Holden Caulfield Inevitable Memory
Holden Caulfield’s constant questioning of the ducks at the pond, a recurring motif in The Catcher in the Rye, a novel by J.D. Salinger, gives a clue as to what is inside Holden’s mind. But many commonly perceive this clue, as a clue that Holden is trying to stay away from adulthood and its obligations. Throughout many parts of the novel, this perception that Holden does not want responsibilities can be applied, but is not accurate. While it may seem like Holden does not want the responsibilities of adulthood, he is actually afraid of not knowing what the future brings him. When Holden is planning to run away from New York with Sally, he is really trying run away from an unseeable future. When Holden guarantees to Sally that he “could get a …show more content…
Holden loves the museum, not because he is reminded of his childhood, but because of its unchanging qualities. The impeccable memory Holden has of the museum from the “long Indian war canoe… with about twenty Indians in it” to the “birds… all stuffed up and hung up on wires” further shows Holden’s love for the museum’s permanence (Salinger 134, 135). Because of this, in the museum he is able to find certainty, unlike his future. Likewise, Holden admires that the “museum was full of glass cases” and wants to be able to stick his life in “one of those big glass cases” (Salinger 135, 136). In the museum, he is able to guarantee to himself what will be waiting for him, something that is lacking in his …show more content…
He is desperate to find an answer to “where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over” (Salinger 16). Through this question, Holden is indirectly asking about what will happen to him as an adult. For Holden, the ducks that do not know where to go in the winter represents himself not knowing what awaits him in adulthood, and therefore the pond frozen in winter is symbolic of adulthood. Furthermore, Holden is adamant about the idea that the ducks “can’t just ignore the ice”, confirming the idea that Holden recognizes adulthood is unavoidable as much as the pond freezing in the winter is bound to happen (Salinger 92). By asking this question, Holden is trying to reassure himself of his impending adulthood, something he desperately needs to grow
What Is Holden's Red Hunting Hat Symbolize
545 Words | 3 PagesHolden is terrified of the complexity of the outside world and dreams that it could be just like a museum that is frozen in time. Holden wants everything to be simple, understandable, and stay the same over the years, like a museum, even though that is an unrealistic
Holden Caulfield Unreliable Narrator
471 Words | 2 PagesSoha 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).
Why Does Holden Is Not Going To Tell Readers His Life Story
809 Words | 4 PagesIn this chapter, Holden is trying to say goodbye. What does he say about leaving places? Is it better to know when you are leaving or not? What’s his reasoning? Holden expresses a strong dislike for goodbyes and the idea of leaving places.
What Are Holden's Struggles In Catcher In The Rye
858 Words | 4 PagesThese two struggles are what causes Holden to realise his purpose is being a catcher in the rye. His struggle to adulthood is quite evident. Holden states that the adult world is a nasty and horrible place, he thinks that the adult world is very phony, fake, and corrupt. These are words he uses quite often to describe the adult world, proving that he despises the thought of being an adult.
Catcher In The Rye Grief Analysis
656 Words | 3 PagesHolden recalls the time he spent the night in his garage: “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. It was very stupid I have to admit, but I hardly didn’t even know I was doing it, and you didn’t know Allie (Salinger, 39).” His denial is represented when he does not admit why he did what he did to the garage. Holden
Catcher In The Rye Holden's Struggles Essay
830 Words | 4 PagesHolden’s Struggle To Find Himself: Throughout the novel, The Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden struggles to find himself and who he truly is in order to be happy. His struggles relate to many things that he does or say in particular. Holden lacks with a social status with women and his family, whether it’s a relationship or being antisocial. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield experiences the complexities and struggles involved with both physical and emotional relationships.
Holden Caulfield Ptsd
823 Words | 4 PagesThroughout the story we see Holden that suffers from a lot of illnesses like Post traumatic stress disorder, detachment, agitation, depression, denial, acceptance, sleep deprivation, and loneliness. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder characterized by failure to recover after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. I believe Holden was diagnosed with this disorder after the death of his younger brother Allie. Like any other human being losing a younger sibling is a life changing event especially the way Holden lost his brother. After Holden found out his brother died he was so angry that he punched the windows out of his old summer home and broke his hand.
