In this post, use some of the skills we've practiced in class and
describe the character of Holden Caulfield. What are his thought
patterns like? What kind of person do you imagine he is? What might
have caused him to be this way? You many even refer to our discussions
about "typical" adolescent life for comparison or contrast. Refer to
specific scenes or passages for evidence.
Just a reminder: look at your "procedures" sheet for guidance on writing these responses.
Holden is facing one of life’s most critical stages: the adolescent years. Life’s problems are often too much for Holden as he is forced to find his identity and place in the world. When talking to Mr. Spencer about being kicked out of Pencey and the other schools he had briefly attended, he says “I didn’t exactly flunk out or anything. I just quit, sort of” (Salinger 13). He feels deflated and lost when forced to assert himself, and shuts down if he is unsatisfied with a situation. He becomes bitter when discussing successful people and accuses them of being “phonies.” He even describes his successful brother D.B. as being a sort of “Hollywood prostitute.” However, Holden does this because he is filled with jealousy. These people have found something that they can thrive at, something that makes them recognizable and relevant in society while he is left questioning his significance. He has a habit of comparing himself to others
ReplyDeleteand is obsessed with details. He goes into great length when describing his brother’s baseball glove, as well as when he discusses Ackley and Stradlater characters. Holden also repeatedly puts himself down and fails to recognize his talents. It is revealed that he has an aptitude for English, the one class he didn’t fail. But Holden refuses to accept this even after explaining his bookworm tendencies. He says, “I’m quite illiterate, but I read a lot” (Salinger 18). It is like he has built a false sense of reality that prevents him from acknowledging his attributes and blocks him from finding himself. He has basically accepted failure and insignificance as a part of his personality, and refuses to think or operate otherwise. It is possible that the loss of his beloved younger brother has brought out his insecurities and created this sense of denial. Holden’s fickle mind also causes him to repeatedly contradict himself. One moment he says his dorm is too cold but then curses it for being too hot. This shows that his false reality keeps clashing with the real one, and he is unable to express exactly who he is because of it. Overall, Holden’s continuous contradictions and denials have left him completely unaware of himself.
Holden Caulfield is the narrator of “The Catcher in the Rye” who is caught in the time period between childhood and adulthood known as adolescence. While Holden expresses some of the normal signs of adolescence, he also exhibits some behaviors that are quite peculiar. Holden is a teenager who seems generally uncontent with the world referring to most everyone as “phonies”. With the harsh judgements that Holden makes of everyone else comes judgements of himself which are derived from him being insecure. He is obsessed with how fake the people that surround him are when in reality he himself is the same. He somewhat admits this by acknowledging his frequent and unnecessary lying by saying, “I am the most terrific liar you ever saw you your life” (Salinger 16). Aside from this, Holden has an unusual trait where he always appears to get distracted from the issue at hand which is usually due to his immense attention to detail. For example, while trying to make his history teacher feel better about failing him, he is actually not thinking about comforting his teacher at all. Instead, Holden is thinking about the lagoon near where he lives and where the ducks go when it is frozen. This is also an example of how Holden ultimately alienates himself from everyone by not allowing himself to actually care about people or how he affects them. Aside from being a skeptical teenager, the vibe is given that there is something actually wrong with him that he won’t grow out of. In the text he talks about having to go somewhere where he can “take it easy”. He also later mentions, “They made me cut it out” (Salinger 5). The “it” is referring to smoking and the fact that someone made him stop suggests that he is somewhere where others are making the decisions for him although it is unclear who these people are or where he is. Holden says, “I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage” (Salinger 38). This is what happened when his younger brother Allie died of leukemia and it suggests that he took it hard. His obvious outburst of anger implies that his ways of coping with his brother’s death were not ideal and have probably carried over to create the unusual behaviors he exhibits.
