Category: Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher In The Rye by J. D. Salinger is a classic novel about a young man named Holden Caulfield and his journey into the adult world. Holden has been to many schools and kicked out many times. Holden tells the story of his expulsion and the adventures following it. He runs into a variety of characters on his journey Holden narrates his own story in vivid detail, along with an interesting choice in vocabulary. This novel has remained relevant because of the relatability of the storyline. Analyzing the plot and style of Salinger shows the theme that growing up can be intimidating but everyone has to do it. Salinger uses the use of the first-person point of view along with dependent clauses to give the book a more conversational feeling. The Catcher in the Rye is a book about growing up, facing the real world, and the obstacles that come along with it.

The book The Catcher In The Rye By J. D. Salinger begins with Holden Caulfield, the main character and narrator, introducing himself and telling his story about the past Christmas. Caulfield had just been kicked out of Pencey Prep School for failing four classes and this was not the first school Caulfield had been booted from. Holden was sixteen years old at the time but was known for acting like a twelve-year-old; he condemned the idea of growing up. Caulfield uses words like “phony’ as a defense mechanism and often. Holden liked his brother’s books and books that are funny once in a while; ones that make you feel you could be best friends with the author. Holden headed to New York for an early Christmas break without his parents knowing. While in New York Caulfield experiences some odd things and struggles with the idea of growing up. Even while talking about New York Holden couldn’t stop talking about Jane. He asked everyone he came across where the ducks went when the pond froze over but no one seemed to have the answer. He had a run-in with a prostitute but opts out of going through with his “purchase” and just has a talk.

Caulfield’s journey involved him asking a lot of questions, especially about sex. He is pretty clueless about that kind of stuff. Holden sneaks into his family’s apartment, not wanting to face his parents. His parents are at a party, but he sees His sister Phoebe. It upsets her when she finds out he has been kicked out; he tells her he wants to be “the catcher in the rye” because of a song he thought said “if a body catches a body coming through the rye,” but she corrects him and tells him it’s a poem. All Holden wants to do is to be the catcher in the rye. Holden visits Mr. Anatoli, who gives him some advice. Not only did Mr. Anatoli hand him a quote “The mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one” (Salinger 244). He also gives him a speech about how educated men can change the world, trying to get Holden to reconsider his stance on school (Salinger 246). Holden just finds this annoying. He leaves after a weird encounter with Mr. Anatoly petting his head. He gets anxious and decides to write a note to leave for his sister at school about running away. Phoebe meets him and wants to tag along but he refuses. She did not want to go back to school, so he took her to the zoo. The book ends with Holden telling us he will not tell us how he got home or how he got sick but all he knows is that he misses the people he told us about.

The point of view of The Catcher In The Rye is the first person. The point of view stays the same throughout the book. Holden tells the reader straight forward that he is a liar.” I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. If I’m on the way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I’m going, I’m liable to say I’m going to the opera”(Salinger 16). The narrator is a liar could make him unreliable. It is not known if everything he tells the reader is truthful or not. The point of view is significant because Holden is telling his story and how he interprets it. It shows how he feels about every situation and his thought processes.

The tone of this story is disheartening yet humorous at the same time. Words like “depressing” and the introduction of his sickness make it more serious. Holden also uses words like “phony” and “kidding” all while having a very funny personality which makes this a more humorous book for the most part. Holden really likes kidding with people, but only certain people can be kids with. Caulfield’s immature personality also influenced the humorous tone.” I have a lousy vocabulary and partly because I act quite young for my age sometimes” (Salinger 22). Despite the effort to use humor as a coping mechanism, the reader can still see that Holden is not ready for growing up and everything that comes with it and that sometimes adulthood can be “depressing.”

This novel’s syntax is quite simple and is written like a teen or a child. The repetition of the word “and “ in Holden’s sentences shows him immaturity. “Lawyers are all right, I guess… all you do is make a lot of dough and play golf and play bridge and buy cars and drink martinis and look like a hot-shot.” (Salinger 46). The author uses a lot of simple sentences because it is supposed to be from Holden’s view, like a conversation. Salinger also uses declarative sentences in this novel quite a bit, because he is telling us what happened. Caulfield leaves his sentences hanging often with words like “anything” or “and all.” In Holden’s conversation with Mr. Antolini, Salinger uses a lot of dependent clauses to give the conversation a casual tone.

Diction is a very important part of this novel. In The Catcher In The Rye, the diction is often very pessimistic. Holden uses a lot of swear words in his dialogue; this gives a very childlike and immature tone to him. The word “Phony” is Holden’s way of addressing adult things or things he does not like. Salinger uses slang to get the full effect of Holden Caulfield’s personality. Words such as “flits” are used to describe homosexuals and “dough” instead of “money.” Holden’s use of words also reflects the time period and where he’s from. For example “buzz” is used instead of saying he is going to call someone. In addition, “swanky” is used to describe something very high-class.

Salinger used figurative language in his novel to not only describe the events better but to help readers visual them as well. Salinger uses a simile in the sentence ‘Mr. Antolini lit another cigarette. He smoked like a fiend” (Salinger 186). The book itself is one large flashback of what happened last Christmas. He also uses irony quite often like Holden’s contempt for religion but then states that he admires Jesus (Salinger 131). When talking about Allie’s grave, Holden says “It’s not too bad when the sun’s out, but the sun only comes out when it feels like coming out,”(Salinger 156). This is personification because he is giving the sun some human-like feelings. Another example of a simile is “Living with him was like living in a museum“, meaning it was very vast and open.

The theme of this novel is growing up can be intimidating but everyone has to do it. Throughout this book Holden’s number one enemy is adulthood. Caulfield resents anything even remotely grown-up or mature. He is a virgin and can not even open himself up to have sex with a prostitute. Caulfield keeps somewhat of innocence throughout the book. Holden loves kids because he thinks they are genuine and kind but he thinks adults are phonies and resents them. He is not very open to the idea of growing up at all. Soon later he realizes that he cannot control it, everyone has to grow up one day. He must learn that growing up can be a good thing.

The Catcher In The Rye is the story of a boy named Holden Caulfield’s journey into adulthood. The theme of “growing up can be intimidating but everyone has to do it” is developed throughout the novel through Holden rejecting the idea of growing up. The storyline appeals to a wide range of readers, and because of this the novel has stayed relevant and stood the test of time. Salinger’s style was a large part of what made this novel what it is. The Catcher in the Rye is a book about growing up, facing the real world, and the obstacles that come along with it.

