A Hero? Or An Egocentric person? According to DBSA, the major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older. The major depressive disorder can develop at any age. In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden Caulfield, is a teenage boy who goes through depression and refuses to lose his innocence. Throughout the novel, Holden experiences several difficulties and doesn’t accept the reality that he can’t be the catcher in the rye. Holden’s way of organizing his thoughts, his behaviors, and mannerism reinforce one of the novel’s theme, depression. Throughout the novel, Holden breaks lots of rules or the proper ways of doing things. For …show more content…
When he saw the little boy, he thought, “he was making out like he was walking in straight line, the way kids do, and the whole time he kept singing and humming” (115). He wants the children to stay pure and not be phonies like the adults. He believes that most of the children didn’t lose their innocence and act like kids, which Holden wants. When he sees a child with innocence, he pays attention and wants to know more about them. Another example is when he was talking to Phoebe about his dream, “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff…” (173). He wants to stop the little kids from growing up and from losing their innocence. He doesn’t realize the truth that everyone has to grow up including himself. It also shows that Holden is caring about the little kids and wants to be the one who cares for them. Holden doesn’t want to grow up, and he is afraid of gaining the responsibilities that come with it. He is also afraid that the children might go through the same trouble that he went through. Holden’s mannerism, his personalities, reinforce the novel’s
The loss of his older brother and the absent parents have really affected Holden’s behavior. He lives a life without any care but with exception of younger children. Holden has a fascination with younger children and their innocence possibly because he wasn’t able to enjoy his adolescent years and nor did his brother. Holden mentions “‘Every time I'd get to the end of a block I'd make believe I was talking to my brother Allie. I'd say to him, "Allie, don't let me disappear.
I think Holden dosen 't mind children becuase they are not as complex and "lousy" as adults. Children mostly go where the wind takes them and that 's Holden 's mentallity. Adults think things too much through and make clear-cut plans, where Holden and children tend to just make it up as they go. Much more carefree. This shows Holdens mentallity
He thinks he can do whatever he wants just because he's a kid until he realizes it doesn't last forever. Another instance of this is when Holden explains to the reader where he says “You take a really smart girl, and half the time she's trying to lead you around the dance floor, or else she's such a lousy dancer, the best thing to do is stay at the table and just get drunk with her. ”(Salinger PDF 44). Holden messes around in things he shouldn't do or even care for but it affects him.
A hero can be described in many ways from Superman’s example to teenager, Malala Yousafzai’s. Holden Caulfield, a 17 year old boy, who flunks out of school, in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is said to follow the Hero’s Quest- that the novel is a modernization of this mythic from. Upon reading this novel, Holden does not seem like the type of person who would be a hero, however his journey overlaps with a traditional hero’s journey in more than one place. Holden’s heroic characteristics tells the reader that anyone can be a hero, in their own way, even with all of their teen angst. Holden follows the first two steps of a hero’s journey throughout the novel.
Holden has every right to be upset about how innocent things are treated. He doesn't want innocence ruined, he can't even throw a snowball at perfectly clean snow. Something that might also tie Holden to this obsession with innocence is the death of his little brother. Something so pure and innocent died due to something that he couldn't help. It would make sense that Holden wants to protect it (innocence) as much as he can now, even though thats not his duty.
Altogether, Holden wants to protect children to prevent them from dying at a young age because Allie’s death is already too much for him to handle. He is even going beyond the limits to do this, as he is willing to dedicate his life to it. Secondly, as Holden is walking through the school, he notices, “Somebody’d written ‘Fuck you’ on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would se it…” (201)
To Holden, children are the greatest symbol of purity, a purity that he wants to preserve before they “fall off the cliff” of adulthood. Holden is fixated on the idea of being a savior. This tendency has most likely developed after the death of his younger brother Allie who will be forever fixed in a state of childhood. It is no wonder Holden sees himself as a savior of children, or simply the catcher in the rye, “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around-nobody big, I mean-except me.
The reason that Holden Caulfield is always trying to stop kids from growing up in the first place is because he want’s to protect them, and shelter them from the bad things in the world. By the end of the novel Holden realizes that he can’t protect kids all the time or save their innocence. Holden comes right out and say’s that you can’t protect kids, or their innocence when Phoebe is riding the carousel toward the end of the book, Holden says “The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them". This quote is one reason that proves Holden was successful throughout his journey in the
This means that he wants to protect children from the nasty adult world, and to protect their innocence. " What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they 're running and they don 't look where they 're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That 's all I 'd do all day. I 'd just be the catcher in the rye and all " (p.156).From this quote you can see, this is what his purpose is. Due to alienating himself, he finds out that he want to help kids and protect them because they are the only real people in the world according to Holden.
Holden’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.
“If you do something too good, then, after a while, if you don’t watch it, you start showing off. And then your not as good anymore.” (Salinger 140) Holden hates how phony adults are, and how they are all acting a part. He will always take a dislike to his own childhood experiences, but he does everything he can to protect others from experiencing bad moments. Holden never had the childhood he dreamed of, and he holds onto the hope that he can provide innocence for Phoebe.
Though Holden believes the world around him is phony and wicked, and while he wants to be the catcher in the rye, catching those who will fall over cliff; Holden does not only want to save those children but he also wants to save himself. Holden displays his desire to be the catcher in the rye by expressing his wish to protect the kids from falling off the cliff. Throughout the novel, Holden often states that everything around him seems to be phony; however, there is one thing in which Holden believes is real, and that is the children he encounters in the novel. Quite often does Holden show his desire to protect children from the corrupted adulthood that he
This very philosophical, yet simple quote provides a great explanation as to why Holden shouldn’t die trying to save children from losing their innocence, but rather to devote his time trying to keep children from turning into what Holden has become. Holden’s ultimate desire near the end of the novel, is that he wants to be “the catcher in the rye” which theoretically means one whom catches young
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
Sickness comes in many forms, but perhaps the most misunderstood form happens mentally. All of the events that happen to the main character in The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, are caused in some way or another by his mental illness. Holden Caulfield is a boy who drops out of school and travels to New York City. Holden makes irresponsible decisions like when he travels to New York City by himself without permission which affects him mentally. Holden’s mental illnesses affects his decision making,specifically his decision to stay in school and his inability to connect with people.