ReplyDeleteIn the story, the Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield who is the narrator of the story seems to have quite a difficult past. Despite the fact that he is wealthy and was lucky enough to to grow up in prep schools, he failed out of most of those schools because he didn't care enough to to try. Being kicked out of a new school each time must make an impact on you in someway whether it makes you feel awful about yourself or if it just makes your life seem pointless. Holden also seems as if he has a problem with trusting people's or getting close to people and this is possibly stemming from the loss of his brother which he did not take well. "I slept in the garage the night that he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it"(Salinger 49). Holden's way of expressing his grief for his brother, Allie, was aggressive and he showed this behavior again. When his roommate, Stradlater, went out with one of Holden's childhood friends, Jean Gallagher, which he obviously cared deeply about, Holden was asking Stradlater to ask her about her and she still remembers him and he seemed overly excited when he first found out that Stradlater was going out with her. "Jean Gallagher, I said. I even got up from the washbowl when he said that. I damn near dropped dead "(Salinger 31). Holden was fine until he heard about the date and started to try beating up Stradlater. "This next part I don't remember so hot. All I know is I got up from the bed, like I was going down to the can or something, and then I tried to sock him, with all my might..."(Salinger 43). This shows Holden getting aggressive about someone who he cared about his whole life. Holden is in his adolescence years making everything much more confusing and having to deal with the fact he can't stay in a school or dealing with the loss of his brother made his life seem pointless. Holden is lost and confused and feels as if his life doesn't have a purpose therefore tries to live life without a care when it comes to school and responsibilities.
ReplyDeleteHolden Caulfield, the narrator of “the Catcher in the Rye” seems like your average, sarcastic teenager but as you read the book, you get a sense that something isn’t so right with him. Holden is stuck in the stage of “adolescence” a period in which he is trying to find his identity which is nothing but hard for him. Holden has been in and out of prep schools, and just recently got kicked out of Pencey for flunking his classes. As soon as you open the book, you can already tell that Holden's sarcastic, exaggerating attitude is a way to cover up his true feelings inside. Holden always overthinks everything until it makes him crazy. For example when his roommate Stradlater went on a date with Jane Gallagher, Holden could not stop obsessing over it. “ I kept thinking about Jane, and about Stradlater having a date with her and all. It made me so nervous I nearly went crazy. I already told you what a sexy bastard Stradlater was”. (Salinger, 31) Keep in mind, Holden hasn’t seen Jane in quite a long time yet he is so overly obsessed with the fact that his roommate is going on a date with her. This quote gives you insight on how insecure Holden really is. He is so nervous that Jane will like Stradlater as he's always referring him to a “sexy bastard”. Although, Holden seems troubled he might have a reason to be, for example when his brother Allie died of Leukemia Holden didn’t take it lightly. “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.” (Stradlater, 39) Holden has feelings just like everyone else it is natural to be sad when a death happens, but the strange thing Holden does is he uses tactics to cover up his true feelings. It seems as though he is afraid of getting hurt or being upset. His defense mechanism is to be sarcastic or having no care for anything. All in All, Holden is just trying to find himself throughout the book and it’s not so easy for him. His attitude and characteristics might lead him to failure in the end.
ReplyDeleteHolden’s frequent use of profanity, blasé attitude, irresponsibleness, and insecurity of identity makes him appear to be the epitome of adolescence, but underneath all the sarcasm lies a deeper explanation for his behaviors. Holden constantly swears and tends to use harsh words to express his negativity. His vocabulary indicates his cynical view of the world. It appears that he is angry with everyone, but in reality it is jealousy that causes him to despise those around him. Holden has attended numerous prep schools, in which the other students have been successful. Being surrounded by talented individuals threatens his self-confidence, so he views them as “phonies” to make himself feel better. Holden is insecure about himself, but rather than trying harder to succeed, he accepts mediocrity. He is nonchalant about nearly everything and refuses to take responsibility for his actions. For example, when his fencing team could not compete because he forgot the equipment, instead of being apologetic, he practically blamed the subway, “I left all the foils and equipment and stuff on the goddam subway. It wasn’t all my fault” (Salinger 3). Also, when Mr. Spencer criticizes Holden’s academic work ethics, Holden said: “I didn’t exactly flunk out or anything. I just quit, sort of” (Salinger 13). He is in his own world and refuses to join the rest of society, which is why he has left so many schools. Although Holden did not exactly enjoy attending Pencey Prep, he could not cope with the idea of leaving. “What I was really hanging around for, I was trying to feel some kind of good-by. I mean I’ve left schools and places I didn’t even know I was leaving them” (Salinger 4). This quote reveals Holden’s desire for closure. Letting