Being a teenager is challenging on many levels, from fitting in, to passing school, to fighting with your parents, these years are a struggle but they have a large impact on who you grow up to be. As a teen these hardships can cause many emotions, and without an outlet to share and express their feelings, they often end up taking a toll on a teens mental health. This dangerous accumulation of troubles leads to emotional instability. In the stories, ​the Catcher in the Rye, ​and, ​the Perks of Being a Wallflower​, the main characters, Holden and Charlie, both experience the struggles of belonging which multiply when they are left with no way to share and understand these feelings.

In the stories, Holden and Charlie both share a similar desire to save people from pain. As they become adults, they see the true amounts of pain in the world and they are overwhelmed byit. This causes them to put others before themselves and self-sacrifice which leads to ignoring their own problems. One example of this would be when Charlie fights Brad’s friends to save Patrick, because Charlie wants to end Patrick’s pain. Even though he wasn’t on good terms with Patrick at that time, he still saved him because he knew Patrick didn’t deserve it “I just couldn’t watch them hurt Patrick even if things weren’t clear just yet” (Chybosky). However, in doing so he is hurting himself because he gets in trouble with the school when it was not his responsibility to get involved in the first place. Another example would be when Holden speaks of being the catcher in the rye, as he wants to save children from losing innocence ‘Anyway, 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 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. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be” (Salinger). Similar to Charlie’s experience, Holden finds trouble in burdening himself with this job. Because all his focus goes to saving children’s innocence, he loses his potential to put his energy into a different cause that could better benefit his future. Some might say that attempting to save children’s innocence is a hopeless cause because of society’s standards today. Meaning that Holden is self sacrificing for something impossible and therefor unattainable. Holden and Charlie’s desire to help people who did not ask for it stops them from helping themselves.

When Holden and Charlie make mistakes, they tend to become extremely regretful and put all of the blame on themselves. These burdens weighs heavy on a young mind and left unprocessed can escalate. The reader sees this escalation in Charlie when he starts spiraling into depression when he is in conflict with his friends. This conflict occurs after he and his girlfriend break up, and their friends were on her side. This event left him devastated and isolated “I don’t know how much longer I can keep going without a friend. I used to be able to do it very easily, but that was before I knew what having a friend was like” (Chybosky). A sense of being alone and losing valuable relationships hurts his sense of self confidence, and blocks him from progressing further because he is stuck in the past. A similar escalation is seen with Holden as he continuously thinks about things he wishes he did differently in the past, causing regret and despair. An example of this is when he stands in the mirror and thinks about hurting Maurice after their argument is over “He’d see me with the automatic in my hand, and he’d start screaming at me, in this very high-pitched, yellow belly voice, to leave him alone. But I’d plug him anyway” (Salinger 104). Holden is unable to let go of the past and move forward which is detrimental to his personal growth and functioning. Problems with friends and other similar issues are a heavy burden to bear, especially when dealing with them alone. These issues prevent further growth and self improvement because it leaves those struggling in the past rather than progressing to the future.

Holden and Charlie both struggle at being alone without support to deal with their problems, as well as saving others rather than helping themselves. As they see the real amount of pain in the world, it overwhelms them, and it causes them to act irrational and emotional sometimes. They feel as if they need to save everyone from feeling the same type of pain and suffering as he has felt. Holden and Charlie both show common problems shared amongst teens, and the authors wrote these books to give teens a relatable protagonist to empathize with.

Psychoanalysis, found by Sigmund Freud, incorporates a number of different ideas related to the mind, personality, and treatment. Freud believes that human behaviour is the result of childhood experiences and the interactions between the three parts of the mind: the id, ego, and superego. Freud’s research altogether proves psychoanalysis to be defined as the belief that all people possess unconscious thoughts, feelings, desires, and memories. In the psychoanalytic lens, “… verbal and physical actions, as well as dreams and desires, are all significant in order to understand what is happening in a character’s mind” (Hayward). This lens essentially uses Freud’s theories of psychoanalysis to explore different characters in literary texts. Looking through the lens, the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, the protagonist Holden Caulfield suffers significantly from the trauma of his little brother, Allie’s, death. As a result, he constantly demonstrates his unrealistic goal in life by protecting Jane Gallagher’s innocence in expressing that Stradlater is not a reliable person, preserving Phoebe’s innocence so she will not have to experience the cruelty of the adult world, and unveiling his desire to be a catcher in the rye in the sense that children will not encounter anything beyond what Holden wants them to experience. Holden’s aspiration to be the protector of innocence indicates his need for a sense of control as shown through his view of Jane Gallagher, Phoebe, and himself.

To begin, Holden expresses his desire to protect his childhood friend, Jane Gallagher’s innocence, as seen through his thoughts, words, and actions. “I kept thinking about Jane, and about Stradlater having a date with her and all. It made me so nervous I nearly went crazy.” (Salinger, 39) Holden constantly thinks about Jane’s date with Stradlater and expresses his worry towards it since Holden knows Stradlater is not a innocent person. Holden states “I’d double-dated with [Stradlater] a couple of times, and I know what I’m talking about. He was unscrupulous.” (Salinger, 45) Holden also continuously asks Stradlater what he did with Jane in Ed Banky’s car, to which Holden assumes himself, “Give her the time in Ed Banky’s goddam car?” (Salinger, 49) This shows Holden’s uneasiness for Jane in that she is losing her innocence with a “phony” like Stradlater, which then leads to Holden’s desire to protect Jane’s innocence. In addition, “[Holden] tried to sock [Stradlater], with all my might, right smack in the toothbrush, so it would split his goddam throat open. Only I missed.” (Salinger, 49) Holden tries to hit Stradlater because he assumed Stradlater had already taken away Jane’s innocence. For example, “Did you? That’s a professional secret, buddy.” (Salinger, 49) The fact that Stradlater did not clearly answer Holden’s question made Holden think that Stradlater must have done something inappropriate with Jane in the car. This then caused Holden to strike Stradlater since Holden wants to defend Jane’s innocence. Moreover, Holden describes Jane by saying “She was a funny girl, old Jane. I wouldn’t describe her as strictly beautiful. She knocked me out though.” (Salinger, 86) Holden wants to protect Jane’s innocence simply because he liked her starting from when they first met at the swimming pool, and felt that his duty was to guard her from thereon. Holden persistently talks about how much he knows about Jane, trying to show that he is her protector in some way. For instance, Holden informs Stradlater that “[Jane’s] a dancer … Ballet and all. She used to practice about two hours every day, right in the middle of the hottest weather and all.” (Salinger, 36) Holden literally tries to make his comments sound like he is Jane’s protector. Altogether, Holden’s hope to guard Jane’s innocence shows his need for control over her life.

