Isolation causes even the most joyful person on earth to decline to deep, dark places of horrid thoughts and actions. This feeling can lead to loss of self-worth and even suicidal tendencies. Isolation is portrayed three different ways in The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Although forced isolation and societal isolation can fiercely drag someone to appalling depths, self-inflicted isolation is the most gruesome to overcome. Ralph finds himself in forced isolation because he has no power over what occurs. When the boys’ plane crash-landed on the island, Ralph was automatically forced to take on a leadership role. He was not able to regulate the necessary resources that are crucial to the survival of the stranded boys. Ralph slowly becomes isolated from the savages as they transfer their loyalty to Jack. Golding writes, “The fair boy began to pick his way casually towards the water…the fat boy hurried after him,” (Golding 8) Even from the very beginning, the taking on of this role in society causes Ralph to overthink the situation, therefore resulting in the loss of trust from the other boys. He is then forced to befriend Simon and Piggy to …show more content…
He constantly attempts to “shoot the bull” also to “shoot the old crap around” and does not trust anyone with any of his ideas (Saligner 55-57). Holden is a closed book that is nearly impossible to open. He gives Stradlater the opportunity to see a part of him that is sacred and unshared; it results in the tearing of a genuinely written essay. Holden thinks, “She probably knows what a phony slob he was,” (Salinger 3). Calling people phonies is Holden’s way of expressing his unwillingness to have faith in society with his secrets. This doubt of everyone that Holden encounters and his seclusion lead to gargantuan effects in his
Throughout the novel when Ralph notices some of the boys have started to turn into savages, he tries to put an end to it as soon as possible. Ralph wants the young boys to remain as close to their old selves as much as they can, rather than transforming into unrecognizable people. Once the boys have gotten somewhat settled in on the island, they forget to watch after the most important job, as seen in Ralph’s eyes, “We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there might be a ship out there” (Golding 42). The majority of the group has turned to having fun rather than getting rescued. Ralph is one of the only people that has common sense and seems to know their correct priorities. We can see that choosing Ralph to be the leader may lead to benefiting them all. In chapter 11, Jack and his group have bombarded Ralph’s group and stolen Piggy’s glasses, so when Piggy asks what they are going to do, Ralph responds with, “Supposing we go, looking like we used to, washed and hair brushed- after all we aren’t savages really and being rescued isn’t a game--” (Golding 170). Ralph ends up handling this given situation like an adult. He can see quite clearly that the thought of salvation and maturity has no meaning to everyone in Jack's’ group. They have been treating their whole situation like it is just a game, but Ralph knows at this point that rescue is
Since Holden was isolated from his family, in order to not get hurt again he tries to find hypocrisy in people to stop himself from trusting others. Holden feels isolated after being sent to a boarding school that “was full of phonies” by his parents (Salinger 90). Salinger’s message to the audience with this quote is that when
and they both start off as the leaders. Later on the boys have a vote for leader and Ralph is selected. The first impression we get about Ralph is that he is active and doesn't like authority. When he found out that there were no grown ups on the island he "stood on his head and grinned" Piggy is the first of the other survivors that Ralph meets.
...is biased. The people he does not recognize as phonies are people he loves and has gotten to know, whereas many people he declares fake, he has never even spoken to. Holden will hear someone say one sentence and immediately judge that person based off of that, rather than taking his time to understand that person. Either way, Holden frequently complains about the world he lives in, and the reader begins to not take seriously what he is saying. The more Holden calls someone a phony, the easier it is for the reader to tell that Holden uses it to point out that someone is flawed, and rather than specifying on the flaw, the person is a phony. J.D Salinger makes it clear that Holden is flawed, but he is aware of his flaws, and even so he is able to be loved by others and cared for. One must accept that one can never be perfect to be able to live out one’s life contently.
Holden Caulfield, - notorious for either being kicked out of schools or as he simply describes it “quitting”- having just been kicked out of yet another school for his lack of motivation, views life through a cynical lens as he deems those different from him as “phony”. Holden justifies his annoyance towards everything as he intermittently cuts off his tale to share some random pet peeve or irrelevant story, such as when he describes his roommate Stradlater as a “secret slob” (Salinger, 35) and continues on to critique his grooming habits, in an effort to validate how “phony” things really are. However, these tactics only further show his immaturity as Holden’s judgment of being a “phony” symbolizes his fear of growing up. Moreover, Holden’s greatest defense mechanism is pushing others away, this is seen as Holden visits his history teacher, Mr. Spencer and while he tries to
...d to mean the world to him. Both his brother's death and parents desertion have evidently deeply impacted him. Holden pretty well lied to himself, claimed the he had no place in society, all to give him plausible reasons to isolate himself. By calling people phonies, which he frequently did, he was in all reality pushing them away before giving himself the chance to even debate getting to know them. 'Phony people' was like his own private excuse for avoiding making friends. Holden's only hope to attain happiness is to open up to others. If he refuses to, he will forever consider the world to be full of evil, corruption, and phony people. His cynicism, dishonesty and judgemental habits are like a cape that he wears to ward off the elusively hanging threat of abandonment.