go and disengaging with people and places is difficult for him because his little brother, Allie, died when he was young. Not only is Holden afraid of leaving, but he is also scared of being left like he was when Allie disappeared from his life forever. Having lost a brother sets Holden apart from many teenagers and only adds to the burden of adolescence. Holden also differs from his peers because underneath his nonchalant attitude, he has strong beliefs on ideas such as love. Unlike Stradlater, Holden feels strongly about Jane Gallagher, which is why he got so upset when Stradlater just used her for his own benefit. Holden cares about Jane and remembers little details about her, like how she always kept her kings in the back row when playing checkers. Although Holden does not form strong relationships with many people, when he does he will not forget a single detail about them, which makes it even harder to let them go. Many of Holden’s behaviors match those of a typical teenager, but lingering past events place him on an island in a sea of adolescents.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, “the Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, the narrator Holden Caulfield is a seventeen year old boy stuck in the adolescent stage of his life. He is almost an adult yet still a child at heart because he is very immature for his age. During the adolescent years of a person's life they go through various emotions and feelings as they try to work out their identity in the world. This applies to Holden. As Holden is trying to figure himself out and who he wants to become in his life he acts and response to situations in different ways. As an example, in the novel when Holden is in his room talking to Robert Ackley, or Ackley, he gets very annoyed by Ackley’s bouncy, aggravating personality as he floats around the room touching things and talking nonstop. Holden is straight forward with his friend and tells him to leave. This is a normal reaction that everybody gets at least once, to somebody they are just not in the mood to deal with, whether you are an adult or a child. Therefore, this shows he is in the middle of both, making him an adolescent. Also, Holden has mixed feelings about how he feels for a girl he knows. “Jane Gallagher,” I said. I couldn’t get over it. “Jesus H. Christ” (Salinger 31). Immediately after hearing that his old neighbor friend was going on a date with his roommate he was shocked and could not stop thinking about her. But, he is unsure about what he feels for Jane. He knows that he wants to see her but cannot physically push himself to do it. This is normal adolescent behavior because Holden is embarrassed and does not want to express love. Although all of these situation have pointed to a regular teenage life, there are multiple situations where he breaks this pattern and leans toward a contrasting internal conflict with himself that he most likely does not realize he is going through. During the scene in the book where Holden is talking about his brother Allie he states, “I slept on the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fists, just for the hell of it. I even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon…”(Salinger 39). With the evidence in this passage, Holden might not realize that he may have psychological internal issues with himself and the world because of his brothers awful death. Also, Holden has a strange mindset as he looks at things in peculiar ways, like the time he wanted so badly to feel a goodbye from a school that he absolutely hated. To sum up, Holden Caulfield’s character is an adolescent with internal conflicts that are not obvious to him.
ReplyDeleteHolden seems to be a normal kid, he is moody and sarcastic at times. He tends to think about the same things over and over again, he obsesses over one thing at a particular time. “ “Jane Gallagher,” I said. I couldn’t get over it. “Jesus H. Christ.”” (Salinger, 31) Holden gets his mind wrapped around one thing and can’t stop thinking about for instance in this quote it is Jane, who he can't stop thinking about. Holden’s old neighbor that Stradlater, his roommate is going on a date with. For some reason Holden keeps talking about her as if he knows everything about her. He gets things so wrapped in his head that all he can say and think about is the thing that he is thinking about. Holden also seems to change topics a lot he will talk about one thing at a certain time and just get off topic and it’s like dominos from there. He seems to say something that makes him think of a new topic and from there he starts talking about the new topic which makes this character very interesting to follow along with.Holden also seems to use a lot of swears but it may be because it is his age and many adolescents at that age talk like he does maybe even worse. He seems to be a nonchalant boy who doesn’t care about school and seems to not care about a lot of things. In the beginning of the book Holden talks about leaving a place in a month and how his brother visits him every week. This makes me think with the childhood and his mental state that he could be in a mental institute. The way his mind gets wrapped around one thing could have caused him to to not be mentally stable and caused him to do something that normally people wouldn’t do if they were mentally stable. His childhood could have also made him mentally unstable because he had changed schools very often and he almost seemed as an outcast and that can cause people have to mental problems because of their past childhood. As of right now in the book Holden seems to be a kid who has a strange mind at times, and seems to just be a regular adolescent that is moody, sarcastic and swears a lot.
