Character Analysis Of Catcher In The Rye

Holden’s desperation for friendship causes him to turn against the people around him because his actions lead continually lead him into with rejection. For instants, Holden shows an effort to gain attention and sympathy from Stradlater by letting him borrow his hound’s tooth jacket and agreeing to write a composition for him even though Stradlater goes on a date with Jane, someone who Holden has strong feelings for. Rejection comes into play after Stradlater reads the composition of his dead brother’s baseball glove, and angrily tells Holden that it's no wonder he's getting expelled: he does not do anything "the way you're supposed to”(Salinger 46). Stradlater rejection affects Holden because he subconsciously feels that he is never good enough and that he’s pathetic. After the two of them got into a fist fight over Jane Holden is so isolated, he turns to Ackley, his neighbor who he can't stand and continuously calls a “phony.” Holden says after Ackley won't even help him that he “feels so lonesome, he wishes he were dead”(Salinger 50). Holden goes to call someone but then realizes that he has no one to call. When Holden was “giving old Jane a buzz…” he quickly hung up, claiming it was because he “was not in the mood,” but he can't deal with confrontation that might end up causing awkwardness, rejection, or emotional pain. It is Holden pain of rejection that causes him to feel frustration in the world, leading him to his depressed state of mind.

It is often said that the people one surrounds themselves with can reflect things about themselves, such as their beliefs and ideals. One’s friends and acquaintances can reveal subconscious attractions to people that fulfill their ideals or agree with the things they say, but these relationships can also help one discover their personal philosophies by reinforcing opposing views. Indeed, in J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the way Holden reacts to and interacts with secondary characters reveal his established philosophies and the values he holds most dear to him.

In Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden, had many opportunities to learn life lessons but every time his faulty thinking caused him to focus on the problem and not the solution. Whenever Holden looks at situations he negatively overgeneralizes them with a bad attitude rather than learning from it.

Holden often hops between topics during his stories. He can’t seem to focus on one topic. Although his mind is unhealthy, he still does things that a healthy brained teenager would do. He swears often, drinks alcohol, and smokes cigarettes. The “madness” of Holden is significant to the plot of the novel. Holden’s madness sets a loose tone for the piece. It is very informal because he is telling the story to someone and not writing it. One example of his madness occurs when he orders a prostitute. Holden wanted to have intercourse with the lady but instead carried out a conversation. Holden’s description of the situation is very interesting because he regrets not having sex with her, yet is proud to have been moral and not pay for

"The Catcher in the Rye" is about the loneliness of a shy, adolescent boy who feels trapped among "phonies" in a prep school. His name is Holden Caulfield. Holden is a seventeen-year-old boy who is telling the story while undergoing mental treatment in a hospital. Holden can also somewhat be a rebellious teenager facing psychological trouble. He was expelled from his school at the age of sixteen and goes on a journey to New York City. During his journey, Holden faces a lot of alcoholism, regular cigarette smoking, and emotional

In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden is a teenager with unique and resolute opinions. He is very stubborn and gets kicked out of multiple schools, winding up back in New York City chasing his younger sister. The novel captures the essence of his character and perspective, which focuses on alienation and adolescence. Holden expresses fear in losing memories of his older brother, Allie, which explains his anxiety facing adulthood. Holden tends to isolate himself because he believes if he gets close to someone or loves someone like he did Allie, he or she will leave.

Holden is a fictional character from .J.D. Salinger’s, “Catcher in the Rye”. Holden Caulfield, the 16-year-old narrator and protagonist of the novel, speaks to the reader directly from a mental hospital. Holden’s location is unknown to the reader until the end of the book. Throughout the book, his narrations tell a lot about him, including his blatant disregard for his future, flunking out of almost all his classes and putting in no effort at school. Often referring to himself as sad and lonesome, he is found spiraling downwards after he is expelled from Pencey, a well-known boys school. One of his downfalls is his failure to connect with people, often calling then “phonies”. Holden is terribly judgmental, calling almost all of

Holden’s issues are not of his own doing, they are a result of his surrounding environment. Due to him experiencing many inconvenient instances, he results to blaming himself. This results in a worsened mental state, as readers are lead to believe he develops depression, as well as other mental illnesses. This is reflective of an everyday teenager since many adolescents place loads of blame and stress upon themselves. These stresses can range from anything such as bad grades, to friend drama. Many of these issues, however are simply an occurrence every teenager experiences. The quotation addresses this when it states, “his troubles, his failings, are not of his own making, but of a world that is out of joint.” Therefore, the aspect of self-blame is highly representative of modern teenagers.

