Catcher In The Rye Holden's Struggles Essay

The catcher in the rye tells the story of Holden Caufield, a teenage boy who recently got kicked out from his fourth school. Holden decides to leave the school before he is scheduled to and wanders around New York. Holden shows many symptoms of depression throughout the novel such as, disengaging from activities, not doing his school work and having no interests or hobbies. Holden shows little to no change throughout the novel and does not develop as a character. Holden’s flight reaction is something that stays with him throughout the book.

The Catcher In The Rye is a book about Holden Caulfield’s physical breakdowns and his self-centeredness. People in his life have cause this to be relevant, his family, his teachers, and friends. He is also greatly effected by the events that occur in his life. The people with the biggest impact on Holden are the people who have taught him something.

The novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is a novel about a 16-year-old kid named Holden Caulfield. A recently suspended student running around New York City trying to hold onto his childhood before he has to grow up. He puts off growing up as much as he can because he sees it as an abusive environment. Through his travels Holden is confronted with moments that help him learn. By the end of the book Holden shows that he has evolved from the beginning of the story.

In The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, Holden Caulfield recounts his experience in New York City after his expulsion from his third school. Holden, the central character of the novel, describes all characters he meets descriptively, yet he never provides an explanation of his motives. Luckily, Holden’s personality is reflected through the various symbols throughout the novel. J.D Salinger uses symbolism to create an intimate connection to Holden’s unique emotions in an ever changing society. To begin, we first gain insight of Holden’s character through his odd taste in choice.

There are three main things that display Holden’s loss of innocence: his excessive drinking and smoking, leaving for three days and not contacting anyone, and Sunny the prostitute. When Holden is drinking and smoking, it shows how much h doesn’t care about his own health and how he’s more mature than others his age. When he doesn’t contact anyone it shows how he believes he can take care of himself and is an adult, much like when he interacts with Sunny. Holden helps many of the children who he meets keep their innocence because he has lost his. In An Analysis of the Adolescent Problems in The Catcher in the Rye, Lingdi Chen says that Holden sees the protection of children’s innocence as a primary virtue and that he enjoys being with Jane Gallagher and Phoebe because they are innocent and youthful.

Holden struggles with his exposures to the harsh reality of adulthood, as his perception of innocence is brutually

This contrasting of ideas emphasizes Holden negative outlook on life. It also explains that Holden's ideas are not those of a young child, this shows that Holden is growing away from his childhood and become an adult. Holden's ideas also illustrate that he is afraid of being an adult because he thinks that by becoming an adult one must act phony and

Holden matures and learns to accept change, realizing that growing up is a part of life and does not always mean becoming a phony without individuality. Although Holden 's ideas and hunting hat "gave him some protection" (Salinger 233), making him think was different and thus capable of evading adulthood, Holden realizes that change is inevitable. Once Holden accepts that every child will lose their innocence, becoming aware of the evils of the world, Holden is able to stop lying and return home with Phoebe, instead of abandoning his family. Despite being a fictional novel, Holden 's story and fear of adulthood parallels the apprehension of modern day youth who are growing up. Change and adulthood can seem dark and looming, causing many to look for escape.

Later in the book Phoebe was, in a way, responsible for bringing Holden back from the doomed path he chose. “‘You know that song ‘If a body catch a body comin’ thro the rye’? [...] ‘It’s if a body meet a body coming through the rye.’” At that moment, Holden starts to realize that catching a person from falling from innocence to adulthood wasn’t the right thing to do. When he and Phoebe are in Central Park and Phoebe is in the carousel Holden is afraid that Phoebe will fall, but he understands that it’s okay for her to fall because she would be alright.

“I have a feeling that you’re riding for some kind of a terrible, terrible fall. But I don’t honestly know what kind…It may be kind where, at the age of thirty, you sit in some bar hating everybody who comes in looking as if he might have played football in college. Then again, you may pick up just enough education to hate people who say, “It’s a between he and I. ‘ Or you may end up in some business office, throwing paper clips at the nearest stenographer. I just don’t know…

Throughout “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D Salinger, Holden Caulfield shows great difficulty making long and meaningful connections with other people. Holden believes he is the normal one but it is actually the other way around. He holds on to a deep emotional road block of the death of his innocent brother Allie. Holden keeps this dragging around with him which causes him to veer from connecting and having a long term relationship with others.

Struggle of Depression The novel Catcher in the Rye exemplifies the motif of depression through the eyes of the main character, Holden Caulfield. Holden constantly struggles with depression throughout the novel. His depression is directly linked with the death of his younger brother Allie as, the loss of a loved one has that effect on many. The conformity of the society that Holden lives in allows for no grief causing Holden to spiral downwards into a state of depression.

Holden lacks matureness to understand losing innocence is a part of growing up. This is shown when Holden says “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around - nobody big, I mean - except me… I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be. I know it’s crazy.” (Salinger 173)

Holden Caulfield: He is the main character and narrator of the novel who is a sixteen year old teenager. He has been expelled from his school which is called Pencey Prep. He meets the dissimulation and the ugliness and tries to escape from the disappointment and the pain of the world around him. He is really uncomfortable with his own weaknesses.

He refuses to give up his childhood and he is anxious to see what the future hold for him. Towards the end of the book, the reader is able to catch glimpses of Holden’s new found maturity. He is starting to understand that growing up is a big responsibility and is finally ready to take on that challenge. Although he has not completely matured, one distinct moment at the end of the book lets the reader know he will reach complete maturity in the near future. In J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye, the author