Examples Of Isolation In Catcher In The Rye

My cousin was a real life hobo. He was a little crazy in the head, and one day, he decided that everyone was a horrible person, so he left the comforts of society in favour of the backcountry of Pennsylvania. His name was Edward and he lived for quite a while in complete isolation from society; however, like every other human who would leave the company of man, he would be unable to take the loneliness for long. He went mad, and he is currently trapped in a mental hospital. I visited him recently and he told me stories of how he would talk to the rocks for lack of intimacy in his life, and he told me how humans, whether they like it or not, are social beasts and need interaction to survive. In other words, survival, be it physical, mental,

The chilling thing about Salinger’s text is that the Catcher in the Rye is a story told in past tense, Holden has explained everything up to the point where he is now in a mental hospital and he will enter into a new school this year. He goes on to explain how his brother, DB, visits him every now and again and how he regrets ever sharing his story, finally ending with his strange last words, “ Don’t tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.” (214) Holden’s statement shows that he has not changed at all and he displays no intention of changing, clearly, because to Holden, intimacy hurts and isolation is the safer alternative; in other words, Holden is afraid of feeling emotional pain. This is seen when Holden says, “Don’t tell anybody anything…” Referring to intimacy, this statement means that you shouldn’t become emotionally invested in anyone because “If you do, you start missing everybody.” Here, Holden is referring to the emotional trauma that can come from intimacy for if you become dependent on someone for emotional support, and that person leaves or dies, like Allie, the pathos of hurt can be devastating. Holden argues that it would have been better to never have connected with said person. The harsh truth of the dangers of intimacy, as displayed by Holden, creates a different perspective on the Intimacy-Isolation issue, provoking a question of whether it is better to have loved and lost or to have never loved at all. Holden’s chilling last words show his side on the issue, his experience dictates, to him, that isolation hurts, but not nearly as much as intimacy, showing the extent to the damage isolation can cause on the mind. Isolation begats the unwillingness to love others and to be loved for fear of future pain. The consequences of intimacy, as displayed by Holden, should not turn one away from it. The avoidance and