Inner Conflict In The Catcher In The Rye
Inner Conflict The nature of an inner conflict can vary from culture to culture, but one aspect that we can all agree on, is that inner conflict is the emotional and mental battle one has with him/herself. Whether it be an ethical or moral dilemma, it is the tiresome and difficult struggle one has to face when battling his problems, queries and insecurities. The main purpose of inner conflict in the novel Catcher in the Rye, is to reveal to the audience Holden's insecurities and doubts he faces with himself and the complexity and harshness of the adult world. Firstly, Holden struggles to let go of the past and move on from his brother's death. In addition, he is extremely afraid of commitment, attachment and intimacy with the opposite sex and lastly, he has trouble …show more content…
To briefly summarize, in portraying these insecurities, the author wants to highlight the need to identify one's faults, so then they can work on rectifying them to become a better person, just as we see Holden do at the end of the novel. He wants to emphasize that becoming familiar with the struggles of the adult world isn't all bad, as we can prepare ourselves and adjust to the situation, before it becomes too much to handle. Lastly, he wants to pin point that we should not label the whole world based on a couple of people, but instead we have to broaden our horizons. To begin, the protagonist Holden Caulfield has an immensely difficult time getting over his brother's death and thus it is portrayed that he doesn’t possess the ability of letting go of the past and concentrating on the future. He instead harbors the anger, sadness and guilt of his brother's death inside him for so many years, causing him to battle with himself and blame himself for what happened. He can't admit that he has to move on with life and commit his full concentration on his schoolwork, instead of dwelling on the past. For example Holden says, “I was only
Is Holden Caulfield Reliable
1050 Words | 5 PagesHe feels the saying “you only live once” is his motto (he doesn't say that but he acts like it). His immaturity is him growing up too fast. He thinks it's okay to act like a 21-year-old when he knows much better. A secondary source about the novel also has some words to say about Holdenss immaturity to where he says “While such positive interpretations of Holden correct reductive interpretations that simply dismiss Holden as an immature cynic, Duane Edwards's , “Holden Caulfield: Don't Ever Tell Anybody Anything,” advances an even more complex interpretation of Holde.
Catcher In The Rye Lying Quotes
901 Words | 4 PagesHe shows no sign of interest in things he should at least be motivated about, like his education. When he is speaking with his world studies teacher about flunking out of Pencey, he states, "I could shoot the old bull with Spencer and think about ducks at the same time. " This shows that he does not have to put much effort into talking with teachers, even with conversations concerning his grades. Instead of being focused, he thinks about insignificant things that have no relation to the conversation. He also says, "you don't have to think much when you talk to a teacher," which reveals the careless mindset of Holden.
Catcher In The Rye Rite Of Passage Analysis
1142 Words | 5 PagesThe beginning of Holden’s journey starts with the innocence and naivety of childhood. Childhood is the stage that ignorance is bliss with no care in the world. Holden goes to a prestigious boarding school for boys and he believes that everyone in that school is a phony in some way. Holden is an observant character as he stays in the background, but he can also cause the most trouble. Like a child, he asks many questions and he is very curious to the point that he can be annoying.
Examples Of External Conflict In Catcher In The Rye
668 Words | 3 PagesIn The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a rebellious and angsty teen who suffers from internal and external conflict. Holden continously tries to create a conflict where there is none. However, after he creates these issues he is unwilling to face them. Holden’s internal conflict is his inability to accept responsibility for his actions, while his external conflict is the tension between him and anyone who succeeds. In this manner Holden continually pushes people away and refuses to accept the existence of these conflicts until the end of the novel.
Catcher In The Rye Mental Health Quotes
983 Words | 4 PagesCan one truly get over the death of a family member? Death is one of the promises of life, but it does not make it easier on the ones it affects. Holden Caulfield experiences not only the death of a loved one, but many other unfortunate events in his young life that greatly affects his emotional state. In the literary work, The Catcher in The Rye, by J.D Salinger, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is not over the death of his younger brother which leads to his current depressive state of chronically lying and his overall loneliness. Salinger illustrates to his reader that mental health, specifically PTSD, can strongly affect one's life overtime if not treated.
Catcher In The Rye Holden's Struggles Essay
830 Words | 4 PagesHe has trouble growing up and accepting life as it is. Holden thinks adults are "phony" which makes him hate the fact of growing up and staying innocent as much as he can while he is old enough to become an adult. He is frustrated with the world and people which makes him act with anger. His innocent childish dream is to be the Catcher in the Rye, to catch the kids before they become phonies like Holden says about adults. The moment he realizes that he cannot keep kids from falling or in other words, from growing up and becoming adults, he, reaches adulthood, and takes a big step towards it at the end of the novel.
Holden's Loss In Catcher In The Rye
744 Words | 3 PagesAlthough Holden shows maturity when he agrees to back off from his plans, it devastates Holden, knowing he cannot run away from his problems anymore. He realizes he has no choice but to stay in a world where he doesn’t
Holden Caulfield Conflicts
1264 Words | 6 PagesIt is very closely related to his struggle against growing up. Holden’s enemy is the adult world and cruelty and artificiality. The people he admires all represent or protect innocence. He thinks of Jane Gallagher, for example, not as a
Stubbornness In Catcher In The Rye
1493 Words | 6 PagesThe Catcher in the Rye In the novel The Catcher in the Rye J.D Salinger writes about a teenager struggling to find his place within the existence of the reality of others. Salinger creates shocking events that lay out the foundation of the the main character Holden Caulfield’s life in the novel. Salinger uses Holden’s characteristics throughout the novel such as Holden’s stubbornness to establish a much bigger theme in the book along with many other symbols.
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 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
Catcher In The Rye Internal Conflict
1032 Words | 5 PagesThe conflict of the story is internal, because it revolves around Holden’s struggle between wanting to stay as an innocent child and reject the “phony” world of adults, and his desire to become
Catcher In The Rye Analysis
1308 Words | 6 PagesHolden Caulfield lives his life as an outsider to his society, because of this any we (as a reader) find normal is a phony to him. Basically, every breathing thing in The Catcher in the Rye is a phony expect a select few, like Jane Gallagher. What is a phony to Holden and why is he obsessed with them? A phony is anyone who Holden feels is that living their authentic life, like D.B. (his older brother). Or simply anyone who fits into society norms, for example, Sally Hayes.
Alienation And Self-Protection In Catcher In The Rye
664 Words | 3 PagesAlienation as Self-Protection in The Catcher in the Rye Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye, there are many themes, motifs and symbols that emerge and develop along with Holden, the protagonist, and the plot. Though the most significant theme is alienation as means for self-protection. In many instances, Holden isolates and alienates himself from his peers and the world in order to protect his morals and his self-imposed superiority. The first evidence of this alienation occurs when Holden speaks to his history teacher, Mr. Spencer. While talking about Mr. Thurmer’s lecture, Holden begins to ponder the “right side”, stating “if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot-shots, then what’s the game about?”
Character Analysis: The Catcher In The Rye
720 Words | 3 PagesHolden Caulfield, the main protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, embodies the classic teenager in the process of discovering himself, and how the world works. But, regardless of Holden 's rich, prep school lifestyle, the series of events that have mapped out his life up to this point have utterly affected his emotional well being and perception of the world. Many traumatic events such as the death of holds brother Allie, the death of a class mate, and countless numbers of awkward incidents with adults have all added up to affects Holden 's well-being and detach him from reality. The death of Holden 's younger brother Allie has caused him to confuse his perception of reality and to alienate himself.
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