A tough exterior can mask a gentle soul. In the bildungsroman, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, there are several examples of this. Such examples are his empathy towards other people, his thoughts on fighting, and his values he holds. In the novel, the reader views life through the protagonist, a troubled kid who seems cold and hard but under his facade lies a sensitive boy who longs for companionship. The protagonist, Holden is sometimes viewed as a enigmatic person, which he’s not. Holden has the ability to have empathy, which one happens to see more clairvoyantly when Holden was with Jane: ...all of a sudden this booze hound her mother was married to came out on the porch and asked Jane if there were any cigarettes in the house.
And I didn’t like her much. Nobody did. You had to feel sort of sorry for her, in a way” (). This demonstrates Holden’s failure to understand people and the judgemental thoughts he has. He often has these judgemental thoughts to distance himself from others.
Holden thinks Jane is a great girl and that she’s the type that he likes. Holden misses her and that’s why he starts to think of her at that
A. Martinez Mr. Shambaugh English 10 Honors 01 March 2023 Grief and Acceptance Many experiences the loss of loved ones closest to them, which can affect many, especially adolescents. Throughout the Catcher in the Rye, Holden gives readers small glimpses of his younger brother, Allie, through objects, presented throughout the story. As a lover of poetry and a bright student with a gleaming future ahead of him, Allie passed away due to leukemia at age 11. The effects of this on Holden are still present throughout the story as he reminiscences the loss of his younger brother.
Gretchen Rubin once said, “Negative emotions like loneliness, envy, and guilt have an important role to play in a happy life; they're big, flashing signs that something needs to change.” However, in The Catcher in the Rye there is no one who understands Holden’s loneliness, and Holden does not quite know how to express it. In his novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger develops the theme of loneliness through Holden’s need for human contact, suicidal thoughts, and his separation from others around him. One way J.D. Salinger expresses Holden’s loneliness is through his need for human contact.
The only motivator that Holden has to continue living is his younger sister, Phoebe, who is extraordinarily intelligent for her age. After he gets kicked out of Pencey, Holden is lost in life. He speaks to many people, seeking advice and comfort, but they are not able to help him find a human connection. Holden’s depression increases throughout the novel, almost to the point of suicide. He criticizes many people and ideas, labeling them as ‘phony’.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. To me the word empathy in “To Kill A Mockingbird” means “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.” Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” suggests that empathy is a universal feeling, but everyone experiences it in different occasions and in different ways. Many people empathize through real life experiences. Scout is one of those people.
You can easily relate “Creep” by Radiohead to Holden Caulfield and his pessimistic attitude towards everything and everybody in the book. Wherever Holden goes, he constantly refers to people as “phonies”, without even speaking a word to them. He is very critical and hold high standards for not only other individuals, but of himself as well. His low self-esteem is quite apparent from all the negative comments he makes throughout the text. In my honest opinion, I think Holden puts others down as a way to make himself feel better about the bad in his own life.
Holden think about whether Jane and her "lousy adolescence" fills in as some kind of association amongst her and Holden. Given the circumstances, he later uncovers that he, as well, has had some "pervert" stuff transpire "around twenty circumstances since he was a child." On pages 87-88 Jane and Holden start to have dialogue and he begging’s to like her even more so does she. This allows Holden to have extreme confidence and maturity into making him a better person.
Although Holden is a very intelligent character he finds the hypocrisy and ugliness in the world around him and quickly associates it with the adult world. Holden is a very introverted character who hesitates throughout the book to share information about his life . J.D Salinger makes sure to portray Holden that way to
Holden is unaware of his problem. When people try to help him he tells them there is nothing wrong with him. Holden wonders why he cannot connect with others. He blames it on other people when the source of his problems is himself. Holden’s past holds him back from connecting with others, but his fear of letting go of his past has him limited and scarred from making new relationships and connections.
Throughout the book Holden is isolated from people that would look after him and as a result Holden sees himself as his own adviser and
You don't need water to feel like you're drowning do you ? That is a question that many people ask when they are going through many obstacles and can not seem to overcome their problems. The water is used to represent isolation, loneliness, and alienation. To be isolated, alienated, and lonely you can either push yourself away from people or someone is making you be alone. Suffering from these things you may have some issues that make you feel that way.
Holden struggles with growing up and facing reality. There are many examples of Holden’s immaturity that are displayed in many forms such as facing responsibilities, his speech, his actions, and etc. Holden’s outlook on adult life is that it is superficial and brimming with phonies, but childhood was all about looking pleasing and innocent. He wants everything to stay the same and for time to stop. As Holden progresses in age, he will discover more about becoming mature in the
Tragic events can affect your mindset in irreversible ways, causing self-destructive behavior, low self-esteem, and devious actions. Jerome David Salinger in his novel, The Catcher in the Rye, he develops the character of Holden Caulfield, an adolescent boy who is living a tragedy, causing suffering and deep pain within him. According to Mary Klages from the University of Colorado, she incorporates Warren Hedges and Freud through a psychoanalytic lens and they come to a conclusion that psychoanalytical approaches reveal how and why people behave as they do, which helps clarify Holden Caulfield’s actions in the novel. Holden is presented as a troubled adolescent, facing discontent of his childhood in which he desires not to describe much in