What Is The Significance Of Holden's Loss Of Youth

He shares a memory from after Allie’s death. Through his anger, Holden breaks the windows in his garage with his fists. His actions symbolize the stages of denial and anger in the grieving process. He tells the reader, “I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fists, just for the hell of it” (Salinger 39). Holden expresses his anger that night when he isolates himself in the garage. The anger stage of the grieving process normally comes first, and which is when it comes for Holden (Axelrod). Holden denies that he knows why he does it, saying, “It was a very stupid thing to do, I’ll admit, but I hardly didn’t even know I was doing it, and you didn’t know Allie” (Salinger 39). This action of not being able to admit that he broke the windows for the sake of Allie symbolizes that he will not believe Allie is dead yet. Holden again denies Allies death by telling Phoebe that he wants to be the catcher in the rye where he will catch little children from losing their innocence to adulthood if they begin to fall off the cliff. He does admit, “I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be. I know it’s crazy” (Salinger 13) but really he is not admitting why he wants to be that. Holden only wants to be the catcher in rye because he is in the stage of denial. In his mind, being the catcher in the rye symbolizes that Holden still wants to catch Allie from falling off

The Catcher in the Rye, Jerome D. Salinger’s one and only full novel, was written in 1951. Since then, it has sold more than 65 million copies and translated into most of the world’s major languages. This book tells the story of Holden Caulfield, a 16 year old who can’t seem to be able to stay at one school and despises the “phoniness” of adult-life. One day, he must grow up, but Salinger is there to lead him throughout the book. Salinger uses symbolism to convey a maturation theme in his work. Some of these symbols include Holden’s hat, the Museum of Natural History. and the carousel. All of these symbols contribute to the maturation of Holden and lead him to the path of accepting adulthood.

In both 1984 and The Catcher in the Rye, the authors use tone, diction, and simile to create a setting in which the government has complete control in 1984 and shabby in The Catcher in the Rye. To begin, 1984 is a novel about a dystopian society centered around a middle aged man named Winston. The story follows him as he goes through his dreary life until he meets Julia, who sparks the rebellion in him, leading to a series of events that eventually get him caught by the government. First, Orwell uses tone, diction, and simile to establish a controlling setting. Tone is clearly seen when Winston is reading off a list of tasks the government has given to him. The words are written short and to the point. Because of this, the tone is cold and

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.

J.D Salinger, in the novel The Catcher in the Rye demonstrates how Holden is affected by the tragic death of his brother Allie. Allie’s death is the root of Holden’s depression and negative choices.

Holden is in a deep depression but, does he stay depressed or go crazy? After Holden’s brother (Allie) dies he gets very depressed. Holden wasn 't even able to attend the funeral. He talks to his brother as if he 's there searching for help from him. This novel is about him moving through New York and witnessing this and not wanting to be a part of it, yet knowing he has to fit in there somewhere. Holden grows a very dangerous drinking problem. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, Holden is a lost and depressed boy looking for a purpose in life. Holden believes that growing up is going to cause him to lose all innocence in himself.

Holden must take what he has learned to make comprehensive changes in his life so he can succeed. Holden realizes he is an adult and no longer should participate in activities for children. “Go ahead, then–I’ll be on the bench ”(Salinger 211). The actualization formed here demonstrates how Holden has made an impact while trying to transition into adulthood. While some critics, such as Grace Gianni, suggest that Holden hasn’t made any progress in becoming an adult; reiterating pessimistic points of views on phonies without taking into consideration his actions (Goodreads). I disagree since Grace didn’t consider the pivotal stage of Holden eager to do better in school. While I will admit, Holden struggles to show progress because he displays

Salinger used many literary techniques in order to tell his story. The most prominent literary device is the allusion in the title. The title “The Catcher in the Rye” is an allusion to the poem, of the same name by Robert Burns and the first verse which Holden, upon hearing a little boy sing it, thinks is “if a body catch a body coming through the rye” (Salinger 117). This later on points to the theme of the novel and how Holden wants to be the Catcher in the Rye, preventing other children from falling down the cliff and facing adulthood. The second literary technique is the flashback. The Catcher in the Rye is an example of a huge flashback, told by Holden from a mental hospital, one year after the main events of the novel. In Chapter 1, Holden says: “I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy” (Salinger.1). This shows that what Holden later on tells us is a flashback to his journey from around last December and that it has all already

