The Role Of Holden Caulfield In Catcher In The Rye
Holden Caulfield, the main character in the bold novel, Catcher in the Rye, constantly encounters problems with maturity and developing. Even though maturity often comes with age, Holden is the exception to this rule. All through the novel, Holden states he has a fascination with the ducks in Central Park. This fascination with ducks is a clear symbol of maturity and Holden’s youthful side. The ducks in the novel can be a symbol for many challenges in Holden’s life. Ducks play a crucial role in the novel, Catcher in the Rye, because the ducks reveal a youthful side to Holden, the ducks represent curiosity for adventure, and the ducks symbolize that change is not always permanent. First, throughout the novel, Holden often mentions the youth of the community. The ducks in Central Park are a clear symbol of youth and innocence. Holden often mentions preserving the youthfulness in the children. Holden’s dream job one day is to “catch everybody if they start to go over” (191). Holden wants to keep every child innocent from the outside world, which is nearly impossible. The ducks on the lake represent the process of adapting and becoming less innocent to the world. In …show more content…
Ducks represent Holden’s youthful and innocent side. Holden’s dream job, being a Catcher in the Rye, represents Holden’s innocence. The ducks not only symbolize innocence; the ducks represent new adventures in Holden’s life. All though Holden travels on several adventures to find new challenges, Holden is uncomfortable with change. Change is such a crucial part in Holden’s life because he adjusts his life towards the end of the novel. Ducks play a crucial role in Catcher in the Rye because Holden’s innocence is revealed. New adventures often lead to new challenges in Holden’s life. When change strikes Holden’s life, he does not know how to react. Little does Holden know, the changes in his life will modify him for the
Similarities Between Catcher In The Rye And It's Kind Of A Funny Story
1077 Words | 5 PagesI was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over"( ). This is symbolism for Holden, the ducks representing his desperate attempt to cling to childhood. He, just like Craig struggles with this depression that he can't let go. This idea of fear can be related to
Catcher In The Rye Dialectical Journal Essay
747 Words | 3 Pages2.Holden symbolism of him and the fish/ducks shows his impatience. Holden’s conversation begins when he asks the taxi driver about ducks and the fish. "If you was a fish, Mother Nature 'd take care of you , wouldn 't Right? You don 't think them fish just die when it gets to be winter, do ya?"(Salinger 82)Holden, who becomes anxious about everything in his life and seeks to avoid difficulty, is like a duck, who takes off when the going gets rough.
Catcher In The Rye Rhetorical Analysis
295 Words | 2 PagesIn day 4 of the reading, Holden takes a cab drive and once again brings up the question of where the ducks go during the winter, symbolizing his childlike curiosity and how he wants to be free from society just like the ducks. Holden brings up the question about the ducks, asking "does somebody come around in a truck or something and take them away?" (Page 82). This shows Holden's childlike curiosity is still prevalent, asking a question that is obviously untrue but an ideal solution to the question. It also symbolizes how he is like a duck, who does not know what he wants to do, whether it is to transition into an adult and fly away, or stay in the lake and freeze in childhood.
Holden Caulfield Setting
644 Words | 3 PagesCatcher in the Rye is the recounting of the weekend after the main character gets expelled for the umpteenth time from another uppity private school. The name of the main character, "Holden Caulfield," can be broken down in such a way that it reveals the character in question's tendency to hold onto and protect happier memories and childhood innocence from this big, unfair, scary game we call life, without realizing that he would be stunting the growth of those whom he is protecting. The character's first name, "Holden", can be interpreted as a pun for how he wants to "hold on" to better times. Throughout the story, Holden speaks fondly about his childhood summer memories, talking about when he used to play checkers with Jane Gallagher (p.17), or when he, his younger siblings, Phoebe and Allie, went to the park every Sunday (p. 37) to play, and often brushes the more serious moments he has experienced off, instead of going on a tangent like he usually does (p.21).
Why Does Holden Is Not Going To Tell Readers His Life Story
809 Words | 4 PagesWhat are some solutions that he comes up with while thinking? Where the ducks go in winter, Whether the ducks have a permanent home Whether the ducks return to the park. Holden wonders if the ducks actually live like other beings and care for each other like some humans do. 3. When talking with Mr. Spencer, Holden reflects on a few reasons he hates growing old and old people.
