Identity In This Boy's Life
It is simply human nature to want more than one has. Individuals often dream about acquiring more money, friends, or a better job during their lifetime, especially during hardships. To illustrate, in the memoir, This Boy’s Life, by Tobias Wolff, Wolff moves to Washington state with his mother in hopes of finding a better life. He explains about the time in his childhood where he longs to be like other people and imagines what it would be like if he were in another place. Tobias longs to acquire different personality traits along with other imagined personalities. Moreover, as described in This Boy’s Life, Wolff’s sense of fantasy saves him from his reality even if it is for only a short while.
To begin, Wolff introduces a new identity for
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Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a troubled teenager who is kicked out of school and runs away home. Holden is a teenager who fails out of boarding school and ends up in a mental hospital. He tells the doctor about his trip to New York City, how fake people are, and how he loves lying. He tells the doctor how he would have fought a kid back at school if he was not so yellow. In the 1950’s, yellow was a term to describe someone why is shy and cowardly. Holden describes himself as shy and “yellow” when it comes to confronting people or doing anything social in general. He fantasizes about a situation where he is stronger, more confident and intimidating than he actually is. Holden remembers the event of someone stealing his gloves. He imagines what he would have done to the person who stole them by “going down to the crooks room and [saying] Okay. How ‘bout handing over those gloves”(Salinger 88)? He further explains that the kid would act innocent until Holden scares him into giving him the gloves. Holden does not have the confidence or boldness to confront the person who stole his gloves, no matter how mad he is. Holden fantasizes about this encounter because he, like Jack, is too timid to stand up for himself or talk to other people and therefore turns to fantasy to be the person he wants to
Is Holden Caulfield Reliable
1050 Words | 5 PagesHe 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.
Holden Caulfield Thesis
236 Words | 1 PagesJ.D. Salinger depicts his character, Holden Caulfield, as a young man with strong moral convictions. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden constantly comes face to face with situations that test the moral fiber of his character. Each time a challenge presents itself, he does what he feels to be decent and right. His respect for women and intimate relationships comes to light when he confronts his roommate, Stradlater, for disrespecting Jane, Stradlater 's date and Holden 's friend (56-59). He visits his sick professor because he respects the professor’s loyalty to his students (6).
Holden Caulfield Satire
573 Words | 3 PagesThe Catcher And The Rye by J.D. Salinger is an epic novel where our main character Holden Caulfield faces many challenges that challenge him as a young man such as growing up, rebellion, and love. Holden like most teenagers is rebellious but to an extreme nature. After flunking out of his fourth school the last one being Pencey Prep he refuses to tell his mother and father. In wanting to avoid this confrontation he leaves three days earlier taking a train back to Manhattan. Where he goes on adventure that turns him into a young man.
Flashbacks In Holden Caulfield's Life
220 Words | 1 PagesHolden Caulfield experiences flashbacks to the traumatic events that have occurred in his life. Holden is constantly reminded of his younger brother Allie who passed away when he was 11 years old. “So what I did, I wrote about… did, and he had very red hair,” (Salinger 38). The reader can see that Holden is constantly thinking of Allie, and that Allie was one of the people in Holden’s life that made him happy. Holden’s ability to remember the vivid details of Allie and his life prove that these traumatic events, occurring upon those who brought him joy, will always be with him.
How Does Holden Caulfield Change Throughout The Novel
693 Words | 3 PagesCatcher in the Rye In the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the narrator and protagonist Holden Caulfield a sixteen year old junior undergoes a series of changes. Holden learns multiple life changing lessons; one of them is you must grow up. In the beginning of the novel, Holden starts out as “that kid”; the one with the parents who expect him to get into an ivy league school, and end up with a kid with no intentions of doing so. At the beginning of the book it is very apparent that Holden lacks motivation; he also has hit rock bottom.