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. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody...that 's the only thing I’d really like to be” (224). Holden believes his purpose is to save those who are pure and innocent before they can mature. These lines reveal the unattainable goal Holden has set for himself. Unlike his peers who may strive to become teachers or doctors, Holden describes a path in which in reality he can never pursue. In fact, his whole scheme for his future is based on a misinterpretation of a popular song. He does not understand the process of growth and

Holden 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.

When Holden ventures to find his life’s purpose along with searching for a new perspective of humanity, he gains insight and becomes a figure of erudition mounting to his potential of a hero. With the objective to show that all protagonists are not merely brave and benevolent but also have astute assets, Salinger designs Holden in the role of a new kind of hero, in which he realizes the meaning of life and maturity. In detail, while Holden observes his little sister, Phoebe, riding the carousel in Central Park, he begins to understand the significance of growing up and the value of life-impacting his view of humankind: “All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she 'd fall off the goddam horse, but I didn 't say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab 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” (Salinger 211). Behind the initial judgments of his character, Holden’s makeup entails a gift for profound comprehensions. Even though Holden’s boarding school, Pency Prep, expels him due to his failure in four classes, Holden exemplifies brilliance in abstract thinking during his trip to discern a different interpretation of society. With a deeper understanding of life Holden has a better grasp on achieving victory to make the world a better place, solve problems, and spread happiness. When Holden does not “say or do anything,” it shows him discovering that nativity must be gowned out of at a particular age and maturity level. Therefore, he will not interfere with children learning to fall and then getting back up. Everyone must learn persistence and to never give up in their life. Children “trying to grab for the gold ring” symbolizes striving for maturity and development. Attaining this philosophy, Holden opens his mind to the wonders of growing up aiding him to be a role model

Salinger uses satire as the tone of this novel most popularly seen in Holden. Holden's witty remarks and smart alec nature is effective tool in what makes this novel work. This book appealed to me on logical way. After seeing what Holden had experienced this makes the outcast world seem more understandable and why certain individuals act and feel the way they do.

Jennifer Schuessler writes it as the character of Holden is supposed to be relatable, but “we don’t really speak this way or talk about these things,” (Schuessler, 6). Schuessler is right in this, since teens really are no longer going to bars, and I know that 66 years is a huge time gap. But the topics that Salinger hit are hard to convey into modern day society without getting a book that seems over dramatic and is seen as a stereotypical teen romance novel. If you look over the decades old phrases, you are able to get to the deeper meaning of coming of age in a society that leaves you feeling lonely and wants you to conform to a certain

From the outset, I have to say that “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger has been one of the most important and influential pieces of literature I have ever read. At its core, the book is a superb coming of age novel which discusses several extremely powerful themes such as the difficulties of growing up, teenage angst and alienation and the superficiality, hypocrisy and pretension of the adult world. These themes resonated deeply with me and were portrayed excellently through the use of powerful symbolism and the creation of highly relatable and likable characters. One such character is Holden Caulfield whom the story both revolves around and is narrated by.

An important part of a person’s life is when they finally learn how to be more mature and have basically come of age. When a character achieves this quest in a story it is called the Bildungsroman. In this genre of literature, the story displays and demonstrates how the character grows up and becomes an adult. They learn how to be mature in important situations and most importantly they are able to leave behind their ties to their childhood. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is very immature throughout most of the story. He refuses to give up his childhood and he is anxious to see what the future hold for him. Towards the end of the book, the reader is able to catch glimpses of Holden’s new found maturity. He is starting to understand that growing up is a big responsibility and is finally ready to take on that challenge. Although he has not completely matured, one distinct moment at the end of the book lets the reader know he will reach complete maturity in the near future. In J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye, the author