Catcher In The Rye Holden Motif
827 Words | 4 PagesThe ducks are usually being mentioned when they talk about frozen images, for example when Holden was “wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over?”(16, Salinger) as he was driving in a taxi and asking a stranger such a question. Holden's mind was so concentrated into finding out where the ducks go, and where he should go, that he ended up asking a random taxi driver where do the ducks end up going when it gets all frozen over? He is so desperate knowing that he asks that again later in the book, “Do you happen to know where they go, the ducks when it gets all frozen over?” (67, Salinger) Again Holden feels the need to ask a taxi driver where do ducks go, since he hasn't gotten a proper answer from the previous one.
Catcher In The Rye Setting
890 Words | 4 PagesOut of all the places he visits in NYC, the two most notable ones are the Museum of Natural History and Central Park. The museum is an illusion of how Holden wishes the world was. In the novel, he says: “Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you.” (Salinger 123).
Lack Of Responsibility In Catcher In The Rye
744 Words | 3 Pages“‘...we could get married or something. I could chop all our wood…” (Salinger 132). Here, Holden is pressuring Sally to run away with him and live in a farmhouse for the rest of their lives, before even asking her opinion. He didn’t give much thanks to his parents either.
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.
Theme Of Maturity In Catcher In The Rye
837 Words | 4 PagesIn The Catcher in the Rye, the author J.D. Salinger, introduces the protagonist; Holden Caulfield. Holden feels the sense that he cannot choose between the two worlds. For example, he makes it seem as both of them are complete opposites from each other. In the book, Holden wants to keep his innocence, but he also wants to grow up and toss that innocence away. He still keeps his childhood personality by constantly obsessing over things that shouldn’t matter.
Examples Of Irrationality In Catcher In The Rye
1015 Words | 5 PagesHolden wishes that his life stays the same so that he does not have to face the phoniness of the adult world, even if it means acting irrational once in a while. For example, when Holden skips the remaining of his coins in the lake, he demonstrates that he would rather the childish fun that comes with skipping coins than deal with the adult reality that he is running out of money to support himself (84). Holden represents one extreme in the way of dealing with change, which is to attempt to deny change. The other extreme is to blindly accept the adult world without question. In writing this novel, J.D. Salinger demonstrates the flaws of both approaches.
Examples Of Motifs In Catcher In The Rye
1453 Words | 6 PagesFurthermore, Holden also refers to his fears of disappearing as to not mention death, a term with which he has not fully come to terms with, “every time I came to the end of a block and stepped off the goddam curb, I had this feeling that I 'd never get to the other side of the street. I thought I 'd just go down, down, down, and nobody 'd ever see me again”. (Salinger 2010: 106) This is also what causes him to wonder if the ducks of the lake have vanished. In contrast to that come the mummies in the museum, whose death seems alright in Holden’s perspective since they did not disappear after it.
Holden's Use Of Materialism In Catcher In The Rye
1695 Words | 7 PagesThe lagoon itself is symbolic of Holden’s longing for an eternal childhood, the frozen state representing a lack of change. The ducks represent the rest of society which Holden fails to assimilate with. Another symbol of this is the Museum of Natural History which Holden enjoys visiting, for similar reasons as the lake. He enjoyed going to the museum because “Nobody’d move.” and “nobody’d be different”. Holden visits this museum twice throughout the novel.
More about Holden Caulfield Inevitable Memory
What Is Holden's Red Hunting Hat Symbolize
545 Words | 3 PagesHolden Caulfield Unreliable Narrator
471 Words | 2 PagesWhy Does Holden Is Not Going To Tell Readers His Life Story
809 Words | 4 PagesWhat Are Holden's Struggles In Catcher In The Rye
858 Words | 4 PagesCatcher In The Rye Grief Analysis
656 Words | 3 PagesCatcher In The Rye Holden's Struggles Essay
830 Words | 4 PagesHolden Caulfield Ptsd
823 Words | 4 PagesCatcher In The Rye Holden Motif
827 Words | 4 PagesCatcher In The Rye Setting
890 Words | 4 PagesLack Of Responsibility In Catcher In The Rye
744 Words | 3 PagesCatcher In The Rye Holden's Journey Analysis
656 Words | 3 PagesTheme Of Maturity In Catcher In The Rye
837 Words | 4 PagesExamples Of Irrationality In Catcher In The Rye
1015 Words | 5 PagesExamples Of Motifs In Catcher In The Rye
1453 Words | 6 PagesHolden's Use Of Materialism In Catcher In The Rye
1695 Words | 7 Pages