Allie, Holden 's younger brother who dies as just a child, is a major symbol throughout the story, which represents the innocence in childhood that Holden strives to save. Allie’s death creates a lot of turbulence in Holden’s life especially because Holden looks up to Allie as a role model. When Holden remembers incidents from his past involving Allie, his attitude changes, such as when he writes the composition about Allie 's baseball glove or when Holden breaks his hand after punching all of the windows after Allie dies. This change in attitude is basically going from happiness to upright anger because the one person that Holden likes, dies and there is nothing he can do to bring him back. Allie makes Holden a better person, and when …show more content…
Similarly, “Comin Thro’ the Rye” is also one of the most obvious symbols in the book because it suggests that Holden is the savior of innocence in the book. Holden hears a little boy humming to the tune of the poem and it makes him feel “better…not so depressed anymore” (Salinger 129). This quote is appropriate in the symbolism of innocence because it talks about incorporating a loss of innocence even though Holden wants to be the protector of innocence for children. The meaning of the actual poem has no effect on the moral of the story, it is the way that Holden mistakes the lyrics of the “song” (Salinger 191). Instead of the actual catcher “[meeting] a body” in the “poem,” Holden thinks that “[catching] a body” in a “song” (Salinger 191), is the correct version. With the help of Phoebe, it is important to see how Holden manipulates the poem into the fact that he is the catcher, who saves people from falling into the corruption of adulthood. Holden does not refer to the poem, he refers to his own version of it. Near the end of the book, Holden persuades Phoebe into getting onto the carrousel. At this rate, Phoebe believes that “[she] is too big,” but Holden assures her that he “[will] wait for [her]” (Salinger 231). This is the important part where Holden is completes his job as the catcher in the rye. Phoebe thinks that she is too big to enjoy the ride anymore, which makes her scared of getting hurt. Holden has the chance to save her by encouraging her to …show more content…
Likewise to this scenario of change, while walking through New York City, Holden arrives at the Museum of Natural History. This museum represents the lack of change in which Holden is stumbling upon. He likes the glass cases that the exhibits are on display in because “everything always [stays] right where it [is]” (Salinger 135). He wishes to place parts of his life in glass cases because the act of changing is frightening due to the fact that something is lost in the process. A prime example of this is how much change Allie’s death brings due to the fact that Allie is lost. Holden remembers going to the museum as a happy time with his teacher because the museum is resistant to change. The museum also makes him happy because “only thing that [is] different [is the person]” (Salinger 135), whereas “[someone can] go there a thousand times, and that Eskimo [is] still just [finishing] catching those two fish” (Salinger 135). However, he chooses to stay outside in his most recent visit because he is afraid that there is a chance that the museum goes through changes since his childhood. Holden knows that if the museum changes, he can get hurt, so he makes a conscious decision to not go in, even though his reasoning is subconscious. Jane Gallagher is an example of Holden rejecting change because she goes through some changes since his childhood and Holden is horrified, so if Jane has the ability to change, the museum also has a high chance of undergoing similar
When he is waiting to meet his sister Phoebe, he goes inside the museum to show two kids the mummy exhibit. In the museum, there are relics and old artifacts, like the mummy. This portrays something being preserved and unchanging. Holden finds the museum ideal because, “everything always stayed right where it was” (135). Since the museum never adapted into something new, this is the idyllic world Holden wishes he could stay in.
Soha Tariq Ms. Mac ENG3U 6 March 2023 Holden Caulfield’s Psychoanalytic Examination One of the largest themes in Holden’s life is his inability to grow up. Throughout the book, many readers can tell that Holden lacks maturity, and is obviously afraid of adulthood. This can be portrayed by how Holden says, “The best thing, though, in that museum was the everything always stayed right where it was.” (Salinger, 121).
For clinical depression, wanting certain things or circumstances in life to stay the same for an extended period of time is one of the various symptoms. Holden is seen displaying this symptom in his relationship and history with the Museum of Natural History. There are various conditions in Holden’s life that drastically change after the death of Allie, but one of the few key things that stay the same is the Museum of Natural History: “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move... Nobody'd be different.
In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger uses the main character Holden Caulfield to portray the loss of innocence. Holden is a teenage boy who struggles with adulthood and the innocence of being a child. Through Holden's experiences, Salinger shows that the loss of innocence can be painful and difficult, but it is also necessary for personal growth and maturity. Holden's journey towards loss of innocence is shown by several events, such as his expulsion from Pencey Prep School and his roams in New York City. Holden's expulsion from Pencey is a turning point in the novel, as it marks the beginning of his realization that he can no longer hold on to the innocence of childhood.