ReplyDelete"The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger starts off by introducing a character by the name of Holden Caulfield. He is a seventeen year old male who had just recently been kicked out of Pencey, a prep school he had been attending. Trying to figure out his identity and where he currently is in his life, he does not want to face the fact that being an adolescent doesn't last forever. Caulfield shows a lot of negative emotions and has strong opinions of events that go on around him. Like most adolescents his age, he does a lot of thinking which is why the book is mostly his thoughts and a recollection of what is going on from his perspective. He gets easily distracted such as when he is talking to Mr. Spencer and tends to be very curious about random things such as ducks. "I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over... I wondered if some guy came in a truck and took them away to a zoo or something." (Salinger; 13). Although Caulfield is aware of his brother's passing, he fails to admit to himself that he is no longer there and it is hard for him to accept that. He is also a character that may say one thing and then says the exact opposite a few moments later. He doesn't seem to take school seriously as he has failed many classes and does not seem to have a role model that he can look up to. There is no clear explanation why Caulfield is the person that he is, but it can be due to the fact that he does not want to face reality because of the hardships that come with growing up and becoming an adult. Similar to adolescents now, Caulfield spends a lot of time thinking, which is crucial to human development and tends to say things that he does not always mean.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, “The Catcher in the Rye,” by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield seems to be indecisive about his thoughts and opinions. He also appears to be segregating himself from his surroundings, and trying not to get too attached to anything or anyone around him.
ReplyDeleteIn the book, Spencer picked his nose in front of Holden, and Holden responded, “I didn’t care, except that it’s pretty disgusting to watch somebody pick their nose.”(9) At first Holden tells you that he doesn’t care, but then he contradicts himself by talking about how it’s really disgusting, and it actually did bother him. Holden says and does things that contradict his previous actions multiple times throughout the beginning of the story. For example, he talks about how annoying and gross Ackley is, but then he invites Ackley to go out with him and his friend. Also, in the beginning of the book, Holden talks about how he absolutely hates the movies, but then he makes plans to go out and see a movie with his friend. By always contradicting his own thoughts, Holden is showing how he is very indecisive, and can not decide how he feels about certain people and things.
In addition, Holden is separating and disengaging himself from the people and things surrounding him. In the book, Spencer is talking about how Holden is flunking out of school, and he say, "You also had some difficulty at the Whooton School and at Elkton Hills," and Holden replies, "I didn't exactly flunk out or anything. I just quit, sort of."(13) In all of the schools he has been to, Holden doesn't try in any of his classes and flunks out, or just quits in general. By doing this, he prevents himself from getting too attached to the school and the people in it. Also, Holden talks about how he likes people like his roommate and Mr. Spencer, but then he starts insulting them, or thinking about all of their flaws. This makes it seem as if Holden is trying to disengage himself from the people he likes before he becomes too attached. Holden could be doing this, because he was very close to something or someone in his childhood and they got separated. The separation may have caused Holden to be wary of making any more close relationships, because he does not want to feel another loss like the one he had in his childhood.
Overall, Holden appears to be indecisive, and separated from his environment, which could be a result of something that happened in his childhood.