Furthermore, Holden tries to preserve his little sister, Phoebe’s innocence, so she will not have to experience the cruelty of the adult world. Holden first acts as a protector when he expresses his anger towards the curse words written on the school wall. Holden says “Somebody’d written ‘Fuck you’ on the school wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it … I kept wanting to kill whoever’d written it.” (Salinger, 221) It is clear that Holden wants to shelter Phoebe and children in general from seeing inappropriate words like that so they will not grow up using them. In other words, Holden’s obsession with the foul language shows his disgust for anything that may destroy the innocence of children (Chen). Additionally, Holden gives Phoebe his red hunting hat as a symbol of protection and safety. “Then I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it to her.” (Salinger, 198) Holden is literally trying to protect Phoebe as a red hunting hat can be pulled over her ears in order to block out the harshness of reality, the phonies, and the abuse people have for each other. Lastly, the record Holden buys for Phoebe, titled Little Shirley Beans, symbolizes the reoccurring theme of innocence. Holden mentions, “There was this record I wanted to get for Phoebe, called ‘Little Shirley Beans’ … It was about a little kid that wouldn’t go out of the house because two of her front teeth were out and she was ashamed to. (Salinger, 127-128) The fact that the CD plays the same song on repeat illustrates Holden wish to keep Phoebe’s innocence. In other ways, when the CD shatters into pieces, it symbolizes broken innocence. However, when Holden keeps the broken pieces and gives it to Phoebe, it demonstrates his desire to protect her innocence.

Finally, Holden unveils his desire to be the catcher in the rye, a metaphor for protecting the innocence in others. It is a “… desire that illustrates [Holden’s] own repressed need for a protector in his youth” (roguescholar21). This idea first appears when Holden hears a little boy singing the wrong lyrics to the song Comin’ Thro’ the Rye, by Robert Burns. Holden states, “He was singing that song, ‘If a body catch a body coming through the rye.’” (Salinger, 128) In connection to the misheard lyrics, Holden aspires to be the person who catches everyone if they are about to fall off the cliff. He mentions, “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.” (Salinger, 191) Holden wants children to stay as children so they will not have to enter the corrupted world of adulthood and struggle like him. Similarly, being the catcher in the rye is not only symbolic of his desire to save children but also himself. Even after Allie has been dead for about three years, Holden still has not found any sort of closure shown by his conversation with Phoebe, “I know he’s dead! … Just because somebody’s dead, you don’t just stop liking them, for God’s sake—especially if they were about a thousand times nicer than the people you know that’re alive and all.” (Salinger, 189) Holden’s obsession to protect children’s innocence is his way of trying to find control again because of the trauma from Allie’s death. Therefore, Holden tries to regain control of his emotions and life through protecting others as well as himself.

Ultimately, Holden’s need for a sense of control was indicated through his ambition to be the protector of innocence. From attempting to protect his memories of Jane Gallagher, preserving Phoebe’s innocence, and expressing his longing goal of being the catcher in the rye, “Holden Caulfield is often both conflicted and confused throughout the story…” (roguescholar21) In the end, neglected trauma causes individuals to have a change of perspective in life so they can find a sense of control and comfort for themselves.

Since 1951, The Catcher In the Rye, is written through J.D. Salinger has been off and at the chopping block. Although the radical has been the purpose of grievance, it has additionally been the problem of different sorts of characters. The novel suggests the life of sixteen three hundred and sixty five days vintage, Holden Caufield. Currently in psychiatric care, Holden remembers what befell to him closing Christmas. At the beginning of Catcher within the Rye, Holden is a student at Penzeys excessive School. Having doing terrible in faculty, Holden leaves university and spends seventy two-hours in New York City. There, Holden encounters new ideas, human beings, and testimonies. Holden’s struggles mentally because of the fact that the device that uncovers the approaching-of-age novel’s underlying challenge topics of teenager angst, depression, and the disingenuous nature of society. The novel tackles issues of blatant profanity, teenage sex, and terrible behavior. Such troubles have supplemented the controversial nature of the ebook and in turn, have sparked the question of whether or not or not or not this ebook need to be banned. The novel, The Catcher In the Rye, desires to no longer be banned from schools

Banning a book at the concept of profanity is actually now not a very good concept due to the fact the purpose of folks that need to stop ideals that don’t meet what they suppose. By a singular from a excessive college at the way to assist college students from profanity, is an try and do the not feasible. Profanity is determined everywhere. According to TV Guide, ‘Profanity is uttered as soon as every six mins on American primetime tv,’ (TV). Students can not get away the use of profanity. Students pay interest profanities on tv, on radio, look at them in magazines, and a majority use profanities themselves in informal communique. Students moreover pay interest profanities in limitless films.

‘Holden Caufield, the main individual, swears step by step for the duration of the e-book. His curses are of the tamest kind, although, ‘rattling’, ‘hell’, ‘crap’, ‘ass’, and he curses so self-consciously and so constantly that the phrases lose maximum of their vulgarity. Most of the cursing inside the ebook might now not moreover be rated PG-thirteen if it were in a movie,’ (Chandler).

The profanity used in some unspecified time in the future of the novel is at identical diploma of the profanity often heard in a PG-13 rated movie. A PG-13 movie is supposed for audiences a long term 13 and older. In a median high college, the student frame is over the age of thirteen. Therefore, since the profanity in The Catcher In the Rye is on the amount suitable for teens thirteen and older, the use of profanity as the concept of censorship and scrutiny isn’t relevant. Profanity isn’t always a legitimate grounds to limit nor censor literature.

Banning books which encompass, The Catcher In the Rye breaks the freedoms that America have become based upon. The Bill of Rights is one of the founding requirements upon which America modified into installed. The First Amendment states, ‘Congress shall make no law respecting a popularity quo of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there of or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.’ (U.S. Constitution). Banning books surely contradicts the First Amendment. To ban an e-book is to restrict the exercising of free speech as an give up end result, denying humans their right to put into effect their First Amendment rights. Banning books is unconstitutional. Not pleasant do First Amendment rights observe to adults however they observe to all United States residents, which incorporates young adults. According to The Library Bill of Rights, ‘Freedom of expression is an inalienable proper and the muse for self-government. Freedom of expression encompasses the liberty of speech and the corollary proper to get hold of statistics. These rights increase to minors similarly to adults . . . Rights of clients who’re minors shall in no way be abridged,’ (Fricke). Freedom of expression isn’t always restricted to adults, minors too, have the proper to freely express themselves and get keep of facts. Therefore, minors have the proper to study any substances wherein they choice. By banning The Catcher In the Rye, and novels of the like, the rights of U.S. Citizens are restricted.