Holden likes Allie because he will forever be a child and cannot be corrupted by adult life and will never become a phony like everyone else. Phoebe calls out Holden’s unrealistic standards for what a person should be and challenges him to change his standards and realize that he has to accept the fact that no one in the real world is perfect enough to fit his standards. Moreover, Holden’s unrealistic standards get in the way of him making a connection although in this case with his former teacher Mr.Antolini. In this case Mr.Antolini does his best to connect with Holden and shares his genuine concern for Holden’s well-being. Then Holden wakes up to Mr.Antolini patting him on the head out of affection although Holden sees it as Mr.Antolini being “flitty” towards him.
Imagine being in a rest home, where people don’t care about you. They think you're different because you're crazy. Even though you might not even be crazy. Just like Holden the main character is J.D Salinger's book Catcher in the Rye. Holden does not belong in a rest home, because he is not crazy.
In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger demonstrates through Holden that refusing to accept or initiate change can ensue in self-deception. When Holden settles for going to go the Museum of Natural History- after having had no luck in searching for Phoebe- he begins to reminisce on the consistency of the very glass display cases in the museum, and how he wishes that “ Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone” (Salinger 158). Holden conjectures that beautiful and mirthful moments should be long-lasting and that time be stopped for the sake of stability. With this in mind, Holden opts for avoiding reality altogether.
Throughout the book, Holden is struggling to get by. The death of his brother Allie has left him in a tough spot. Holden doesn’t exactly know how to deal with this. The different stages of grief are represented through Holden. Holden shows denial and anger when he flashbacks to one of his memories after his brother’s death.
The ending chapter of the novel Holden finds the loss of innocence he’s been searching for. When Phoebe is riding the carousel and she reaches for the ring, it represents maturing. Phoebe is a symbol for youth and innocence, and she is reaching for maturity. Holden’s struggles during the novel, “The Catcher In The Rye,” he figures out the true loss of innocence lost in becoming an adult and the struggle to be one and Holden struggling to be the catcher in the rye to catch kids from losing adulthood. His relationship struggles are his key factors which makes Holden who he truly
Salinger used many literary techniques in order to tell his story. The most prominent literary device is the allusion in the title. The title “The Catcher in the Rye” is an allusion to the poem, of the same name by Robert Burns and the first verse which Holden, upon hearing a little boy sing it, thinks is “if a body catch a body coming through the rye” (Salinger 117). This later on points to the theme of the novel and how Holden wants to be the Catcher in the Rye, preventing other children from falling down the cliff and facing adulthood. The second literary technique is the flashback.
Holden’s unusual fantasy metaphorically displays this desire to save children’s innocence on his quest, and literally displays his obsession with death and preventing it, as being the catcher in the rye would accomplish both goals. F. Literary Critics also note that Holden’s catcher in the rye job is a dream of his that he pretends to be a reality to hide the fact that he secretly knows that he is unable to save the innocence of all children. G. Authors James E. Miller jr, and Arthur Heiserman explicitly state that, “Holden delights in circles – a comforting bounded figure which yet connotes hopelessness” (Miller, Heiserman 496). H. The “comforting bounded figure” is Holden’s catcher fantasy that he literally uses to comfort himself against the reality he refuses to believe because it “connotes hopelessness” and he is still too innocent and naïve to accept that. I. Holden possesses this dream as a weak attempt to save the innocence of children and to avoid a hopeless reality of defeat he has yet to accept.
After talking about his childhood memories with his brother he states, ¨He is dead now. He got leukemia and died when we were up in Maine, on July 18, 1946. You´d have like him.¨ Then after talking about Allie’s old baseball mitt he said, ¨I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it¨(43-44). Allie’s death is used to show the unexpected change that Holden had experienced during his life. Allie was only eleven when he died, and Holden was thirteen.
”(pg.212) The last sentence when Phoebe tells Holden that he can keep his hat for a while is saying that she is allowing him to not grow up for now. And that is what kills him because she just granted him or welcomed him back in safe haven. And Holden does have the option to leave and grow up he just doesn’t want just like the boy from the museum. “Can’t he talk?”
When Holden talks about the Museum of Natural History, he says that his favorite feature about the museum is the big glass cases. Holden believes that the glass cases represent innocence since they protect the exhibits from the outside world and time. Therefore, he says that he wants “to stick [Phoebe] in one of those big glass cases and just leave” her alone (Salinger 158). His idea proves that Holden believes that the glass cases will protect Phoebe from change and losing innocence since she will be isolated. Holden returns to his fantasy of isolation when he is meets Sally, and he says that they should “drive up to Massachusetts and Vermont” and “stay in [the] cabin camps” (Salinger 171).
She makes Holden reconsider his actions and his aspirations, causing him to come to terms with his desire of being a “catcher in the rye,” keeping children from falling off of a cliff. This represents him wanting to keep