In "The Catcher in the Rye", the main character, and the narrator, is Holden Caulfield. This story takes place during Holden's adolescent years. He seems to have one straight forward opinion on everything. Holden does not really question himself and his decisions; he uses words harsh words to convey his opinion and stand on things. I'm assuming Holden is a very shy person that doesn't like getting involved with people unless he has to. His parents or experiences he has had in his life may be causing him to be this way. One very traumatic event that we get insight into is when Holden's younger brother, Allie, passed away at a very young age from leukemia. It is very possible that this may have shaped his personality and view on life. Many of the times that Holden speaks, he uses the words "hell", "goddamn", and Chrissake". This could be him expressing his anger towards what happened to Allie. At this point in his life, Holden is trying to figure out who he is, what he's going to do when he gets older, and where he fits into society. The way Holden speaks to the reader also gives me a sense that he is, in a way, paranoid or worried about the things others do. For example, during the scene where Ackley is in his room, Holden can not stop speaking about the things Ackley does that annoy him. He will not stop bothering Ackley about him cutting his nails or being a touchy guy. Holden said, "Ackley! For Chrissake. Willya please cut your crumby nails over the table? I've asked you fifty times. " (Salinger 24) Many characters in their adolescent years are just trying to find themselves and often have similar personalities and attitudes.
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ReplyDeleteIn the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger the narrator and main character, Holden Caulfield is caught in the confusing years of life known as adolescence. Holden is very harsh on himself and this belief stems from his brother’s death. I believe that after Allie died from leukemia Holden began to act out, “I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage” (Salinger 38). Because of his erratic behavior his parents shipped him off to boarding schools, also to deal with the pain of losing one of their sons. "I didn't exactly flunk out or anything. I just quit, sort of."(Salinger 13). Holden would give up because he didn't want to feel connected to people because he was scared of losing the people that he grew close to. This behavior stems from Allie’s death, as his brother he obviously loved Allie dearly and then Allie died. Holden’s older brother left to live in Hollywood. After Allie’s death Holden’s parents also abandoned him by shipping him off to various boarding schools. Every time Holden got kicked out of one of his schools it was a cry for the attention his parents refused to give him. Holden’s thoughts are very contradicting, for example, Ackley picked his nose in front of Holden, “I didn’t care, except that it’s pretty disgusting to watch somebody pick their nose.” (Salinger 9). At first Holden says he does not care but then further voiced his opinion of how disgusting it is. He completely contradicted himself. Many of Holden’s thoughts are like this, he says he does not care or calls people “phony” Holden then launches into an in depth analysis of somewhat peculiar situations. Holden is a confused, scared boy who masks his true feelings and personality behind a mask of sarcasm and cynical behavior.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character and narrator of the story is an adolescent boy named Holden Caulfield. Holden is an odd boy, with a different way of thinking than most others. He tends to get fixated on one thing at a time, not caring too much about anything else. An example of this can be seen when he is conversing with a taxi driver named Horwitz. During the conversation Holden is interested in ducks, and what happens to them in the winter. However Horwitz doesn’t know/care about the ducks and insted talks about fish. and how they spend the winter. However Holden completely disregards anything said about fish and keeps thinking about ducks. School is another one of those things he doesn’t care about. Holden isn’t a dumb kid, he isn’t a genius by any extent either, but he certainly isn’t stupid. The reason he is failing almost all of his classes is because he simply isn’t interested in them. Now Holden isn’t a jerk either. He makes his rude remarks, thinks some disrespectful things to himself and, “shoots the bull” as he calls it. But he isn’t a mean person. This can be seen when he goes to visit his soon to be former teacher Mr. Spencer. Mr Spencer is an old sick man, who I’m sure Holden wouldn’t spend his free time hanging around with.But before he leaves school he takes time out of his day and walks in the cold to Mr. Spencer’s house. So while not your average kid Holden Caulfield isn’t in a different ballpark than the rest, as of yet.
