While many argue that Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye does not deviate from the traditional anti-hero attributes and, therefore, does not display any prominent change, an argument can be made to the contrary. Holden Caulfield goes through some noticeable character development and is in a better place emotionally at the end of the book because he speaks with Phoebe. His meeting with Phoebe and Phoebe’s message to him shows him a youth’s perspective on his world, rather than the superficial sincerity of his elderly professor and his favorite teacher that makes advances on him. Additionally, him being able to successfully communicate with a member of his own family puts him in a better place. His time with her lets him see his own self-image of a “catcher in the rye.”
Oscar Wilde said : “Be yourself, everybody else is already taken.” In his book, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger expresses this quote through the adolescent life of Holden Caulfield. The novel begins with the narrator being kicked out of his private high school for failing all of his classes but one. Leaving campus, he heads to New York City; which ironically is the city of dreams. J.D. Salinger uses symbolism in the form of a hat to represent the notion of individuality.
J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is the story of seventeen-year-old Holden Caulfield’s struggle to connect with people after losing his brother several years before. Salinger uses the red hunting cap to represent how Holden protects himself in The Catcher in the Rye. At the beginning of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden uses his red hunting cap as a form of protection from those who cannot understand him and what he has been through. Right after his fight with Stradlater over the composition, Holden says, "I couldn't find my goddam hunting hat anywhere.
Holden and Phoebe are at a carrousel after having an argument with one another as Holden would not allow Phoebe to come along with him when Holden said he wanted to leave. Before this quote Holden was feeling miserable and quite irritated with life and wanted to withdraw from the society by going somewhere far away. However, because of Phoebe’s obstinate personality he agrees to stay and watch her go on the carousel. While watching Phoebe on the carousel he becomes happy just simply by watching her.
What does someone do when he is falling apart but has no one he can trust to turn to? This is the scenario that a young, unstable Holden Caulfield must face throughout his journey of adolescence. In the novel The Catcher in The Rye by J. D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a sympathetic character. The novel is a bildungsroman, which shows that at first the protagonist may not assimilate well with the rest of society. Holden is a troubled teenager who cannot form relationships.
In the book, catcher in the rye, The hunting hat Is one of the main symbols. It symbolizes confident it’s the texture of holding tom is one of the main symbols. It symbolizes confidence self-esteem and protection of Holden’s emotions. In catcher in the rye Holden uses the red hunting hat to show comfort for himself and protection to his little sister ( phoebe ). When holden wears the hunting hat he feels comfortable slanger writes , “ anyways i put on my new hat and sat down and started reading that book out of africa ( page 19 ) ” when holden puts on the hat he is more comfortable then when he doesn’t have on the hat on.
Holden is provided with two people who can be acknowledged as role models but does not use them to the full potential. Phoebe is can be considered as Holden’s mentor in many ways. Although Phoebe is so young, Phoebe provides Holden with a lot of sense and knowledge. Phoebe provides many characteristics of a mentor such as always wanting to protect Holden, “She put the suitcase down. “My clothes,” she said.
In an attempt to pass time after his breakfast, Holden has the idea to stroll around the city. He visits broadway to purchase a record for Phoebe, he eventually chooses a vivacious record with a unique and brash sound. Holden believes that Phoebe is special and wants to showcase his beliefs to her by giving her a record with music that corresponds with her individualism. Consequently, Holden’s mind begins to meander for a while when he starts to admire Phoebe’s maturity and intelligence. It is only until he overhears a young boy in the middle of the street singing “If a body catch a body coming through the rye” (Salinger 115), that Holden is brought back to reality.
Ganen Chinniah English 10 Honors Mrs. Rowe September 12, 2017 Catcher in the Rye Character Comparison In The Catcher in the Rye , J.D.
The Catcher in the Rye Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Royal N.S.W. Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, 1980. Introduction Holden Cawfield, the main character in The Catcher in the Rye, desires to grow in relationships with others but finds himself failing every time.