The novel, The Catcher In the Rye must now not be banned. Banning this novel contradicts a person’s rights as a United States citizen. It limits freedom of speech and in to distinctive styles of expression. Although controversial, profanity isn’t always a motive to restrict an man or woman’s rights. America is based on ideas that are not fueled via manner of exceptions. Profanity is not an exception to freedom of speech. The Catcher inside the Rye should no longer be excluded from colleges.

In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses Holden Caufield’s view and outlook on women in order to express the idea of holding such high expectations for women prevents people from being able to form true and meaningful relationships. Throughout the novel, Holden judges all the women he comes across based on their looks and/or “phoniness”. He believes that he knows what each of the girls he meets is like and decides to continue interaction with them based on that matter. Even more frequently, Holden is constantly bringing up the topic of Jane Gallagher. Holden and Jane were very close friends and Holden is constantly in an internal conflict within himself about whether he should call her or not, as recently they lacked in contact.

Holden not liking so many people, makes Jane Gallagher a rare specimen. Holden always has “… old Jane Gallagher on the brain again. [He] got her on, and [he] couldn’t get her off” (Salinger 76). Holden only has good and sweet things to say about Jane, and it is evident how much he cares for her, and yet, he refuses to call her and reconnect. Holden uses the excuse that “[He] wasn’t in the mood. [And] if you’re not in the mood, you can’t do that stuff right” (Salinger 63). Holden is making excuses for himself and trying to trick himself away from the real reason he wont call Jane.

Each woman Holden comes across leaves a different impression on him, and even those whom he admires or the girls he “… had quite a few opportunities [with, he] never got around to it” (Salinger 92). Holden provides the reader with examples of times he could have lost his virginity but how it never worked out. He attempts to prove to the reader that he is “suave” and an experienced man, when in reality he continues to focus on only one girl and doesn’t have the guts to talk to her. Holden restricts himself from becoming close with any other girl and expects them all to have the highest quality personality and good looks. He never fully goes all the way with any girl as things keep interrupting him or making him not go through with it. When a girl “… keeps telling [him] to stop… [he] stop[s]. Most guys don’t. [He] can’t help it” (Salinger 92). Holden explains how afterwards he always concludes to regret and gets angry with himself in hopes to finally do something with a girl, but no matter what he ends up cutting it off.

Salinger provides Holden with many obstacles regarding women and develops a consistent theme in his actions, and what road he ends up going towards. Holden prohibits himself from actually doing anything with women, and actually doesn’t want to do all the things he claims to. Such as when he turns away the prostitute that he would gain experience from. Continuing to make excuses for himself, it is evident that really only has his mind set on one person, Jane. Though, he still does not call her, yet if he were to call or her, or move on from her, he may allow himself to grow close with someone else. But Holden is constantly comparing those he meets to Jane and not allowing himself to like anyone. With Jane being written as such a lively and caring person that Holden cares about, it is a possibility that Holden stops himself from calling Jane due to fear that she isn’t as perfect as he perceives, or that she doesn’t like him as much as he likes her.

Holden is holding high expectations for Jane and comparing everyone else to her making it near impossible to be able to make meaningful connections with anyone else or Jane. Thinking of Jane makes Holden happy and Salinger demonstrates how not calling her, or even knowing what Stradlater did with her, makes him very depressed and angry. Writing Holden to care so highly for Jane as he does makes it difficult for Holden to grow and connect with those who have potential with him.

The main character of the book is Holden Caulfield, he is also the narrator of the book but he is not very specific about where he is telling this story. The book’s title is of great importance. It is the title that summarizes the book in a few words and in this case, it is The Catcher in the rye. The beginning of the book is pretty good. You quickly get a picture of what is happening and the surroundings and the whole aura. The book takes place at both his school and in New York City. The Pencey prep school is Holden’s fourth school and he is at the time failing four out of five classes and he has received a notice of that he is being expelled from the school but he has no plans of returning home to New York. It is very clear from the beginning that life isn’t going as it is supposed to do for Holden Caulfield.

The main character of the book is Holden Caulfield a 17 year old boy from New York City telling his story. At the begging of Holden’s story, he is 16 years old. Holden tells his story from a mental hospital, Holden is out of shape because of the large number of cigarettes he smokes. His general health is very poor and he is alternately depressed, confused, angry, anxious, perceptive, bigoted, resentful, thoughtful, kind, and horny. To put it simply, Holden is really struggling. I like the main character Holden but sometimes it is hard to read about him struggling and in a way torturing himself. Throughout the story, Holden both struggles and accomplishes to interact with different characters. Some Characters are Stradlater(his roommate), Ackley(dorm neighbor), Mr.Antaloni (Holdens favorite teacher), Mr. Spencer (teacher who tries to give Holden advice), Sally (on and of date), Jane (Holdens crush who is dating Stradlater), Phoebe (Holdens sister and Soul mate), D.B. (Holdens older brother living in Hollywood, Allie (Holdens younger brother who died when he was 11), Maurice (pimp working at the Edmonton hotel), Sunny (prostitute which Holden hires)

The Catcher in the Rye, a novel by J. D. Salinger, is about the life of a seventeen- year-old boy called Holden Caulfield. His story begins at Pencey Prep, a school he’s been kicked out of for flunking almost all of his subjects. After having a fight with his roommate, Stradler, he leaves Pencey Prep a few days early and decides not to go straight home. Along his way, he meets former teachers, old friends, his younger sister, and many others. The book has both internal and external conflicts where the external conflicts lead to Holden’s internal conflict which is his poor mental health.

I for one like the consummation as a result of its pertinence to the remainder of the story and the title. The completion begins this way. Monday morning, Holden orchestrates to meet Phoebe for lunch. He intends to bid farewell and head west where he plans to live as a hard of hearing quiet. She demands to leave with him, and he at last consents to remain. Holden’s story closes with Phoebe riding a merry go round in the downpour as Holden watches. In the last section, Holden is at the asylum in California. He wouldn’t like to reveal to us anymore. Actually, the entire story has just made him miss individuals, even the rascals. The tale extends the account of a kid who is caught between the two periods of his life youthfulness and adulthood. Holden Caulfield doesn’t put stock in his folks or instructors, which implies he felt that grown-ups are not dependable individuals. They can make issues from numerous points of view however never fathom them. Be that as it may, he depended on his younger sibling at whatever point he was in trouble. I would completely prescribe this book to another person my age.

