Holden’s struggles have taken a toll on him at such a young age, he feels as if he has grown up and lost his innocence much faster than he wanted. Therefore, Holden wants to stay young, yet comes to acceptance in terms of the issues he has no power over. This novel is an American Classic in which the recurring themes are timeless even in contemporary society. A coming-of-age is a process that can leave individuals with confusion and depression, yet leave others with a sense of pride, and self
a very possible sexual
Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, Holden does reach Watt’s central insight. Watt’s central insight is the “realization that life can never be grasped, never possessed or stand still” (Watts 75). Holden accepts Watt’s central insight when he rejects Phoebe’s offer to ride on the carousel, talking to the psychoanalyst about his thoughts, and admitting that he misses certain people in his life. The first reason that shows Holden has learned to let go is the moment he rejects Phoebe’s offer during the carousel scene. Phoebe, who is Holden’s little sister, still has innocence.
Will tries to stop Jim, but he still desires it. Along with that, getting older requires time, you cannot just wish to get older and expect to reach maturity right away. Jim pursues his desires in an unrealistic manner because his painful past restricts from looking at the real word, in which he cannot escape his unpleasant past. He must learn to depend on those who might, in fact, eventually hurt him unintentionally, such as his friendship with
Holden refuses to interact with others because he wants to be with his brother Allie and he is still emotionally destroyed by his death. Holden is still regressing to the time of his childhood, a time where he was happy and with Allie. This is the reason why Holden refuses to enter the threshold of adulthood. The reader can notice then when Holden says, "I like Allie just because someone is dead you don't just stop liking them, for God's sakes especially if they were about a thousand times nicer than the people you know that're alive". Holden still believes that true happiness resides in his childhood in the presence of his deceased brother.
Cyrus uses Rastafarianism as a coping mechanism, he believes with the “deep fervor of his faith,” that a ship is going to come and help them escape the cycle. These beliefs allow Cyrus to explain away his personal misfortune as a trial that he and the others must endure before they can go to the promise land. The novel ends with Cyrus saying, “Tomorrow, tomorrow we shall meet again in paradise,” he like Sisyphus has tomorrow to try and escape futility. Overall, this creates an endless cycle that fuels the meaninglessness behind the lives of those in the Dungle. Cyrus is doomed to think that there is some hope for him in the next day, when in reality he is stuck waiting for nothing and never trying to break the cycle.
The love-hate relationship Holden feels for his suitcases represents Holden’s the two
Evry body feels sorry at the factery and I dont want that eather” (Keyes 209). Unknown to Charlie, many of his coworkers and friends had already reached the conclusion that he would ineluctably die. Not wanting them to feel guilty for him, he moves to a different city in hopes of new beginnings and never saw them again. Some may discredit this point by stating that Charlie’s surgery would improve future scientific understanding. Nonetheless, the ethics behind this decision remain questionable.
This short story is dystopian; an offshoot to Orwell’s utopian world. Winston too is weighed down by his own society; he is forced to be a lesser version of himself, all for Big Brother. They don’t do anything to physically change him, but if he is thought to break the rules or is simply too smart for his own good, off to the Ministry of Love. In the end, Winston decides to break the rules - he is prepared to die in the name of
First, he tries to gain glory by obtaining extravagant gifts. Despite his men insisting on raiding the unprotected cave of its loot and leaving the island, Odysseus decided to wait for Polyphemus, the giant to whom the loot belonged, in hopes of receiving a welcoming gift. “But I would not give way – and how much better it would have been – not till I saw him, saw what gifts he’d give” (9.256-259). Odysseus understands that returning home with more gifts will help deliver to him the glory he so desires. As a result, he seeks any opportunity, dangerous as it may be, in order to receive more gifts.
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).
On pages 120-122 in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden proved that he tried to hide his insecurities and deep thoughts under profanities. When Dick Slagle, Holden’s former roommate, put his suitcases out to make it look like Holden had inexpensive suitcases, Holden found it comical. Holden later continues on to say that Dick was a “funny guy, that way,”(121) though demonstrates that he revealed more about himself than he would have liked. Just three sentences later Holden states that bourgeois was Dick’s “favorite goddamn word,”(121) which quickly changes the tone of this passage from playful to serious and judgmental. ‘Goddamn’ is the key word in that sentence and is used twice in this paragraph alone.
The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger in 1951, is the story of an angst-ridden sixteen year old Holden Caulfield as he learns to deal with growing up. The story follows Holden through his three day experience through New York as he learns about the truth about innocence, sex, and mortality, making The Catcher in the Rye one of America’s most notable coming-of-age stories. One of the largest influences on Holden’s life was his younger brother Allie who died from leukemia at age eleven when Holden was thirteen. The death of Holden’s brother had a profound effect on Holden emotional state, which eventually caused his complete mental breakdown by the end of the novel.
Holden Caulfield is in love with Jane and he doesn’t know if she likes him back. The statements that Holden makes can be somewhat loving and caring about Jane. “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger Holden is in love with Jane and every time he speaks about her to other such as Sladhater who Holden mostly talks about her to him. Holden and Jane haven’t talked yet so we don’t know if Jane likes him. In “Catcher in the Rye”, J.D. Salinger portrays Holden by being an outgoing, needing to grow-up, and corrupt innocence however when he is thinking about Jane he is sweet and likes to talk to others about her.
In The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, Salinger established Holden Caulfield’s introverted character through his background and experiences. As a sixteen year old student, Holden had to encounter many life and death obstacles. He becomes traumatized from witnessing the deaths of people close to him. Holden’s experiences with death changed his perspective of the world. For example, Allie’s death allowed him to realize the weaknesses that death has upon everybody, old or young.