Holden Caulfield Journey
2122 Words | 9 PagesJ.D Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye, follows the main character, Holden Caulfield, and his experiences that lead him to be talking to a mental therapist. Told through Holden’s eyes, his profane and blunt explanations of major moments in his life allow readers to see that Holden is not crazy but is actually struggling with transitioning from child to adult. Throughout the story, he fondly remembers his early childhood and is trying the best he can to run from adulthood. He fears that he, like so many around him, may become phony when he becomes an adult. This fear drives his actions and gives him a feeling of hatred toward phony adults and a feeling of obligation to shield children from the harsh adult world.
Catcher In The Rye Rhetorical Analysis
828 Words | 4 PagesRhetorical Précis 1: In his essay, “ Love and Death in The Catcher in the Rye” (1991), Peter Shaw claimed that Holden behavior and way of thinking is due to common abnormal behavior in a certain time for teenagers (par. 10). Shaw supported his assertion of the young Holden by comparing the literary culture of the 1950s and how Holden’s fictional character fits within the contemporary Americans novels as a, “ sensitive, psychological cripples but superior character” (par. 3). Shaw’s purpose was to show that Holden’s sensitive and psychological behavior is not abnormal, but such like stated by Mrs. Trilling that,” madness is a normal, even a better then normal way of life” (par 4). Peter Shaw’s tone assumed a highly educated audience who is
Lack Of Responsibility In Catcher In The Rye
744 Words | 3 PagesIn The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a peculiar character portrayed as a skeptic living in “a world of phonies” in circa 1950. These personality traits can be seen through his doubts of society as well as his way of thinking and acting toward others. He also demonstrates a lack of responsibility adding to his role as a slacker. Holden flunks out of school repeatedly and has no desire to confront his parents. He mopes around the city for days, delaying the inevitable punishments he’s sure to get.
Stubbornness In Catcher In The Rye
1493 Words | 6 PagesIn the paradoxical personality of Holden we discover something much deeper. As Holden makes himself out to be tougher than what he actually is, Salinger introduces stubbornness. Holden’s true nature of gentleness and sensitivity offered throughout the book often brings bedlam into his life, though Salinger brings into
Catcher In The Rye Holden's Journey Analysis
656 Words | 3 PagesHolden says that all he want to do is be the catcher in the rye protecting children from falling. The whole novel Holden makes observation around him that are taking away from children's innocence. This is what upsets him the most the fact that everyone will eventually have to grow up. While he is trying to go get Phoebe he is reminded this in the following quote. “I went down by a different staircase, and I saw another "Fuck you" on the wall.
Theme Of Maturity In Catcher In The Rye
837 Words | 4 PagesHolden 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
How Does Holden Throw The Snowball
743 Words | 3 PagesAs Holden wrote about the baseball mitt to help deal with his pain, he became angry and emotional after Stradlater's unmerciful reaction. 5.) Holden, who often wishes that he was dead, had always had a pattern for his depression since he entered the mental institution. As Holden was contstantly ostracized from groups of people, he has built up emotions feeling loneliness and desolation from the rest of society. After Stradlater conquered Holden during the dispute, he "probably was scared he'd fractured my skull or something when I hit the floor.
Catcher In The Rye: A Psychological Analysis Of Holden Caulfield
824 Words | 4 PagesThroughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has abnormal tendencies. Although he could just be a typical teenager, dealing with difficult situations, after analyzing his behavior it is believed that he is suffering from a mental ailment of some sort. Events from Holden’s past are still currently haunting him and it is evident that he is struggling. He needs the guidance of those around him in order to help himself through these tough time.
Misfit In The Catcher In The Rye
1418 Words | 6 PagesIt is the “phoniness” he wants to blame. Salinger used “phony” this word many times in the book and is one of the most famous word from “The Catcher in the Rye” and it accurately describes the human nature of most adults’. During Holden’s three-day-trip in New York, he has met and encountered with many characters who are pretentious and fake, from Mr. Spencer to Luce and Sally. In society people have to lie or be “phony” just to socialize, or impress someone. Holden is a judgemental person who keeps observing other people’s phoniness but never notices them in himself.
Catcher In The Rye Literary Analysis Essay
1322 Words | 6 PagesIn the beginning of the novel Salinger portrays Holden as a antisocial person who is often seen alone and describes the world as a “ world full of phonies” one example of this is at the beginning of the book wherein the
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