden and Franny are entering and living in is a very superficial place. Holden who is sixteen years of age is going through a time of crisis where he is almost forced to become an adult. This concept is the very thing that makes Holden afraid, causing him to misbehave at school. His latest school, Pencey Prep, expels Holden due to his failing grades. When asked for the reason of his lack of academic enthusiasm, Holden simply states that he is not interested in anything. In every school he has attended, Holden has managed to find different reasons not to care and possibly even hate the institutions.
...onesty and authenticity. The idea of being nice without being fake appeals to Holden. He feels that people can be nice, without being either tarnished or hypocritical. Being a prevaricator seems very phony to Holden, as does living a hypocritical life. It seems very ironic that Holden despises the very things that also go on within his life. However, it is not surprising that Holden sees Allie as a representative for what he likes, simply because Allie is innocent. Stradlater and Ossenburger have lived their lives and have made decisions in which Holden does not agree with or like. When we juxtapose the characters together, we amass a good grasp on Holden’s psyche. Not only do we just see he likes certain personality traits, but he sees people as being either phony or fake.
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
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
To Holden, everyone is either corny of phony. He uses these terms to describe what a person is if they do not act naturally and follow other people?s manners and grace. Holden dislikes phonies and thinks of them as people who try to be something they are not. He loathes people who showed off because it seems unnatural every time they do not act like themselves. Holden does not allow himself to have friendship because of his dull attitude. In the beginning of the book, the reader knows that Holden is lonely when he separates himself from the rest of the Pencey students by watching the football game from Thomsen Hill and not the grand stands. Holden is not a very sociable person partly because he finds himself better than many others. He dislikes his roommate because of his generic leather luggage. His next door roommate Ackley does not seem to want a friendship with him either. Holden finds Ackely?s zit crusted face ridiculous and doesn?t want him in his room at first. This shows the reader that Holden is a lonely person because he chooses to be lonely and does not want anything to do with people who do not fit into his perception of normal.
J.D. Salinger's novel Catcher in the Rye revolves around Holden's encounters with other people. He divides all people into two different categories, the "phonies" and the authentics. Holden refers to a "phony" as someone who discriminates against others, is a hypocrite, or has manifestations of conformity. A person's age, gender, and occupation, play a key role in how Holden interacts with them.
Holden's idealism is first brought forth when he describes his life at Pency Prep. It is full of phonies, morons and bastards. His roommate, Stradlater, " was at least a pretty friendly guy, It was partly a phony kind of friendly..." (26) and his other roommate, Ackley is "a very nosy bastard" (33). Holden can't stand to be around either one of them for a very long time. Later, he gets into a fight with Stradlater over his date with Jane. Holden is upset because he thinks that Stradlater "gave her the time" and that he doesn't care about her; 'the reason he didn't care was because he was a goddam stupid moron. All morons hate it when you call them a moron' (44). Holden not only sees his roommates as phonies and bastards, but he also sees his headmaster at Pency Prep as a "phony slob" (3). This type of person is exactly what Holden doesn't want to be. He strives to be a mature adult; caring, compassionate, and sensitive.
One reason is that Holden drinks and smokes at a young age. However, he gets past this because of his height and his gray hair. Another reason is that he does not care about his education. Even after failing school after school he still does not care whatsoever. He also said that he does not have much concern for his future either. In addition, Holden tries to flirt and date with older women that he does not know. Furthermore, Holden likes runs away from all his problems instead of facing them. For example, instead of telling the truth about his grades at Pency to his parents, he decides to stay on the run until he runs out of money and gets sick. Lastly, Holden repeatedly lies a lot throughout the book such as his name or even where he is going. In conclusion, I am certain that Holden is a problem
In the twenty first century many things have changed. Laws have become stricter, medical science has advanced and schools have changed teaching styles for the better. Holden the main character in “The Catcher in the Rye” would not have been a role model if he lived today. Although the times were different and a lot of things slipped through the cracks his actions would not have been acceptable today. There are many reasons Holden is a very poor role model. People can see this through; his academics, his social life and lastly his habits. In his academics he does very poorly and does not apply himself (he failed out of four schools). His social life is the same, when meeting people he does not make an effort to get to know them or understand where they are coming from. This trait is demonstrated tremendously in the last few chapters. Lastly his habits are very disgusting, some could call him an alcoholic because he drinks almost every night he is New York City. Also he is a smoker which is very bad considering he was just getting over a horrible sickness. Although Holden’s actions were very inappropriate being kid if he was an adult back then that would have been normal for him to be going out every night and smoking.
Holden's obsession with phonies causes him to have no positive adult role models to follow.
J.D. Salinger, in his novel The Catcher in the Rye, shows that often times when an individual faces problems in their life they will try to find a means to escape, instead of solving them. Throughout the novel, Holden seems to be excluded from any group. He feels alienated from the rest of society, but I believe that Holden stays bitter on purpose. He keeps a cynical, sarcastic outlook on life so as to escape his true feelings. This is not uncommon for people who have trouble accepting their problems.