Firstly, a notable trait that distinguishes Ralph from the other children on the island is his ability to think more rationally. As the boys become influenced by Jack’s rule, they regress into uncivilized savages that lack discipline. Whereas, Ralph is wisely able to keep the boys under order, which is particularly apparent through the meetings that he regularly holds. It is in those meetings that circumstances can be confronted with rationality and equanimity. For example, Ralph instructs the boys with, “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking,” (Golding 36). By saying this, Ralph enforces his role of a leader by making rules for the boys on the island to
Isolation can be a somber subject. Whether it be self-inflicted or from the hands of others, isolation can be the make or break for anyone. In simpler terms, isolation could range anywhere from not fitting into being a complete outcast due to personal, physical, or environmental factors. It is not only introverted personalities or depression that can bring upon isolation. Extroverts and active individuals can develop it, but they tend to hide it around crowds of other people. In “Richard Cory,” “Miniver Cheevy,” The Minister’s Black Veil,” and “Not Waving but Drowning,” E.A. Robinson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Stevie Smith illustrate the diverse themes of isolation.
At the beginning, clearly Ralph feels that Jack is an ally, a companion; not a rival for leadership, "Ralph found himself alone on a limb with Jack and they grinned at each other ... that strange invisible light of friendship". The chosen leader of the group, Ralph tried to lead the stranded boys into some kind of order. The authority of Jack and the sensibility of Piggy easily sway him. When Ralph first meets Piggy, he sees him as a lower person who should be ridiculed. He starts off by asking for his name and he is told that people used to make fun of
He also dislikes movies. “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s the movies. Don’t even mention them to me.”(2). Holden think that actors are phonies . He also thinks his brother D.B sold out for the financial success of Hollywood. Holden calls everyone phonies because they have a different perspectives and they don’t think like him. It is a way for Holden to separate himself from other people. Holden thinks the world is about to get him. Holden is a hypocrite because he calls people phonies but he said “I am the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It is awful.”(16). This quote show how of a terrific liar Holden really is and how he is not reliable.
Ralph shows that he has a better understanding of the boys than Jack. He knows that the boys need some sort of order on the island in order for them to survive. He starts a simple form of government and sets a few rules for them. Even though they don’t last very long, the fact that he tried to help the group is what makes him a better leader. Ralph’s wisdom and ability to look toward the future also has an advantage over Jack. He has a sense to keep his focus on getting off the island. When the fire goes out, Ralph gets upset because the chance to be rescued was gone as well. Ralph enforces his role of leadership as he gives the boys a sense of stability of an authority figure. He keeps the boys in pretty good order at the meeting by making a rule that they can only speak if they have the conch. Ralph knows that the littleuns are afraid and they need shelter to feel more secure. They work together for a while, but as the time goes on the smaller boys want to go play. They slowly lose all their help until Simon and Ralph are the only ones left to work on them. Ralph knows that this is a necessity and keeps bringing it up at the meetings. Jack, on the other hand, is doing nothing but causing chaos.
It's awful’” (9). Holden is a phony but does not realize it, even though he realizes very more subtle problems with himself. He should be able to see his own duplicity. Holden is guilty of being a phony is therefore a hypocrite because he is guilty of the insult he throws around. When Holden calls someone a phony he means that person is bogus or fake. Holden is a deceiver and offers no substitute. He tends to call most people he doesn’t like phonies and just tosses the word around. J.D. Salinger wants the reader to be able to spot hypocrisy when judging other people. Holden makes like he seemingly hates everybody but at the end of the book he lets the readers know that he misses everyone. Even though Holden is a phony it’s what makes him such a deep and intriguing
Many of the times that Holden criticizes people, it is something he does himself. (Pg 13) “. one of the reasons I left Elkton was that I was surrounded by phonies.” Holden himself is many times what he refers to as a “phony”. He knows that he lies and pretends to like people that he would rather not be with.
Imagine if you were separated from the majority of the world, how would you feel? Maybe you are feeling independent because you are removed from the rest of the world. However, isolationism can cause numerous problems regarding the human brain. Isolation has an affect on human behavior, the feeling of being stuck in the past, and developing insanity.
When Holden Caulfield first appears in the novel, it becomes self-evident that he is isolated from everyone else. During a football game at his school, he says, “The reason I was standing way up on Thomsen Hill, instead of down at the game was because I’d just got back from New York with the fencing team… I left all the foils and equipment and stuff on the goddamn subway…The whole team ostracized me the whole way back on the train (Salinger, The Catcher in The Rye 6). Consequently, Holden takes the action of watching the game from the hill because that was his form of self protection during this time. After being the cause of the fencing team not being able to participate in their meet, Holden therefore felt humiliated and he alienated himself from the rest of the student body, as a form of self protection.