Reveals about situation: By stating that his favorite part about the museum was its consistency, Holden reveals that he prospers best when he is in a familiar atmosphere. In more depth, Holden liked the museum so much simply because it was constant and he knew what to always expect. In relation to his current self, Holden still depends on that consistency for comfort and reliability. This is why Holden cannot succeed at all of his schools. His constant failure is partly due to his character flaws, but it could also be because he is not comfortable in the new situations and environments. When he constantly flunks out of school, transfers, and does not have a familiar face, he does not feel stable, which is why he continues to fail. There is a repeating cycle of unfamiliar situations that prohibit his success and achievements. …show more content…
I seriously think that Holden is a very insecure person, and he does not do well when he does not have a strategic plan or some form of familiarity. I can relate to him in this aspect, not to the point to where I flunk out of school though. I feel like I do best when I am familiar with a situation or have a plan that helps me to set a goal. I feel like it is very hard to strive for something when you have nothing to strive
Catcher in the Rye is the recounting of the weekend after the main character gets expelled for the umpteenth time from another uppity private school. The name of the main character, "Holden Caulfield," can be broken down in such a way that it reveals the character in question's tendency to hold onto and protect happier memories and childhood innocence from this big, unfair, scary game we call life, without realizing that he would be stunting the growth of those whom he is protecting. The character's first name, "Holden", can be interpreted as a pun for how he wants to "hold on" to better times. Throughout the story, Holden speaks fondly about his childhood summer memories, talking about when he used to play checkers with Jane Gallagher (p.17), or when he, his younger siblings, Phoebe and Allie, went to the park every Sunday (p. 37) to play, and often brushes the more serious moments he has experienced off, instead of going on a tangent like he usually does (p.21).
Both Holden Caulfield from J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and Huckleberry Finn from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are the main protagonists of their respective texts. Both Caulfield and Huck undertake a journey in their text, in which the character learns from their experiences and meet new people, who alter their outlook on life. Both these characters are still not mature, and this is shown throughout the two books, but the boys have to mature soon, as they are becoming adults.
Emily Muzi 10/29/15 G How Holden Treats Women Holden Caulfield has trouble connecting with everyone but when it comes to women, he views them as objects to admire or protect. He doesn’t feel that they’re smart, nor hold any depth of character. Although, he holds a very intense love for some such as his younger sister Phoebe or his childhood friend, Jane Gallagher. Holden seems to be attached to them and they’re the only people that Holden is psychologically connected to.
Analysis of Holden Caulfield In United States millions are diagnosed with a mental disorder ranging from minor to damaging effects on the human mind. During my meeting with Holden Caulfield his father has provided me information on his son. In addition, from my first meeting with Holden he sounded like a man who was unstable, like he said “When you’re feeling very depressed, you can’t even think” (Caulfield, 49). These direct words from Mr. Caulfield presents me with a feeling that Holden is feeling detachment from his life and feeling worthlessness.
Optional Growth Walt Disney once said “Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.” This quote represents that growing up can be only chosen, not given. Also, it shows that maturation is the journey from childhood to adulthood. The main character in J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, relates to this quote, because Holden has a body of a sixteen-year-old, but a mind of a ten-year-old.
Holden finds solace in knowing that even if everything else around and inside him changes, he can always return to the museum and find it perfectly as he remembers. To Holden, “[c]ertain things they [sic] should stay as the way they are. [He] ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone” (136), as otherwise, Holden would have to continually reevaluate the world around him, and the world before his brother, Allie, died would slowly disappear. The glass cases in the museum preserve this place for Holden throughout his life, and he uses it as a security blanket both in times of sickness, like when “the kid that was [his] partner the last time got scarlet fever” (135), and in conflict, like when “[he’d] hear [his] mother and father having a terrific fight in the bathroom”(135). Therefore, Holden’s fascination with the preservation of the museum's exhibits began with his enjoyment of its stability during his childhood and now extends to create his need to maintain the world as he knows it while he struggles with Allie’s death and his own failures in school and towards his
This is another thing that could cause some serious stress and force different social expectations on him. The pressure of matching another sibling in various skills it's a horrible feeling it soul crushing and can really take a toll on you and your personality. It is a difficult life when living in the shadow of a sibling and living in the expectations of your parents. But all of these expectations could cause Holden to create a persona to match what his parents expect. The Holden we know would never do something like
As a result of his impulsiveness, he sometimes regrets his decisions later on. An example of this can be seen about halfway through the book, when he agrees to paying for a prostitute. Holden
Holden has a “Me vs the World” mentality against anyone that succeeds causing him to push people out of his
As controversial as it is, I found The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, captivating and relatable. In the novel, dysfunctional teenager named Holden Caulfield struggles in the world between childhood and adulthood. He divulges little about his childhood or parents in the novel and seems cynical from the start. His relationships fall apart easily and often at due to his own frailty. He believes the world owes him something.
He is constantly in denial and thinks that everything else is to blame for his own problems. Holden always has an excuse to justify his action. When he left his old school he said, “One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. That’s all” (17). Holden is basically saying here that he left his old school not because he is not smart but it was because he could not stand the people there.
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
In the beginning of the book Holden hints that he went through unfortunate events in this life. It can be foreshadowed that something bad has happened around Christmas and that Holden is getting help from some sort of institution. Holden came off to me as laid back and irresponsible, he was the fencing team captain but left all the equipment’s in the subway. Holden also did not seem to care about anything. I noticed that he thinks something in his head but does the opposite.
He enjoys the museum so much because it is a memorable part of his childhood and “everything always stayed right where it was” (Salinger 122). The exhibits are always the same every time he goes there, representative of how Holden wants to live his life. Unable to move on from the bliss of the idea of childhood, he attempts to stay in the past by thinking about events and people that are an
After he upsets Sally, he feels terrible and tries to set things right, but he fails, and he can't deal with the stress. Holden thinks isolation is simpler than stressful conflicts. I find that his love for the museum is tragic in a way. It represents his hopeless dreams and his inability to deal with reality. He admits that he can't explain what he means and is unwilling to confront his problems, just as he is unwilling to confront people due to his peaceful nature.