Childhood In Catcher In The Rye
The most critical transition in a person’s life is during childhood to adulthood, and this period also become one of the most mentally taxing part of one’s life. It is through The Catcher in the Rye, that J. D. Salinger uses this coming-of-age story to tell his audience about Holden Caulfield and his very own transformation. Holden, however, initially desires to remain as a child and keep his innocence; this wish goes to the point that he wishes to become the catcher in the rye and “catch” children from falling off the cliff of adulthood. However, the truth behind Holden wanting to become the catcher is not to protect the people he love, but to save himself from adulthood, soothe his ever-aching guilt, and ultimately, to avoid his past. From …show more content…
Throughout the novel, Holden does not find closure in many things: Allie, Pencey Prep School, and even Jane Gallagher. Holden is seen to never see how any of his problem ended, and simply removed himself from the area and never looks back. Allie’s death is a major event that Holden does not get a closure to in the novel. Due to being hospitalized during Allie’s funeral, Holden never saw Allie go, causing him to unintentionally avoid the fact his little brother passed away. Soon after Holden recalls Allie’s death, he packs and heads out of the school during the middle of the night (52). Despite his official expulsion still being a couple of days away, Holden does not bother to wait for the final day and simply leaves. Eventually, Holden turns to Sally Hayes for another form of escape. Despite not having any emotional attachment to her, Holden becomes hysterical, coming with ideas about running away together and begin a new life somewhere else from New York (132). Meanwhile, Sally stays grounded by stating that “You can’t just do something like that,” showing how much Holden avoids any past he wishes to forget. By the end of the novel, Allie has formed into a symbol of Holden’s past, and in Holden’s mind, becoming the Catcher is the only way to continue his remembrance of Allie and unconsciously deny the fact that Allie was dead, and was never
Analyzing The Conscious Mind Of Holden Caulfield
808 Words | 4 PagesAllie was Holden’s everything, he looked up to his brother and respected him. Holden never really had anyone to discipline him or tell him right from wrong. Even though Holden liked too seem as if he was already older then he actually is, he is still a young kid who needs his parents. Allie was Holden’s angel who took care of him while his parents couldn’t. Holden is a protagonist that has been through many harsh events throughout his
Examples Of Mental Illness In Catcher In The Rye
881 Words | 4 PagesThrough the traumatic life event that was the death of Allie, he was frozen in time psychologically, as the immature creature he is seen as now. The aforementioned habit of calling others phony is quite immature and childish, similar to how a child would call someone names when angered. “Traumatic life events can cause the child to become ‘stuck’ at a particular level of psychological development... s/he may, therefore, often seem immature.” (Hosier, 1) Allie’s death is something in Holden’s life that he has been unable to come to terms with, as he was never given closure.
How Does Holden Present Phonies In Catcher In The Rye
873 Words | 4 PagesTherefore, his rebellion both academically and socially in the schools he attends display his resistance to grow up. These behaviors he shows, are psychological effects he develops due to Allie’s death, hence creating a negative impact on his life. In addition to Allie’s death causing Holden to act out, it also seems to cause neglection in Holden’s life. Just like Holden, it seems his mother has not gotten over
Holden Caulfield Mental Illness
1502 Words | 7 PagesIn The Catcher of the Rye, Holden barely mentions his late brother, barely opening up to others and confronting his emotions. When Allie died to Leukemia at a young age, his emotions of grief are illustrated with how he reacts to Allie’s death with Holden saying, “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” (Sallinger, 44). With Allie’s death, Holden shows signs of grief with much aggression as he destroys his windows with his fists at 13 years old after Allie’s death. Allie’s death results in Holden forming mental illnesses of depression from loneliness as displayed when Holden sat by himself smoking cigarettes when he says how he starts talking outloud when feeling depressed.
Examples Of Coming Of Age In Catcher In The Rye
1871 Words | 8 PagesHolden 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.
What Are The Effects Of Holden Dying
851 Words | 4 PagesAs a result, when Allie dies, Holden is locked in a deep state of long-term depression. When Holden finishes talking to the old lady at the school, she wishes him good luck. Just after she says this, Holden explains, “God, how I hate it when somebody yells ‘Good luck!’ at me when I’m leaving somewhere. It’s depressing.”
Catcher In The Rye Rite Of Passage Analysis
1142 Words | 5 PagesHe talks quite a bit about sex, but his virginity is the last existing innocence to him. Holden pays for a prostitute to have sex with, but he cannot go through with it. He is very hesitant about losing his innocence. Holden wants to be “the catcher in the rye” (191) and save all the innocence in the world. He believes that that is what he wants to do in the future as he tells his little sister, Phoebe.
Catcher In The Rye Grief Analysis
656 Words | 3 PagesIn Holden’s mind becoming “the catcher in the rye “means that he can still catch Allie from falling off the cliff. This is relevant to Holden’s depression because everything around him is telling him to grow up but instead he runs away from it in fear that is will pull him farther apart from his relationship with his brother Allie. Holden is on the edge of becoming an adult which creates more pressure and leads him to
Flashbacks In Holden Caulfield's Life
220 Words | 1 PagesNot only does Allie pass away, but Holden’s close friend, James Castle, jumped out of the window and committed suicide. “Finally, what he did… didn’t even go to jail,”
Holden's Loss In Catcher In The Rye
744 Words | 3 PagesAllie’s death had a huge impact on Holden’s mental health, as he and Allie were really close brothers. If Allie never dies, Holden might not have been in such a bad mental state throughout the book. On the night Allie dies of Leukemia, Holden sleeps in the garage and breaks all the windows “just for the hell of it.” (Chapter 5) Holden further adds, “I even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer.” (Chapter 5)
Examples Of Change In Catcher In The Rye
1022 Words | 5 PagesAfter 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.
Catcher In The Rye Holden's Journey Analysis
656 Words | 3 PagesThe novel “The Catcher in the Rye” was about the journey of a adolescent boy finding his way to adulthood. In the book Holden Caulfield was unsuccessful in finding his way to adulthood. Holden’s attitude in the novel throughout his journey was very immature. He also can't accept the fact that innocence can’t be forever protected. Lastly, Holden calls everyone a phony when in reality he is the real phony.
Catcher In The Rye Adolescence Analysis
859 Words | 4 PagesIn the Catcher in the Rye, Salinger depicts the immature mentality of typical teenagers through Holden’s childish curiosity. Teens experience
Theme Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye
1851 Words | 8 PagesMany people harbour a desire to accomplish something specific in life. Sometimes this desire stems from the background of a person, and sometimes desires are developed over time and with age. “The Catcher in the Rye” narrated by Holden Caulfield, who is an overly disturbed teenager, is about the change from childhood to adulthood. Holden, like many, has a burning desire to protect the innocence of children; this desire is tied to the themes of relationships, intimacy and sexuality which are carried throughout the novel. In a stroke of genius, the author, J.D. Salinger, sums up this desire in the title, which is taken from a poem by Robert Burns: Comin ' thro ' the Rye ( 1796).
Catcher In The Rye Theme Analysis
1471 Words | 6 PagesHolden becomes increasingly attracted to the idea and comes close to obsession, as his mind is flooded with thoughts of death and disappearance, as well as questions which are revealed throughout the novel. Holden experiences two deaths prior to the events in the novel that impact him profoundly. The most significant death was the death of his younger brother, Allie. Allie died of leukemia three years before the events of the novel.
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