Lost Youth: Escaping the Conformity of Adulthood

Many movies, novels and stories featured in the media revolve around the idea of a hero, and the perfect person who comes in and saves the world. More recently, the idea of the antihero has become increasingly popular. The reader will often find themselves being able to relate to the antihero more, because their flaws are often more prominent than their positive traits. Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield are both antiheroes. Holden Caulfield is the main character in the novel Catcher in the Rye written by J.D Salinger, and Jay Gatsby is the main character in the novel The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Holden Caulfield and Jay Gatsby both lack heroic qualities of the usual heroes portrayed in literature. Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield both tend to exhibit very similar traits such as straying away from social normalities, inner conflict, which causes them to jeopardize relationships, and they are both well-meaning, but often misguided.

Holden Caulfield: A Rebellious Soul Amidst a World of Phoniness

Both Gatsby and Holden tend to stray away from social normalities in society. This is a characteristic of anti heroism, as anti heroes tend to struggle fitting in to what are considered the norms of a society. Self identity is a large factor in what drives Holden and Gatsby to fall from societal expectations. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s only friend Nick, describes Gatsby saying “The truth was that Jay Gatsby, …sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that…. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end.”(F. Scott Fitzgerald 98) Nick uses the comparison between Jesus Christ and Gatsby to represent how Gatsby has created an identity for himself, and attempts to be the “ideal persona” he has in mind. This causes Gatsby to struggle with who he is and his purpose. No matter the challenges Gatsby has faced in society, and the alienation he may face, Gatsby continues to maintain himself and not conform to the society around him. Similar to Gatsby, Holden also struggles with his own personal identity. Holden is stuck in an endless battle between adulthood and childhood and is not aware of where he stands. When speaking to his sister, Phoebe, he says “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 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.” (Salinger 191) This is Holden’s idea to preserve innocence. He wants to preserve his own innocence, and those around him. His obvious obsession with wanting to avoid growing up, causes his self identity crisis as it is inevitable that we will all grow up.

Jay Gatsby: An Idealistic Dreamer Trapped in a Flawed Reality

When experiencing a struggle with who you are, you are often faced with no choice but to shelter yourself from society, which is ultimately a characteristic of anti heroism. Holden and Gatsby both long for their own personal isolation, they desire to stand out from society. One of the big symbols represented in Catcher in the Rye is Holden’s red hunting hat. It represents his alienation and the isolation of himself, and how he longs to be different from those around him. When Holden first wears his hat, his roommate, Ackley calls Holden out on how strange he appears in the hat. “Ackley took another look at my hat…Up home we wear a hat like that to shoot deer in, for Chrissake,’ he said. ‘That’s a deer shooting hat.’ ‘Like hell it is.’ I took it off and looked at it. I sort of closed one eye, like I was taking aim at it. ‘This is a people shooting hat,’ I said. ‘I shoot people in this hat.'(Salinger 26) Ackley observes it is somewhat strange Holden is wearing this hat, although this seems to make Holden want to wear it more, as it is a prominent way for him to stand out or isolate himself. Gatsby too experiences this feeling of personal isolation, although it presents itself differently than Holden’s. Gatsby is constantly surrounded by people, as his own personal choice he throws extravagant parties, and develops a gathering of people wishing to meet him, or to attend these parties. We are able to observe, that the people surrounded by Gatsby are not people who are close with Gatsby, and he seems as though he has no desire to form a bond with anyone. Nick himself is able to observe this, Nick explains the “…sudden emptiness that seemed to flow from the windows and the grand doors, endowing with complete isolation the figure of the host…” (Scott. F. Fitzgerald 55). This is Nick describing how many people are around but they seem to appreciate the idea of Gatsby more than him as a person. Understandably, even when surrounded by many people, the feeling of loneliness is persistent in Gatsby’s mind. It is evident both Gatsby and Holden do not choose to conform to society, which shows a present flaw they both share, which is a characteristic of an anti-hero.

Holden Caulfield and Jay Gatsby both often find themselves jeopardizing the relationships around them due to their own inner conflict. They face personal battles which result in poor communication, and lack of maintaining healthy relationships.

Detachment from Society: Seeking Personal Truth Amidst Disillusionment

Gatsby and Holden both compare every relationship they experience to a past one. For example, Holden is obsessed with the idea of his brother, Allie, who is no longer alive. Allie’s death causes Holden a great deal of trauma, which is why he values him as an ideal person. He struggles to cope with Allie’s death and he continues to search for someone like Allie and will not accept anyone to be as great as him. This idea he has made in his head clearly causes him to jeopardize many future relationships, as no one, in his mind, can be as great as Allie was. For example, Holden is able to point out everyone’s flaws, such as when he is describing one of his past love interests Sally, he says “She had one of those very loud, embarrassing voices..”(Salinger 138) or when Holden refers to her as “Sally the queen of phonies” (Salinger 130) Holden has some desire to see Sally, but he can’t help but pick out all of the things about her that bother him, which gives him an excuse to not have a strong relationship with her, and he cannot help but to find fault in everyone, except Allie, who Holden believed was perfect. Similar to Holden, Gatsby is in love with his old flame, Daisy, and will not accept time or change to get between this, instead he compares everyone to her and does not want to be with anyone else if it is not her. For example, Nick mentions “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (F. Scott Fitzgerald 78) or when Daisy and Gatsby are reunited once again she mentions “We haven’t met for many years,’ and Gatsby replies, ‘Five years next November.’ ( Scott. F Fitzgerald 70) This shows the reader that Gatsby does not have a desire to be with anyone except for Daisy, similar to Holden, although Gatsby is pursuing a love interest. This type of obsession stems from their own inner conflict, as both Gatsby and Holden are not able to deal with the loss of people around them. Holden stays attached to the idea of Allie, and Gatsby stays attached to the idea of Daisy even though this puts strain on the relationships around them. The idea of failure is a factor of inner conflict, and leads to struggling relationships. Both Holden and Gatsby experience this idea of setting themselves up for personal failure and often, this leads them to stride for themselves to fail, especially when attempting to form a healthy relationship with the people around them. For Gatsby, he has an overbearing love for Daisy and we are able to see how he has been waiting for her and longing for her. On the other end, Daisy doesn’t exactly feel this way and instead, her feelings are clouded. In this sense, Gatsby sets himself up for failure but he doesn’t seem to mind this, he does not truly observe the situation brought to him when him and Daisy meet again. Gatsby, in this way only considers how he feels and assumes Daisy to feel the same which leads to this downfall of their relationship. Holden too, experiences setting himself up to fail. Holden is faced with his roommate Stratlader, someone he does not really have a desire to be around. Holden wrote Straltlader’s paper for him, but Stratlader seems to be angry that he wrote the assignment on Allie’s glove. Holden and Stratlader continue to have an argument, and Holden picks a fight with Stratlader. Although Holden knows Stratlader is much more powerful than him, he continues to start this physical altercation resulting in him, obviously taking the hit harder and getting knocked out. This is a time where Holden has set himself up for failure. If one is to have these kinds of attitudes about themselves, how is it possible to be able to form positive and healthy relationships? It is evident to struggle, which essentially both Gatsby and Holden do. This struggle with relationships is a step into something they have trouble coping with, unlike a hero, an antihero will face these sorts of personal faults in their story.

