How Has Holden Caulfield Changed

Yet another demon that Holden avoids is the process of having to grow up. Throughout the book, he seems hesitant to develop any real ambitions or goals. He is a perpetual failure at school. He refuses to associate himself with mature ways of living, and so isolates himself from anyone his own age or older. This is all directly connected to Holden's picture-perfect image of his childhood. He sees this particular period of his life as his own personal paradise. He does not want to finalize the fact that he has to concede it's innocence in the end. Towards the end of the book, Holden shows his desire for life to remain as it was by saying, "...certain things 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." Holden does not want to join a world of phonies and greed, a world lacking in carelessness and irresponsibility. He won't, whether consciously or not, accept the fact that he has no choice.

Holden has matured in many ways throughout the novel. He had grown from an immature child who only cared about himself to a mature adult who wanted to make something of his life. In the beginning of the story we are introduced to

Holden’s immaturity causes him many problems throughout the story. Although he is physically mature, he acts more like a child. “All of a sudden I

He may still be a young boy but he is very independent and basically lives on his own for the entirety of the book, but his negative outlook transforms independence into isolation. He is incredibly lonely but also pushes people away when he has a chance to get close to them. Such as his date with Sally Hayes which was going very well until he pushed her away with his harsh words, “You give me a royal pain in the ass, if you want to know the truth” (Ch. 17 pg. 173). Just because Sally wouldn’t run away with him and be independent with him he pushed her away. Holden may think he wants to be free and independent but his negative outlook just feeds his loneliness and

What does change in Holden during the course of the book is his idea that he can somehow change the world and help it to move out of its corrupt state. Holden is also moved to the eventual realization that not only can he not change the world but he is also unable to hide

Holden is very immature and cannot act his age for anything. In the beginning of the story, Holden was very immature and self-centered and he often did very immature things, but he wanted to be an adult. This is very contradicting considering that he is very immature. In the novel, Holden states, “Boy! I said. I also say Boy! quite a lot. Partly because I have a lousy vocabulary and partly because I act quite young for my age sometimes. I was sixteen then, and I'm seventeen now, and sometimes I act like I'm about thirteen.” (Salinger 16). This shows how Holden is very immature and needs to start acting his age and this could be dangerous to society. This is why he needs to stay inside the mental facility. In the mental facility, he will be safe and he will not cause any harm to anyone or to himself

The main characters I chose were Holden Caulfield, Sally Hayes, and Ward Stradlater. Holden is the protagonist, he has many feelings flowing through him throughout the story, he’s depressed, lonely, confused, anxious, horny. lost, and perceptive. He has little to no motivation and has been kicked out of his school, Pencey Prep. Holden has grey hair, wears a red hunting has, smokes too much, and drinks often despite being 16.

In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield undergoes a transformation. Holden, a societal outcast, struggles to find his path through life, which he is desperately seeking as he traverses New York City. Holden is deeply affected by the loss of his brother, which causes him to be weary of forming new relationships. Holden's struggle due to his brother's loss is seen when he is describing the night he died, and states, “I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it.” (Salinger 72). This quote shows how Holden's brother's loss causes him to act violently, and impulsively. By saying he smashed the windows "just for the hell of it," Holden demonstrates

Another female that takes part in Holden's life is Sally Hayes. She is a beautiful but shallow girl that Holden has dated in the past. To Holden's standards, Sally is another "phony" person but her beauty makes Holden put his standards aside for the moment. The unusual thing is that Holden made it clear that he disliked the girl, yet he said that the minute he saw her, he felt like marrying her. On their date together, he tells her that he loved her even though it was a lie, and yet he meant it when he said it. In return, Sally tells Holden that she loved him as well. After exchanging their false feelings for each other, Holden tries to explain what is happening in his life, but she is incapable of understanding his problems.

Overall Holden has changed because in the end he goes to the mental institution. In the beginning Holden was too callow to open up about his feelings in a facility. His decision to do so shows great maturity and growth. This shows how problems, big or small, are always easier to bear when there is someone supporting and loving to help. Many people who suffer from depression are not willing to open up about what they are feeling; whether they do not believe there is anything someone can do to help, or if they do not believe they have anyone to go to. It is evident from this that comforting a person or just being there for them has a positive and powerful effect on them and can make them feel a great deal

Sexuality is a major part of growing up and throughout the novel, Holden tries to maintain his innocence and struggles to understand women and what he wants with them. It is common for a teenager to be confused or worried about sex but it affects Holden a lot more than an average teen. He has mixed feelings about women often calling himself a “sex maniac” (Salinger 62). From women at the bar to using women as random distractions and even his feelings for Jane Gallagher, Holden struggles to figure out the relationship he wants and doesn't want with these women.

This elaborately explains how Holden’s nonsexual relationship are more affectionate and more worthwhile, where Holden appears to actually be fully content with himself. In regards, to Holden’s sexual relationship, he happens to act in usual terms, not inputting no effort or anything due to Holden being a more affectionate character than sexual. Upon the novel, Holden sees Sally as his sexual encounter, a person that he can call at anytime and will be there. In according to the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, it states, “But, boy, I could hardly see straight. When I was really drunk, I started that stupid business with the bullet in my guts again…

The Catcher and the Rye Project In the novel The Catcher and the Rye, author J.D. Salinger brings out a major theme about alienation and isolation; a fear of being harmed emotionally by others can keep someone away from human contact, but isolation causes self-destruction in the end, because all need human connection. Throughout this narrative, Holden constantly has conflicting emotions about relationships with others, he craves human companionship, but will not pull himself out of his isolation. This theme is found in the beginning of the story, when Holden finds out his room mate is going out with Jane, a girl he used to know. He gets excited, talking about the good times they had, but does not want to go down and say hello, giving the excuse

Change is an essential component in the continued success of the human race and thus important in the development of society. As such, society expects people to constantly change and adapt. Readers typically expect to see the development of characters throughout novels, or other pieces of literature. In the novel, “The Catcher in the Rye”, J. D. Salinger deviates from the normal progression followed by most novels by characterizing the protagonist as an individual undergoing temperamental changes and uncertainty throughout the novel. This novel is known to have attracted criticism from numerous reviewers from all time periods, who tend to make the argument that the novel 's main protagonist, Holden Caulfield, does not develop at all throughout the course of the book. However, this is not the case as Holden grows and develops through the book, recognizing specific ideals from the environment that is around him and responding to them. These reactions towards change are seen through Holden 's discovery of himself, relationships with other characters and the actions that he decides to take in given circumstances throughout the book.

By glorifying alcohol, sex and women in the novel, Holden glamorizes the positives of adulthood. For instance, when he states “ That’s the thing about girls. Every Time they do something pretty, even if they’re not much to look at, or even if they’re sort of stupid, you fall in love with them, and you never know where the hell you are. Girls. Jesus Christ. They can drive you crazy. They really can.” (Salinger 101) Holden is profound of women, but stuck in his childhood state where he can’t fully accept the values that come with a woman such as hand in marriage. However, by Holden favoring the positives of adulthood displays his phoniness before he can even recognize it. In some instances, Holden is hesitant about adulthood features such as his experience with the prostitute. He is more depressed than ready to have sex; these events are iconic and signify the separation of adult and childhood are creating a depression for Holden.