ReplyDeleteHolden is the narrator and main character in the book, “The Catcher and the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. He is a teenage boy stuck in the adolescent years of life. This stage in life can sometimes be hard for people, like it is for Holden. It is a time in your life when you’re caught between being a child and adult. Many adolescents teenagers can be moody because of all the emotional changes. Holden is just like many the other teenagers going through this stage in life but sometimes he looks at thing very differently than others. You can tell from how Holden acts that he can be shy and he isn’t very confident in himself. He criticizes everything and gets angry easily. There is a possible explanation for Holden acting in this way. His younger brother, Allie had passed away from leukemia at a young age. This traumatizing event in Holden’s life could’ve had a large impact on how he acts. He has also failed out many schools because of his grades and actions. He most recently left the prep school he had been at named Pencey. He cannot stay focused and is always interested in somebody else's business rather than his own. He criticizes everybody and everything which causes him to get angry. Holden's starts to think about a girl named Jane Gallagher once he figures out his roommate is going on a date with his old friend. “Jane Gallagher,” I said. I couldn’t get over it. “Jesus H. Christ” (Salinger 31). Once he starts to think about her he cannot stop. He can’t figure out what his feeling are towards her or anything. Throughout the book you can tell there is something wrong with Holden but you can’t quite pinpoint exactly what it is, but he doesn’t seem to be growing out of it. With everything that's happened to Holden in his past is an understable reason for his thought and actions.
ReplyDeleteHolden Caulfield has very noticeable personality traits from the very beginning where we originally meet his character. Firstly, Holden seems like he doesn’t really want to get attention from people. Examples of this are when he wanted to leave his teacher Mr. Spencer or when he chose not to speak to Jane Gallagher when he said “ I’m not in the mood right now.” His overall character as of now is relatively reclusive and doesn’t really like company except for a few exceptions like when he went to the movies. In addition, Holden has an attitude when talking to people most of the time. Not only this, but it’s as though Holden speaks with a sarcastic tone to some of the people that he talks to. He’s mostly seen doing this when he’s talking to Ackley and Stradlater like when he says “ I call people a “prince” quite often when I’m horsing around. It keeps me from getting bored or something”(Salinger 24). This whole statement that he says is basically defining what it means to be sarcastic and give people attitude. Furthermore, Holden’s thought process is sort of basic because most of the time he says similar things or acts the way you might expect him to act from what he’s already done. He pretty much quit out of the school he was at because of a very peculiar reason. Holden says that “ One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies”(Salinger 13). This shows the type of person that Holden is and why he thinks the way he does because he always sounds as though he’s trying to be real with people and doesn’t like it when people act fake. Even when he’s narrating or thinking to himself it sounds as though he’s trying to be as real with people as he can. This explains why he thinks mainly about the bad sides of people and less about the good sides of people. Even with someone like Ackley who we so far know as a generally bad or gross person probably isn’t all that bad, but Holden really focuses on the downsides of Ackley. Holden’s views on things may also make his character somewhat of a contradiction because he sounds like he’s trying to be real with people, but he sort of sounds as though he isn’t being real with himself. Lastly, Holden’s reasoning for being the way he is could be because of the way that he grew up. He mentioned that his parents were “...nice and all...”( Salinger 1). He also goes onto the fact that they were real touchy about personal things. This could imply that they wanted didn’t have much social interaction with people and Holden may not have really learned how to act from them. From this you could gather that Holden may have been independent on learning how to socially act or think when it came to people. Most people have their whole personalities and the way that they think influenced by their parents and by their peers at school. Therefore, Holden may have become the way he is because of the way that he saw people acting at an young age when he was probably more easily influenced by the things that he saw. Holden’s character has a very great personality that seems to fit who he is in the story for being the nonchalant person that he’s been conveying to us.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator of “The Catcher and the Rye” by J.D Salinger is Holden Caulfield. Throughout the book Holden is describing events of his live that occur from the time he got kicked out of private school and on. As Holden describes moments and events in his life there are certain characteristics that describe his along his journeys. Holden explains how he has been kicked out of many schools and does not seem to care about grades and academics. He has a certain laid back attitude but it seems like Holden is smarter than he shows. Also as Holden tells you of his time at school he pays close attention to detail when describing friends and classmates. His attention to detail on the ducks in the park also show that he is a very observant person but has obsessive tendencies. When describing his time in the taxicab you see that he has a fixation with the ducks in the pond and is very concerned with where they all go in the winter. He may be so concerned with the ducks migration because he is relating to them as he too is leaving a place in his life and is on his journey migrating back home. When Holden describes his brother Allie and his losing battle with cancer you get to see a softer sentimental side of Holden and get a glimpse into his past life and what may have lead to is not caring approach today and that he feels that part of his life is missing. Those are some characteristic of Holden presented by the book so far but as we continue to learn more and more of Holden we can get to know him and his characteristics more.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel "Catcher on the Rey" by J.D. Slinger , Holden Caulfield , the main character, narrates the story in a very odd yet exciting manner. Holden is an adolescent , a very blunt and opinionated adolescent. The way he tells his story is very entertaining and compels me as a reader to go further; this narration makes the book seem more realistic. Holden comes off as rude and he tells the reader how it is, for example when he introduces Ackley he is quite harsh , describing him with a " pizza face" and having halitosis. Holden probably became butter because his brother is so successful and I feel as tho he might've grown up in his shadow, never being as good. Never meeting his parents standards could've given him a very negative attitude and made the bad qualities of people and things stand out. I find whenever he introduces someone or something the reader only really sees his obscured view of how awful it is. He is even judgmental and cruel toward himself, calling himself a compulsive liar and advocating on how he gave no effort to school. Holden seems to be a very honest , direct teenage boy. Although he is very rough, almost jagged, around the edges, Holden is very appealing to me and being inside his mind is. Rey interesting as a reader .