Often Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield have the right intentions and wish to do good in the world for themselves and others, but they just do not have the right approach to aiding a situation, and instead are often misguided.

Idealized Pasts: Seeking Redemption in Lost Innocence

Holden and Gatsby are both spontaneous and impulsive which leads them to make quick thinking decisions that sometimes this results in a negative consequence, even if their intentions are in the right place. For example, Gatsby, in love with Daisy, desires for her to be happy. When he discovers she is not happy with her husband, Tom, he interferes in their marriage and practically forces Daisy to tell Tom how she truly feels. Gatsby then tells Tom, “She never loved you, do you hear? She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved anyone except me’ (Scott. F Fitzgerald 130). In this quote, we are able to see how Gatsby does not truly consider the outcome of the situation, and makes a harsh decision which ultimately caused tension between all three of them. Holden, also shares this spontaneity that Gatsby possesses. Holden is a very impulsive character and has made several choices without thinking before acting. Holden becomes annoyed with Sally and says to her “You give me a royal pain in the ass” (Salinger 140) This immediately upsets her and Holden regrets saying it afterwards. Holden also makes the rash decision to leave Pencey Prep, without considering the consequences that may fall behind this. These examples convey how Holden and Gatsby are both impulsive, which leads them to often make rash decisions and judgments, even if the intention behind it was for good. One of the biggest contributes to the misguidance is the fatal flaw. Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield both have a fatal flaw that intercepts into their lives. Gatsby’s greatest flaw is that he is delusional. He is caught up in a series of dreams and desires to be with Daisy. In the novel, even after Daisy ends her relationship with Gatsby he still holds the hope that she will come back like he has always dreamed of. This flaw gets in the way of his way of living. Gatsby focuses everything on Daisy. Where he lives, who he connects with, and the reason for Gatsby to throw parties is all a way of him longing for Daisy’s attention. One can observe that he wants to do good, Gatsby just wants to make himself, and Daisy happy and wants them to live happily together. However, his fatal flaw approaches his love for Daisy in a negative aspect ultimately causing the downfall of their relationship. Holden’s fatal flaw, similarly brings him down as well. Holden’s fatal flaw is his desire to preserve innocence. Holden mentions himself as wanting to be the “Catcher in the Rye”. We see his intentions are good as he wants to preserve the innocence of children, to essentially save them from any trauma or difficulties they may face in adult life. His flaw though ultimately interferes with his intentions because it is impossible to save anyone from growing up and it is something one must face throughout the course of their lives. Their good intentions, show that they do want to strive for good although faced with problems along the way. This is an aspect of what it means to be an antihero, as they often reflect both positive and negative traits.

Often readers may feel more connected to a character who is an antihero. This is because, as people we all face personal flaws and bumps throughout our path of life. When one reads about characters who go through some of the same battles it is easier for the reader to immerse themselves into the story. To conclude, it is evident that Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield are both antiheroes. The theme of social conformity, inner conflict jeopardizing relationships, and their good intentions with bad outcomes, all play a large role in showing how the characters are ultimately both antiheroes. One can be able to observe how they aren’t perfectly constructed characters, and how they showcase flaws like an antihero does.

Works cited

1. Salinger J.D Catcher in the rye Little Brown Company March 2014
2. Fitzgerald F. Scott The Great Gatsby SCRIBNER April 2018

The problem with surviving is feeling a responsibility to live a life in a way that is “worthy” for those who passed away in their presence. The novel The Catcher in the Rye demonstrates shows a teenager trying to be true to himself while facing the issues of growing up, his self-destructiveness, and most importantly, accepting the death of his younger brother Allie. Phoebe, Holden Caulfield’s little sister, who serves not only as a guide for the readers when Holden fails to give accurate information but being the only supporter during his older brother’s toughest times. Through Holden’s interaction and perception of people passing away, Salinger develops the theme that being obsessed with death and mortality makes one cherish life more.

The motif of acknowledging death illustrates Holden’s coping abilities and the dissociation of those who lost their lives. During the conversation with Mr. Spencer, Holden was shown his failed exam paper about how Egyptians mummified the dead so their ‘face would not rot for innumerable centuries’ (14). Salinger then unmistakably mentioned mummies again behind the doors of the Museum of Natural History, where Holden guided two kids through the mummy tombs and informed how they use a ‘secret chemical’ so their faces wouldn’t rot ‘for thousands of years’ (224). Mummies are only an example of preservation after death. Lifeless shells paralyzed in physical forms, like a fish trapped beneath a frozen lake while absorbing nutrients through their open pores. This is how Holden sees dead people. While deciding what to write for his roommate Stradlater’s composition, Holden considers about how Allie wrote poems on his gloves when he bluntly announces that “he’s dead now” (43). Caulfield starts by describing a kid standing in the baseball field reading poetry to revealing that his younger brother is dead. The passive voice Holden uses while describing his fond memory of Allie demonstrates his detachment with the younger brother’s death. The tense reminds Holden that the dead remains dead. The last three heart-wrenching words create distance between himself and the reality of losing his brother.

As Holden falls into depression, he begins to fear death. After Sunny the prostitute left his hotel room, Holden starts talking to his dead brother Allie about wanting to let him play with BB guns, which makes him “very depressed” every time he thinks about it (110). Holden tries to comfort himself by altering his memory of a past event, but he can’t. Realization starts to hit. Allie is dead and now he realizes he can’t get over it. Holden blames himself for not being able to take care and spend time with his brother sooner. He wants to treat those who are still alive. People like Phoebe, who looks strikingly similar to Allie, as they both have red hair and intelligence. After Holden was assaulted by Maurice, who asked for more money for the prostitute, Holden snaps back to reality and “[feels] like jumping out the window” (117). Holden confesses multiple times that he desires death, yet he never follows through any of his thoughts. Following the call with Sally, Holden sits down on a bench picturing himself dying of pneumonia and remembering how his aunt “kept saying how peaceful” Allie looked during his funeral (171). Holden quickly shifts from the self-regarding thought to thinking about Allie. To Caulfield, death is anything but peaceful. One cannot describe Allie’s death as “peaceful” when Holden punched all the windows and was restrained in a hospital.

