Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye
Sofia Ye 3/22/2023 In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, 16-year-old Holden Caufield narrates his experiences after being kicked out of boarding school. He is an easily irritated and critical individual who is caught between adulthood and childhood. He has strong opinions on the two worlds and expresses them when he says he wants to be a “catcher in the rye”. This title refers to Holden’s desire to protect kids from adulthood which relates to his aversion to change and growing up. Holden’s explanation of a catcher in the rye symbolizes his desire to protect kids from growing up. When his younger sister Phoebe asks him to name one thing he would like to be, he says, “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye… And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff… I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.” (173) The field of rye symbolizes the innocent and safe world of childhood. He wants to catch …show more content…
When Mr. Spencer, his teacher, asks him if he cares about his future, he responds, “‘Oh, I feel some concern for my future, all right. Sure. Sure, I do.’ I thought about it for a minute. ‘But not too much, I guess.’” (14) Holden doesn’t have ambitions. He got kicked out of four schools, because he didn’t apply himself and failed his classes. He avoids anything that relates to growing up, including advancing in school and preparing for a successful future. Instead, his ideal future is simple. During a date with Sally Hayes, he asks her, “How would you like to get the hell out of here?... What we could do is, tomorrow morning we could drive up to Massachusetts and Vermont… We’ll stay in these cabin camps and stuff like that till the dough runs out.” (132) He wants to live an unchanging life free of commitment and responsibilities, which are huge parts of
How Does Holden Present Depression In Catcher In The Rye
481 Words | 2 PagesIn the beginning of the book soon after being told he couldn’t return the following semester he decides to simply leave the school and wander around New York City. In New York, Holden continues to get himself into trouble. For example, he hired a prostitute and did not give her the correct amount of money resulting in her pimp beating him up. At the end of the novel, he made a plan to run away again. Although, this time he decided he would go to a far away place and live on his own in the middle of nowhere.
Why Holden Doesn T Holden Pass As An Adult
1359 Words | 6 PagesAfter being beat up by Maurice, Holden calls Sally Hayes and takes her on a date. After they go ice skating, Holden starts to break down and tells Sally Hayes about his future plans. “We’ll stay in these cabin camps and stuff like that when the dough runs out. Then, when the dough does run out, I could get a job somewhere and we could live somewhere with a brook and all and later on, we could get married or something.”
Examples Of Dialectical Journal For The Catcher In The Rye
1261 Words | 6 PagesHis old teacher is agonizing him about his failures at Pencey. He lectures Holden about how important it is to “play by the rules” meaning that if you want to get somewhere and be someone in life you have to be able to compromise and not think that you are better than anyone else. This conversation implies key aspects of him as a character. His contempt for adults is obvious, which is
Is Holden Caulfield Selfish
462 Words | 2 PagesHe is incapable of moving forward and getting closure by clinging to this fantasy and avoiding facing the realities of growing up. It is further demonstrated in the way he interacts with other characters. To avoid confronting his own issues, Holden relies on superficial relationships in the novel to form meaningful connections. When Holden considers his own future he says he does not “feel like going into it” because he is reluctant to deal with his emotions and the challenges of adulthood (224). In avoiding these challenges, Holden remains stagnant and unable to move
How Does Holden Change Throughout The Catcher In The Rye
858 Words | 4 PagesThe Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, focuses on a young man–Holden Caulfield–who fears growing up. Throughout the book, Holden struggles to accept that he is entering the “phony” world of adulthood. He has rebelled in various ways to prove that he has control over his life; however, the one thing Holden yearns to control is the inevitable change of growing older. J.D. Salinger uses symbolism and point of view to convey the theme of this book: fear of change and growing up. The fear of entering the adult world can lead somebody to protect themselves to avoid failure of fitting in.
Holden's Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye
776 Words | 4 PagesHolden Caulfield dreams of being a “catcher in the rye”. This job would entail preventing small children from accidentally skipping, running, or hopping off a cliff. We are led to believe that the edge of this cliff is adolescence, with adulthood waiting below, claiming the innocence and joy of those who fall victim to it. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden frequently expresses his thoughts, including thoughts on politics, Lillian Simmon’s “knockers”, phonies, and the loss of innocence. He seems almost fascinated with innocence, whether he recognizes it or not.
Dialectical Journal For The Catcher In The Rye
963 Words | 4 PagesDuring the narrative, Holden is irrealistic with what he wants out of life. “I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.” (ch. 22
How Is Holden Caulfield A Modern Teenager
1108 Words | 5 PagesUnlike past generations teens today find it hard to relate to someone who is the same age as them. The Catcher in the Rye is a book written by J. D. Salinger with a boy named Holden as the main character. Holden is a 17 year old who got kicked out of Pencey. Holden through the book becomes more depressing and doesn’t take care of himself, he goes days without sleeping and eating and get’s suicidal thoughts. Holden has a little sister named Phoebe, Holden loves Phoebe, Holden wants to protect Phoebe's innocence and every child’s innocence.
What Are Holden's Struggles In Catcher In The Rye
858 Words | 4 PagesThis 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.
Fear In A Separate Peace
1353 Words | 6 PagesWhen she asks what he wants to do with his life. Holden answers, “I’d just be the catcher on the rye and all (173).” He so badly wants to save kids from plunging into the adult world. All adolescents mature, no matter how aware, and they must encounter evil. Holden realizes this as the good he strives to preserve is threatened.
How Does Holden Mature In Catcher In The Rye
1081 Words | 5 PagesHolden is a troubled kid who has the problem of staying in one school, and meeting his parents standards. Holden takes us through his life from when he was at Pencey Prep, to when he got kicked out, to what he did after, and all the adventures he went on. Holden’s goal in life is to be “The Catcher in the Rye”
Walden What I Lived For Analysis
575 Words | 3 PagesIn Walden, written by Henry David Thoreau, the author expresses the immense longing that we, as human beings, need to give up our connection to our ever-growing materialism in order to revert back to self-sufficient happiness. In Walden, the reader is able to infer that Thoreau feels as if we are becoming enslaved by our material possessions, as well as believes that the study of nature should replace and oppose our enslavement, and that we are to “open new channels of thought” by turning our eyes inward and studying ourselves. Thoreau feels that we are becoming enslaved by our material possessions. As stated in the chapter “In the Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”, Thoreau states that “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” (972).
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 PagesThis connects to the theme of the story, which is that people should not force themselves to grow up when they are not ready yet. Throughout the novel, this theme is emphasized by Holden's love for the innocence of children. Overall, The Catcher in the Rye is an amazing novel to read, and very much deserves its position as a classic of American
Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye
377 Words | 2 PagesThe Catcher in the Rye is a book about a teenage boy during the 1950s, who was expelled from school because of his academic failure. The main theme in Catcher in the Rye is alienation because Holden seems not to want anyone to be in his life, he thinks that everyone is fake and dishonest,” Phonies” is how he describes most people that he interacts with. The Author uses the red hat that Holden wears as a symbol of alienation. An example of this is when Holden says “That hat I bought had earlaps in it, I put them on - I didn’t give a damn how I looked, Nobody was around anyway.” (pg 53 ) this shows how uses his hat to hide himself from other people.
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