ReplyDeleteHolden Caulfied is an interesting character in the book “The Catcher in the Rye” he can be confusing and had to understand at times. In the very beginning of the book Holden talks about his brother and his movies, the way Holden talks about his brother seems as though he is maybe jealous of his brother, or maybe Holden wants something to be proud of and he lies about his brother. Holden has been kicked out of a few schools and in the book he starts out by being kicked out of another school. Holden is troubled like any other kid his age, but he has a strange way of thinking. Holden i more focused on objects that are not important like the ducks rather than more important things. I think Holden is so interested in the smaller things because that’s how he feels on the inside, maye Holden is insecure like many adolescents are. Holden is confused on where he belongs and who he is, also like many teenagers he doesn’t care much about his grades which is how he was kicked out of school, he failed out. The way Holden thinks is strange because he says he doesn’t care about school, but he wants to get a goodbye before he leaves, and he doesn’t want to just hear it he says he wants to feel it. It's kinda hard to figure out if I like Holden or I don’t, the way Holden talks and acts makes you love him but hate him at the same time. I think Holden feels a little misunderstood by everyone and it's hard for him to express himself. Holden also seems to have trouble sitting still, he gets bored a lot an example is when he pulled his hat over his eyes and pretended he was blind. Holden does things that a mature teenager would do like taking the taxi home by himself, but he also acts childish lie what we talked about in class, some adolescents feel like they are expected to be mature but are treated like kids at the same time. Holden is a little distracted so maybe he has ADHD.
ReplyDeleteIn the book “The Catcher and The Rye” by J. D. Salinger, we get to see the world from Holden Caufield’s perspective. Although not much of the story has unfolded in the first few chapters, right away it’s apparent that Holden Caulfield is a bitter human being. He remorses at the success of others. He has nearly flunked out of all the private schools he’s been put through in the last three years due to his blase` outlook. Can we really blame him for being this way? Afterall he is an adolescent, a troublesome time in one’s life. From my reading I’ve observed that Holden is one to bring others down in order to lift himself up mentally. Which reveals how a seemingly confident young man, must have quite a few of his own insecurities. I imagine, I would view Holden this way, from the way, he outwardly appears and expresses himself. When talking to his old history teacher, Mr. Spencer, he assures him he’ll be alright in life. Similarly when with talking to his roommate, Stradlater, he seems to present himself as more of an upbeat person, hyper and easily distracted than I would have originally imagined. Having insight into Holden Caufield’s thoughts leaves you with a complete opposite and depressed view of the main character. When Holden’s roommate ask him to do him a favor by writing a description for english, Holden seems to have a lot to say. Which also reveals part of the dark cloud over his life, when describing his brilliant younger brother Allie’s baseball glove. Holden goes into detail telling us about Allie dying from cancer, a struggle for anyone to mourn. Allie dies three years prior to this book evidently about the time that Holden stops trying.