Towards the end, he finds meaning in death and realizes he wants to live for someone he cherishes. At Phoebe’s room, Holden thinks about James Castle, a classmate who killed himself after he insulted a classmate by calling him conceited at Elkton Hills. He hears James hit the ground and sees the ‘teeth and blood’ splattered all over the place (188). This is another instance where death has come close to Holden. Then Salinger states explicitly that Mr. Antolini, Holden’s former teacher, carried the body away. While lecturing Holden, Mr. Antolini warns him not to ‘[die] nobly’ for an ‘unworthy cause’ (207). In this situation, James acted exactly what Mr. Antolini hopes Holden to avoid. But in Holden’s eyes, this is not an unworthy cause. With no chance of fighting back, James decided to jump instead of being “phony” and giving in. Holden may not necessarily agree with Mr. Antolini’s statement, but through this conversation, he now realizes that there exists a meaning behind a person’s death. In front of the museum’s doorsteps, Holden changes his mind of escaping to comfort his crying little sister Phoebe by saying “I’m not going away anywhere” (228). Holden decides that he will stay in this world, no longer thinking about ways to self-destruct and finally notices a distinction between Allie and Phoebe. Allie is dead and Phoebe is not. At this moment he can still live for Phoebe, his one and only emotional anchor.

The book The Catcher in the Rye shows how the troubled Holden improves through the struggles of coping with the death of Allie and be able to learn how to stand on one’s own two feet. When a loved one dies, a special connection remains. People talk about them and reminisce about the times spent together. Even when the person has passed away, this connection does not have to be given up to move forward in life.

Work Cited

1. Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Little Brown, 2014.

The book “The Catcher in the Rye” follows Holden Caulfield as he faces the stage between childhood and adulthood. More specifically, the book describes the days after Holden gets kicked out of a prestigious boarding school (for the third time), and how he spends his days in the city before he tells his parents about getting kicked out. During his stay in the city, he faces many ordeals and is forced to evaluate his life and the shift into adulthood. Holden narrates his thoughts in a very disorderly way, jumping from one topic to another, which, along with the informal language the author uses, makes the book seem realistic and grounded. The tone of the book is quite peculiar in that sense, and it sets up an equally peculiar atmosphere, which could best be described as dark yet genuine. Holden himself is a complex character and describes the struggle many people have before becoming adults, as he’s in constant confusion about where he wants to go in life and what he wants to achieve. He doesn’t want to do regular, boring things, and seeks excitement and adventure, but at the same time he seeks security and stability, and it’s quite difficult for those things to coexist in harmony.

In many ways, Holden is but a child. His childish tendencies are evident in almost every conversation he has in the book. For instance, in chapter four, when he is talking to his roommate Stradlater, Holden finds it hard to sit still, and starts tap dancing and fooling around, trying to get Stradlater’s attention. Unless he is the one speaking in a conversation, he doesn’t like concentrating on what the other speaker is trying to say. His conversations are more like monologues rather than discussions. He gets bored quite easily, especially when he’s not the center of attention, or the conversation isn’t “intelligent” enough for him, or he’s getting criticized. Even when Mr. Spencer and Mr. Antolini were giving him advice, he didn’t seem all that interested in what they had to say, or he “wasn’t in the mood”. Holden also has a knack of making his own version of rules that he’s faced with. When Stradlater asked Holden to write a composition for him, describing a room or a house, Holden instead started describing his deceased brother Allie’s baseball mitt. Later on, when Holden took the train to New York, he started to smoke on the car even though it wasn’t allowed, and he justified it by saying that he would get rid of it when he got yelled at, which is a very childish mindset to have. Holden’s immature behavior is accentuated by the imaginary scenarios he makes up in his head, such as him being shot and having to walk normally while hiding his wound, and him murdering Maurice while he himself was wounded, and him calling Jane to help clean his wounds… very movie-like scenes. It feels that he struggles with facing reality, so much so that he has to make up imaginary alternatives for any event that occurs. From his perspective, everything is phony, and everyone is a moron, and he’s the only normal person in the world. Most of his hatred, however, is directed towards adults. He doesn’t like anyone that acts “phony” and he doesn’t like anyone that thinks differently than he does in general, which most of the adult characters in the book do. People that are obsessed with social status or movies or money are all phony, which is again, a very childish mindset. In hindsight, he really only likes Allie and Phoebe. He thought of them as pure, and innocent, and brilliant for their age. In chapter sixteen, Holden says “Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that’s impossible, but it’s too bad anyway.” By putting something on display at a museum, you are constantly being reminded of that thing, and no matter how its surroundings change, whatever is in the glass case stays the same. This shows Holden’s dislike of change, and how he wants to avoid adulthood at any costs. Holden wishes for everything to remain the same, and he longs for eternal childhood, because deep down he knows he has to one day move on from his past and become an adult, and he thinks that all the thoughts and sensations he felt throughout his life will all be forgotten.

Even though he dislikes adults and their obsession with movies and money and social status, Holden still likes to pretend that he is an adult. Not just by smoking or drinking, but also through social interactions. He deepens his voice on the phone to sound manlier, he changes his name to sound cooler, he lies about insignificant details of his life to seem older, and he attempts to flirt and be suave all the time. Holden seems to have an obsession with intelligence as well. He doesn’t necessarily think that if you’re an adult you’re intelligent, but he does associate intelligence with maturity (the idea that being intelligent makes you mature). What he often seeks throughout the book is “intelligent” conversations or “intelligent” interactions, that he can distract himself with, so that he won’t feel lonely. Which leads to him often calling someone, usually a girl, to go out for drinks or some other kind of date. Though, almost every woman he interacts with, he ends up hating. For instance, Sally Hayes, one of his past flings, accepted to go on a date with him. Holden then jumped to conclusions and continued to make Sally uncomfortable by making up a scenario in which they run away and get married and live happily ever after (a highly flawed plan). When she asked him to be rational and think about work and the money aspect of everything, he proceeded to get angry and insult her, leading her to cry, and him to realize that what he had said was insensitive and impolite. He apologizes, but he still continues to express his dislike of her and doesn’t understand why he would want to get married to someone he can barely tolerate. Actually, Holden doesn’t want to marry Sally, he just likes the idea of it. Living happily and romantically in isolation with his kind and obedient wife and their adorable children, homeschooling them and not having to worry about anything (including money). It’s an adorably naïve way of thinking. Much like childhood friends promising each other that they’ll get married in the future. This theme of naïveness keeps on repeating itself throughout the book, by Holden having his dreamlike expectations greatly unmet, and others disagreeing with the way he thinks. We face this issue on another occasion, where Holden’s younger sister Phoebe asks him what he wants to do in life, and instead of a scientist or a lawyer, Holden tells her he wants to be a “catcher in the rye”. An absurd answer to a fairly rational question. The origin of the “occupation” itself is strange. “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye” is a poem written by Robert Burns describing how two lovers meet in a rye field. Holden hears a child incorrectly reciting the poem, instead of “if a body meet a body”, the child says “if a body catch a body”, leading Holden to make up another scenario about how a group of children would be playing in a rye field and how they wouldn’t be paying attention and how right before they fell off a cliff he would catch them. It’s a strange misinterpretation but it serves as a metaphor for the whole book. Holden himself is trying to stay on the field without falling off the cliff. The rye field, in this case, is youth and childhood, and the cliff is maturity and adulthood, or more specifically, the raging waters below the cliff are maturity and adulthood.

