Augustine Awadalla Ms. St. John English I 1 May 2023 What is a topic, insight, theme, image, pattern, etc. that you noticed throughout the book that you would be interested in exploring in an essay? A theme that I would be interested in exploring further is how Holden copes with the nervousness and depression that he seems to be constantly experiencing throughout the novel. Holden copes with his insecurities in many ways, including calling other people phonies as well as judging and making fun of them, and there are many different examples of this in the text. For instance, on page 209, Holden says, “Then I lit another cigarette - it was my last one. I must’ve smoked about three cartons that day.” Smoking, drinking alcohol, and having sex are some of the ways Holden copes with the stresses and hardships in his life, and from this quote specifically, we can see how extremely nervous he was the day he came …show more content…
Another hardship that Holden experiences is his depression which is most likely caused by his brother Allie dying, being extremely lonely, and his addiction to smoking and drinking. Holden seems to cope with these things through sexual interactions with people he is acquainted with or comes across. On page 122, Holden says, “When I opened the door, this prostitute was standing there. She had a polo coat on, but no hat.” This quote shows that Holden is dealing with the problems in his life by having sex with a prostitute, and throughout the novel, when Holden meets someone, he immediately looks at what they are wearing, which could be because he wants to find a way to defend himself by insulting or criticizing them if they begin to realize his insecurities. The last way Holden copes with his depression and nervousness is by creating a loving bond with his
Craig and Holden similarly struggle with depression and can create a deep connection with the reader. Overwhelmed by the world, these characters become unable to remain content with their lives. It is this that ultimately makes them relatable characters as they fight an internal conflict throughout the story. Holden’s struggle with transitioning into adulthood and Craig’s undeniable pressure from his surrounding circle are topics that many teenagers can identify with. When Holden is in central park and passes by a lagoon, he says, "I was wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go.
This shows that he now understands himself more as he knows that happiness is important. Rather than at the beginning of the book where he was very self-centered and only cared about himself. Holden shows that he has changed by not being so self-centered and caring about other people's feelings while at the same time allowing their feelings to adjust to his
Holden had to cope with big changes without the support of anyone. Adjusting to a new way of life is difficult on its own, but without anybody being there to teach and support him, it becomes increasingly more problematic. As he is reflecting on his life he states, "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, an what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me," (3). He felt like he couldn’t talk about his life to anyone and open up because the people who are supposed to be there to love and support you were absent for him. Holden thought that he did not belong, he says, “how my parents were occupied”, they were never able to give him support so he considered himself to be all alone.
Holden has been conditioned by society to acquire mannerisms such as drinking, smoking, rebellion and lewdness. His vulgarity is the only way he feels he can gain attention to both his opinions and beliefs. This is demonstrated when he admits to smoking in school. He does this in order to rebel against school rules, as well as, to challenge the jurisdiction of Stradlater. The purpose of challenging Stradlater is to have him admit to what really happened on his date with Jane.
Holden’s younger brother, Allie, died of leukemia when he was eleven years old and Holden was thirteen years old. Another tragic thing that Holden had to face was the suicide of one of his classmates by jumping out of a window. This impacted Holden’s character in a major way, from not being able to trust people because they were “phonies'' to having a mental breakdown in the park. Major events that lead me to believe that he was not okay mentally are when he punched all the windows out of the garage, he imagines he sees Allie, he fantasizes about committing suicide, made a rash decision to go live in the west as a deaf/mute, and gets drunk many, many times. All of these instances show Holden has a lot of grief in his life.
Holden begins flirting with them “strictly from hunger” and immediately gets rejected (Salinger 77).In response to rejection, Holden quickly starts to degrade them by claiming the “three witches'' are “laughing like morons'' (Salinger 78). This illustrated another defense mechanism from Holden. His instantaneous response is to cheapen the value of these women, strictly due to his embarrassment from rejection. In addition, Holden associates himself with these women exclusively because he feels he does not have connections–with anyone–and is trying to force them to feel contempt. Another example of Holden’s point of view portraying the theme is when he challenges Maurice–a pimp who demands more money after Holden spends time with one of his prostitutes–to a physical fight.