The last time Id eaten was those two hamburgers I had with Brossard and Ackley when we went in to Agerstown to the movies. That was a long time ago. It seemed like fifty years ago.(105) Although Holden is aware that he hasnt eaten in quite some time, he just hasnt felt hungry. Holdens nutrition is just all over the place. His depression has forced him to do crazy things. For example, after a night of drinking Holden says, I puked before I went to bed, but I didnt really have to-I forced myself.(90) This shows that Holden is hurting his body in defiantly more ways than one. Holden is also aware that he is somewhat depressed due to his lousy feelings and inability to eat much of anything. Holden is on a walk when he says, Id feel better if I had something to eat. So I went in this very cheap-looking restaurant and had doughnuts and coffee. Only, I didnt eat the doughnuts. I couldnt swallow them too well. The thing is if you get very depressed about something, its hard as hell to swallow.(196) This just goes to show that Holden is very depressed and it effects the way he handles simple tasks such as eating. Even though he is aware of his depression, Holden does not speak of seeing a psychiatrist for serious issues such as his malnutrition even though he should really see one.

Mr. Caulfield, I regret to inform you that you have been diagnosed with an array of medical conditions. These include antisocial personality disorder, paranoid personality disorder, and anxiety disorder. There are several examples of these presented in your diary. Your pathological lying, irrational hate towards just about anything, and odd fear of disappearing are just a few. These are not normal thoughts, and I will expand on why in the following paragraphs. Make sure to pay attention, Holden, because if you do not heed my warning, then a very slippery slope awaits.

In my extended chapter of Catcher in the Rye, I started off by making Holden a homeless person under the bridge, discombobulated on what to do with the rest of his life. I made Holden talk to Phoebe because she is one of the only characters that genuinely understands and connects to Holden on a personal level. Phoebe knows Holden's actions and motives and is the only character that can give subsidiary advice to him. When Holden was expressing his quandaries to Phoebe, she pointed out that Holden does not like anything in life. Holden responds by saying he would love to be the “catcher in the rye.”

In the book The Catcher In The Rye the main character Holden is someone who gets annoyed and frustrated by mostly everything. He thinks that everything is lousy except his sister Phoebe. It seems as if he's always making excuses in order to not be together with someone. He looks for their flaw and hates on it. He makes it seem like it's such a loathsome flaw to have then he begins to hate them just for that one little thing. Holden does seem to prefer to put up walls around him instead of letting someone know what he truly feels and what is actually going on inside his head. He's also constantly lying to everybody whether it's about his age, name or what he's doing. Holden does not seem like he does this on purpose but it does affect how people around him see and treat him.

People have many different comfort objects, some big, some small, some round, and some tall. Some people use teddy bears, while others use blankies; people can even sometimes use others as their comfort object. In the book The Catcher and the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character Holden goes through many hardships and things usually never go his way. When he is confronted by these hardships it sends him deeper and deeper into depression. Allie was Holden's little brother who died of leukemia when Allie was eleven and Holden was thirteen. Allie's death acts as a weight slowing down Holden’s development and causing him to get lost in grief. Allie’s death also causes Holden to start a long and painful descent into depression. This novel shows the time period when he hits rock bottom and when Holden relives his memories of Allie as a way to alleviate his depression.

Many times in society, growing up leads individuals to question themselves and their surroundings needing someone to guide them. In J.D Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield faces difficulties when he isolates himself from his friends and family. Phoebe, Holden’s younger sister, is someone he trusts and who is extremely important to understanding Holden. First, she represents innocence and purity as a young child, which is something that Holden values. In addition, Phoebe can be straightforward, genuine and is receptive to Holden, which signifies her importance by being there for him. Finally, Phoebe gives back Holden’s red hunting hat which is very sentimental to him, and shows that she is now an adult by returning it. Phoebe is the most important minor character because she represents loss of innocence and is a dependable support Holden associates with fearing of change.

Seventeen year old Holden Caulfield is a character, in the novel Catcher in the rye, who is resentful of the adult world, while displaying immature, almost childish behaviour as the novel progresses. He is afraid of change and struggling through life, despite having the whole world ahead of him.