It’s true that Holden wants to remain young forever, but why is he so scared to move on to adulthood? The answer seems so simple, yet it’s much more labyrinthine than it seems. Holden is scared to move on from his childhood because his childhood was the highlight of his life, the time when he was the happiest, and he’s scared that if he lets go of what made him happy, he will never feel happiness again, which ends up having a reverse effect. On the surface, he seems like the average struggling teenager: confused, disliking anything and everything, running away from situations, trying to seem more mature. But, when you look at it from a more profound perspective, you start to see that all the details add up to a much greater picture. At the age of thirteen, Holden lost his brother whom he was very close to, and whom he thought of as a real-life angel. He found it hard to detach himself from Allie, so he ultimately decided not to, and held on to every piece of his childhood as tight as he could, so that he would always have Allie and he would always have his happiness. By trying to hold on to Allie and his happiness, he started to neglect what was really going on in his life, Holden was stuck in a child-like mindset, which explains a lot of his behavior patterns. Kids often have a tendency of not being able to differentiate their imaginary world from the real world, and Holden seems to be dealing with the same thing. He faced a traumatizing event in his life, and no one gave him the support he needed to move on from that event. Instead, they sent him to a boarding school and forced him to study for a life he didn’t want. In chapter 25, Holden kept on repeating ‘Allie, don’t let me disappear.”. This quote itself holds a lot of symbolism. We know that Holden isn’t good at handling death, and in this case “disappearing” could mean death. He’s begging his brother to make him stay alive. Much like a child would, he replaces a word he doesn’t like with a lighter one. He could also be asking Allie to not let his child self die. The only thing Holden thinks is connecting him and Allie is his childhood memories with Allie, and we know that Holden likes the idea of preserving things, so he could be asking Allie to stay forever with him, and that means not allowing Holden to become an adult. Holden’s relationship with his sister is another essential factor in the book. Holden has sort of an obsession with keeping her pure, and innocent, and pretty, which is quite strange, but considering he’s quite an unhinged individual it gradually becomes a little more understandable. The reason he has this weird obsession with Phoebe is that he misses the stage of his life that she’s going through, and he loves the idea of childhood, so talking to Phoebe and hanging out with her allows him to maintain his mental youth. However, Phoebe is a much more significant character than just the symbol of childhood. She helps Holden realize his immature ways by threatening to follow him when he runs away, and she helps him realize that he needs to grow up.

The most character development we get from Holden is when he takes Phoebe to the carousel and watches as she goes around and around in her blue coat, and he starts crying. He doesn’t fully understand why he’s crying, all he knows is that they’re happy tears. That is the book’s climax. That’s the one time in the whole book where he is happy in the present. That’s when everything starts to sort of click in his head, and he decides that he can be happy all the while moving on from his childhood. Even if he doesn’t know if he wants to be a scientist or a lawyer, he begins to understand the concept of making newer, happier memories, and slowly starting to accept the big shift. A year later, we get a peek at his new life, after everything had progressed. He has almost nothing figured out, his personality hasn’t changed much either, he still says that he’s not in the mood to talk about everything, but that’s how life is. That’s how the book maintains the realistic tone throughout, and it allows you to identify with Holden’s character more. Throughout the book, we get a peek at Holden’s childish and naïve thoughts as he tries to navigate the adult world. Holden’s brain is like a Rubik’s cube, but only if each cube inside of the Rubik’s cube was it’s own Rubik’s cube, and so on. He isn’t all that rebellious, he’s just a kid trying to remain innocent in a tainted world, and desperately trying to stay on the rye field at a safe distance away from the cliff. He is between the stage of childhood and adulthood, and he doesn’t want to move forward. Through metaphors and symbolism used in the book, we see just how intricate the stage in between childhood and adulthood is, and how we all sometimes yearn to be inside of the glass case.

Nothing in The Catcher in the Rye flag Holden’s twist of the importance of adolescence and adulthood more decisively than the title itself. As he wanders around New York City, Holden thinks about what he sees as the uncorrupted honesty of kids to the pietism of development. He considers pretty much every grown-up he meets to be a fake, and over and again expresses his dread of transforming into a fake himself. The line about a catcher in the rye is taken from a Robert Burns poem, ‘Comin’ Thro the Rye”.

Youngsters speak to immaculateness to him, and his craving to come back to the guiltless condition of his own youth. The book’s title comes from a scene in Chapter 16 when Holden watches a young man who, disregarded by his folks, strolls in the road while singing ‘If a body discover a body getting through the rye.’ Holden deciphers this scene as an ideal articulation of the guiltlessness of youth. The way that the kid strolls in the road as opposed to on the walkway demonstrates that, for the time being in any event, he exists in a world that is parallel to yet isolate from that of his folks. Viewing the kid gives Holden a relief from the phoniness of the grown-up world.

At the point when Phoebe asks Holden what he needs to be the point at which he grows up, he answers ‘the catcher in the rye’. The field of Holden’s dream is free of grown-up thoughts and simulation. The field is reminiscent of Peter Pan’s Neverland or the Garden of Eden, the two of which are domains that shield guiltlessness from the ruining impact of understanding. On the other hand, the tumble from the bluff speaks to the ‘fall’ into adulthood—that is, into desire, ravenousness, aspiration, and ‘phoniness.’ The language here echoes the Biblical fall of Adam and Eve, who were banished from the greenhouse after their enlivening to sin and the disgrace of sexuality—a disgrace that Holden likewise feels.

Holden’s dream of turning into the ‘catcher in the rye’ and shielding blameless kids from their go wrong depends on an essential misconception, similarly as he misjudges being a tyke and a grown-up. As Phoebe educates him, the lyric really asks ‘if a body meet a body getting through the rye.’ at the end of the day, there is no catcher in the rye. Likewise, ‘meet’ alludes to an easygoing sexual experience. The following line asks, Gin a body kiss a body – Need a body cry.’ The lyric all in all offers the conversation starter of whether two individuals bodies ought to engage in sexual relations in mystery without making a sentimental promise to one another, A similar inquiry that Holden pose of Carl Luce.