Catcher In The Rye Grief Analysis
656 Words | 3 PagesIn Holden’s mind becoming “the catcher in the rye “means that he can still catch Allie from falling off the cliff. This is relevant to Holden’s depression because everything around him is telling him to grow up but instead he runs away from it in fear that is will pull him farther apart from his relationship with his brother Allie. Holden is on the edge of becoming an adult which creates more pressure and leads him to
Catcher In The Rye Holden Motif
827 Words | 4 PagesThis book’s motif conclude is Frozen Images and Ducks, while Holden is frozen he is trying to find out what to do using the ducks motif. While Holden is frozen all over, he starts wondering, where do ducks go? If it gets all frozen all over, where do they go? If they can escape the frozen then maybe he can too, or at least that's what he thought. He takes a lot of walks
Catcher In The Rye Setting
890 Words | 4 PagesThis shows that the Museum is a symbol of Holden’s reluctance for change, in himself and in the world. Central Park is the location where Holden goes in order to answer his question of where the ducks go in the winter. This question could represent Holden’s
The Catcher In The Rye Analysis
1433 Words | 6 PagesUsually considered a controversial novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger can often express the feelings of being an outcast and the desire to find a meaning in the world. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the novel, though often complains of the phoniness of the world around him, has a way of creating a deeper meaning within the readers. While the truth may be that Salinger purposely set the story in such a way that the readers will be able to connect with Holden, not often do readers find it easy to do so. While Holden believes that everything around him are wicked and phony, there is part of him trying to protect the innocence of those not corrupted by such phoniness. Although Holden wants to protect and save the innocence of children, can he really do so if cannot protect himself and trust those around him.
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”
How Does Holden Lose Innocence
1145 Words | 5 PagesHolden’s dream of wanting to be the catcher in the rye proves that he wants to keep every child innocent and pure. He says, “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” (Salinger 224). Holden wants no adults except for him in the field because he believes that the adults are the ones who change children and break their innocence. Similar to his dream of being the catcher in the rye, his fantasy about the glass cases and the cabin camps also proves that Holden wants to protect others and himself from losing innocence by isolation.
Character Development In Holden Caulfield In The Catcher In The Rye
871 Words | 4 PagesShe makes Holden reconsider his actions and his aspirations, causing him to come to terms with his desire of being a “catcher in the rye,” keeping children from falling off of a cliff. This represents him wanting to keep
Holden's Use Of Materialism In Catcher In The Rye
1695 Words | 7 PagesThe lagoon itself is symbolic of Holden’s longing for an eternal childhood, the frozen state representing a lack of change. The ducks represent the rest of society which Holden fails to assimilate with. Another symbol of this is the Museum of Natural History which Holden enjoys visiting, for similar reasons as the lake. He enjoyed going to the museum because “Nobody’d move.” and “nobody’d be different”. Holden visits this museum twice throughout the novel.
Holden Caulfield Reliable Narrator
935 Words | 4 PagesCatcher in the Rye At the end of the novel, Holden Caulfield notes, “.. D.B. asked me what I thought about all this stuff I just finished telling you about. I didn 't know what the hell to say. If you want to know the truth, I don 't know what I think about it” (234). Three major episodes that Holden mentions throughout the novel shows a little of who he is as a narrator; the ducks at central park, the lunatic, and the fight with Stradlater.
Coming Of Age Theme In Catcher In The Rye
1571 Words | 7 PagesThe Catcher in the Rye tells the story of Holden Caulfield who is a teenager growing up in the 1950’s in New York, has been expelled from school once again for poor achievement. In order to deal with his failure, Holden decides to leave school a few days before the end of the term and escapes to New York before returning to his home for the punishment. Written entirely in first person, the book describes Holden’s experiences and thoughts over the few days he takes for himself. During these few days Holden describes a nervous breakdown he experiences with symptoms of unexplained depression, impulsive spending, and unpredictable behavior. The strongest theme in The Catcher in the Rye is the main character Holden Caulfield 's fascination
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