“Holden’s on the line.” My grandmother harshly whispered in my ear, emphasizing the name “Holden” as though his name was poison as she shook me awake. Slowly, I turned to face her and sat up, brushing a stray strand of hair away from my eyes. She held the phone straight out towards me like a runner handing off the baton to the next runner. I grasped the phone and tilted my head towards the door, hoping she would take the hint and give me some privacy with Holden. Unfortunately, either my hint didn’t register or she simply refused to leave. Instead, she stood frozen in place at my bedside, with her eyes suspiciously studying me. Once again, I let out a sigh and cleared my throat a bit, hoping to cover my drowsiness.
“‘Sally? That you?’”
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Was he being obnoxious? Yes, but I still worried about him...I still love him...I think? Even after he ripped my heart to shreds, the part of me who existed before the date, the one who thought he was simply marvelous, continued to protest against hanging up. The date had been going so well, I meant it when I told him I loved him, I really did. If it hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have suggested ice skating. I know I’m not a magnificent skater, I’ve never claimed to be one, but I still wanted to spend time with him. At the time, being with him felt grand. He bought me tickets to see the Lunts and knew that I would love their show. We kissed in the back of a cab, we dreamed-oh no. He became disillusioned with a fantasy of running away. I tried to be rational. He became infuriated with me. I left him, hoping that it would force him to come around to see my point of view. It always works in the movies, the girl threatens to leave the guy and starts to walk away. He chases after her and realizes how much he loves her. He let me go. I cared about him. He didn’t care about me. In hindsight, I guess what happened is for the greater good. We’re just too different. I care, he doesn’t. I didn’t want to kiss him. He wanted to kiss me. So I let him because that’s what I’m supposed to do, right? We’re supposed to compromise...sacrifice for each other. I spent ages on my lipstick, but did he care? Clearly not. That drove me mad. No one wants
The novel "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger is very interesting novel in which the main character, Holden, intrigues the reader with his unpredictable actions and upfront judgments of his surroundings. Holden alienates himself to try and help protect him from the outside world and conserve his innocence. He constantly proves this to reader many in times in the novel by, telling characters he feels different, wearing clothing that makes him stand out even though it may make him look stupid, and failing to come through in relationships with characters in the story.
In the controversial novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger expresses his opinion on social problems. The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is a troubled teen; he seeks help throughout the novel. Holden has been in and out of schools and can not seem to fit in. Holden has depression and turns to alcohol for all his problems due to the lack of love in his life. No one understood what he was going through which caused him to almost kill himself. J.D. Salinger uses Holden to protest society’s problems.
The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J.D. Salinger. It is narrated by Holden Caulfield, a cynical teenager who recently got expelled from his fourth school. Though Holden is the narrator and main character of the story, the focus of Salinger’s tale is not on Caulfield, but of the world in which we live. The Catcher in the Rye is an insatiable account of the realities we face daily seen through the eyes of a bright young man whose visions of the world are painfully truthful, if not a bit jaded. Salinger’s book is a must-read because its relatable symbolism draws on the reader’s emotions and can easily keep the attention of anyone.
Why does Holden continuously judge people based on their physical appearance? Could this be a projection of his insecurities or a reflection of his mental health?
Holden Caufield emphasizes on the loss of innocence in children. He feels that once they lose their innocence, they will soon turn into phonies like everyone else. The loss of innocence is very common in the development in human existence. It is caused by many factors. Past a certain age, children are either forced or led unintentionally into a pathway of corruption. A child is also known to lose their innocence by desires, fantasies, and attention. But once they lose their innocence, they tend to desire to go back and pretend to be young again. In the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden discusses the importance of innocence in children's lives. He feels that once a child loses his/her innocence, he/she will soon be leaded to a
Have you ever had this feeling of being so stressed out that you would escape to hopeless dreams, causing you to withdraw yourself from others? Among many themes that J.D. Salinger expresses in his novel, The Catcher in the Rye, there is one that fits that type of feeling perfectly. That theme is: isolation is a product of the individual's reaction to the environment and often leads to downfalls and other negative consequences. This is clearly demonstrated through the influence of the allusions and symbols that Salinger uses to subtly apply the theme mentioned above.