Holden feels so depressed he “started talking, sort of out loud, to Allie” (110). This shows Holden’s mental state as he is trying to talk to his brother who has died. This is evidence of the impact of depression in his life and actions. Talking to a person who has passed away is abnormal for people. Despite that, depression causes this and has a hold on Holden.
The Catcher in the Rye Thematic Essay Imagine living a lonesome life, full of fear and little hope of better days to come. Imagine the toll this would take on a person’s life and how they develop as a person. For Holden Caulfield, the main character of J.D Salinger’s classic The Catcher in the Rye this, is his reality. Holden is a sixteen year old troubled boy suffering through major mental issues and living a rather a depressing life for a teenager. Throughout the novel he goes through many hardships that only worsen his depression making him feel hatred towards his seemingly hellish world.
Boy gone crazy or depressed? Holden is in a deep depression but, does he stay depressed or go crazy? After Holden’s brother (Allie) dies he gets very depressed. Holden wasn 't even able to attend the funeral.
Throughout the first half of the book Holden is upset by people who do not have the same morals as him. When Holden perceives that someone has done something wrong, he resents that person. For example, Holden resented his previous headmaster and considered him a phony. Holden thought the headmaster was snubbing other parents, by acting charming to them, but only spending his time on the attractive parents. Holden states “I can’t stand that stuff.
Page 44. It becomes apparent the struggles Holden has with being more positive about people. After all, he lacks a genuine connection to anyone, which is proven because almost every time Holden speaks badly about someone it is when the person is either talented or the person is having a good time
Holden says, “This next part I don't remember so hot… I tried to sock him, with all my might, right smack in the toothbrush, so it would split his goddamn throat open.” (Salinger 49). In this scene, Holden pounces on his roommate, Stradlater, when he tells Holden he just spent the night with Jane Gallagher, Holden's close childhood friend. Holden had always viewed Jane as a symbol of purity and innocence, so learning that his roommate may have put the works on her leaves him rather devastated. Stradlater is known for his infamous reputation with girls, and Holden knows that deep down
Holden is a very complex character. He has a very angsty, angry, and escapist personality. He classes most other people as "phonies" yet craves closeness with another person. Instead of facing his problems, he prefers to run away from them. The major conflict is within Holden’s psyche.
Holden’s unusual fantasy metaphorically displays this desire to save children’s innocence on his quest, and literally displays his obsession with death and preventing it, as being the catcher in the rye would accomplish both goals. F. Literary Critics also note that Holden’s catcher in the rye job is a dream of his that he pretends to be a reality to hide the fact that he secretly knows that he is unable to save the innocence of all children. G. Authors James E. Miller jr, and Arthur Heiserman explicitly state that, “Holden delights in circles – a comforting bounded figure which yet connotes hopelessness” (Miller, Heiserman 496). H. The “comforting bounded figure” is Holden’s catcher fantasy that he literally uses to comfort himself against the reality he refuses to believe because it “connotes hopelessness” and he is still too innocent and naïve to accept that. I. Holden possesses this dream as a weak attempt to save the innocence of children and to avoid a hopeless reality of defeat he has yet to accept.
This shows Holden is trying to cover up his own vulnerability about not wanting to grow up and instead masks it with immature comments of others to make himself feel younger and childlike. Another example of Holden's critical observations is when he and Jane are intruded on by her mother's husband asking where the cigarettes are. Holden has a very critical opinion of the man immediately. In Holden’s perspective, this man is who Holden believes he should be, and it intimidates him because Holden knows he does not want to be like this stereotypical man. Holden says, “I didn't know him too well or anything, but he looked like the kind of a guy that wouldn't talk to you much unless he wanted something off you.