The exciting novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger expresses the free will of choice. Salinger cleverly conveys how decisions can alter a person’s perspective of their peer. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, is a young teenager who has emotional instability and behavioral concerns. Holden acts immaturely extensively throughout the book. Holden invents a world where adulthood is the emblem of superficiality and “phoniness”, while he chooses to convey childhood as a world of innocence. Holden’s observation of himself being the catcher in the rye is highly symbolic. When Holden states he wants to walk off beyond the cliff and catch the
major factor in his detachment from society. Of course, he does it to himself, and
3. Who is the first person Holden calls? Why do you suppose he doesn’t arrange to meet her the next day as she suggests? A prostitute and not to sure doesn’t want to wait that long perhaps
In the book, Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caufield, the main character is a negatively charged person, doesn't want himself or others around him to grow up, and suffers from depression because of his brothers death. This is obviously Holden's way of alienating the entire world and delaying the consequences of facing reality. Alienation is a big theme in Catcher In The Rye, and something that Holden depends on most often.
“It killed me, it really did.” Remember this phrase from somewhere? It’s the line Holden Caulfield says every time in the iconic novel; The Catcher in the Rye. Since the book was published in 1951 by J.D. Salinger, many people from all over the world have loved it. This book was even carried by the killer of John Lennon, and was banned in the past. The protagonist Holden Caulfield is a 16-year-old boy who has just gotten expelled from his Prep school. And until the end, the story is has been about Holden’s journey in New York City. He's alone. He does have a family and parents, but he hardly has any contact with them. It makes him lonelier and lonelier. What does he need? Why is it that Holden is mentally struggling so much even though he’s rich and goes to good schools? It’s because Holden isn’t getting the right help he needs. Holden has been alone ever since Allie died. He was close to his siblings, but from far away. He hardly had any close friends. The adults he seeks advice from his former teachers. They cared about Holden, but they had their own lives. Old Spencer was old and sick, and Mr. Antolini wasn’t as unconditional as he seemed to be. He needs his parents. It is a pity that his parents weren't trying to communicate with their son as much about his feelings, but Holden had every chance to approach them first. After he gets off the train when he arrives in New York, he gets a chance to call his parents. He thinks, “I couldn’t think anybody to call up. My kid
Holden’s story takes place in the 1950s. Because of this, it is necessary that the reader reads the story from multiple points of views. As Foster puts it, “don’t read with your eyes” (Foster 228) meaning that it is sometimes necessary to read from a perspective that will let you relate to and sympathize with the characters. The time period is shown many times such as when Holden goes dancing and asks a girl if she feels like “jitterbugging a little bit” (Salinger 72) referencing an iconic dance from that era. What people said and how they said it were very different in the past, and it is important to keep that in mind while reading.
The Controversy Over The Catcher in the Rye There are many reasons as to why one of the most well known novels, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger is challenged in schools across the United States. Published in 1951, the majority of the story takes place in New York City, following the protagonist, a boy named Holden Caulfield. Over the course of three days, Holden goes through a series of both mental and physical conflicts. Many readers of this novel find The Catcher in the Rye to be crude and inappropriate; therefore, the novel is banned in many United States schools. The novel should be banned due to its constant immoral involvement of profanity, under-age use of substances like smoking and alcohol, and the exposure of mental instability
Many people have a hard time getting through tough times, they require a lot of help and attention. People are too busy in their everyday lives to focus on other people's lives as well therefore they don’t get the help and attention they need. In the book, “The Catcher in the Rye” written by J.D. Salinger, it’s easy to see that Holden Caulfield has a lot going on in his life, maybe even something wrong with him. The novel is popular to adults and teenagers as well. This story impacts the life of the readers. Holden doesn’t like to connect to anyone and he believes everyone is fake. Holdens major problem is his inability to reach out for help and try to connect with people. Holden grew up with many issues that never seemed to be solved, Holden needs love, he needs a connection with someone again so that he can feel a little bit of relief. The main reason for Holden not being able to connect with someone is because he sees everyone as phony. Holdens subconscious needs to protect innocents in children.
“I swear to God I’m crazy. I admit it.” It is very easy to automatically assume that Holden Caulfield is crazy. It’s even a logical assumption since Caulfield himself admits to being crazy twice throughout the course of the book. However, calling Holden Caulfield crazy is almost the same as calling the majority of the human race crazy also. Holden Caulfield is just an adolescent trying to prevent himself from turning into what he despises the most, a phony. Most of Caulfield’s actions and thoughts are the same as of many people, the difference being that Holden acts upon those thoughts and has them down in writing.