ReplyDeleteHolden Caulfield, the main character in J. D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye”, is in his adolescent years, years that can be very confusing. Holden seems in denial about lots of things in his life. For example, Holden states “I’m quite illiterate, but I read a lot.” (Salinger, 18) He isn’t accepting the fact that he is at least partially literate, considering he reads very often and English is the only subject he isn’t failing. Holden is also in denial about bigger things, such as his psychological well-being and his mind. He is in denial that something is probably wrong with him as a result of losing his little brother, Allie, to leukemia. He is very negative, and he doesn’t seem to acknowledge it. He could be suffering from depression or post traumatic stress disorder. Holden says “After I got across the road, I felt like I was sort of disappearing.” (5). He seems to see the world in a more dreary and depressing way than most, even adolescents.
ReplyDeleteHolden took his brother's death pretty harshly and it is still affecting him today. He also appears to be jealous of his older brother, possibly because he seems to have gotten over their brother’s death. He is also much more successful than Holden. Because of these issues he is unable to cope and move forward with his life. He is miserable, and thinks negatively about most things. In the first 5 chapters, the only thing he seemed genuinely excited to talk about was Allie. “He was terrifically intelligent... He was also the nicest, in lots of ways. He never got mad at anybody... God, he was a nice kid, though.” (38) The fact he talks so highly of his brother, it is clear Holden loved his him greatly. Allie died very young, and Holden was never able to get real closure, or a real goodbye. This might be why he “was trying to feel some sort of a good-by.” (4). Without real closure with his brother, he now seeks closure because without it, it made him feel worse. He still felt attached to the school, like he felt attached to his brother after his death. Holden Caulfield is very confused and negative, especially being in his adolescent years.
Holden Caufield as the narrator in the novel “The Catcher and The Rye” by J. D. Salinger the reader gets to visualize a very one sided and bias perspective of his. As he is in his adolescence he is going through many changes physically and mentally and it is a struggle for him to cope with society. For instance, Holden is lucky enough to grow up with a wealthy family and is able to have the opportunity to be educated by fantastic prep schools but blunders these opportunities with poor grades and actions resulting in him being kicked out of these schools. In this case, many times I view Holden as a unmotivated person throughout these first few chapters but there was a breakthrough. He became motivated with Jane Gallagher. With this girl Holden is motivated to win her over but has some obstacles. For example, his old roommate Stradlater is going on a date with her although it still is not stopping him from it being just her on his mind. He talks a lot about her and seems like he's been best friends with her his entire life to the point where it is almost creepy. This is definitely something as an adolescent myself I have experienced and it is a very weird feeling. His motivation seems to be very select but is also all or nothing in these cases. With his vulgar towards school and his desire for Jane as a reader you can infer which side of the argument he is on and his one sided perspective to many situations and topics. Overall, there is not much of an explanation for why he is this way but I can assume that it is the case because of his wealthy background before adolescence he had things given to him but now at this time in his life he needs to create a work ethic for things that are not appealing to him like school as a prime example.
ReplyDeleteIn The Catcher in the Rye By J.D. Salinger the main character Holden Caulfield is going threw an important and difficult phase of his life; adolescents. Holden is facing many internal conflicts as he tries to make his way past this stage of life to become an adult. First of all Holden has trouble letting go of the passed. In the beginning of the book Holden is looking down at all of the students at the football game and he states “I was trying to feel some kind of good-by” pg(4). Even though Holden shares later on that he never really liked the school, he still has trouble leaving the past behind him. Maybe Holden couldn't feel a good-by because he was guilty he never actually tried in his classes at Pencey and all he did was fail out. In the novel we find out that Holden had a troublesome past; his brother Allie died three years ago from leukemia. Holden also has issues getting passed this traumatic even in his life. Another thing that Holden struggles with is building relationships with people. Holden calls his friends (Stradlater and Ackley) morons all the time and if you call your friends stinky morons than you probably don’t have a good relationship with your friends. Holden also struggles with his feelings for Jane, his childhood friend. Holden says “I oughta go down and say hello to her, at least” pg(32). Despite what Holden says he never goes down to meet Jane but he constantly thinks about her. Holden also tries to connect with many other people but fails. For example Holden tries to make friends with the taxi driver but the driver was not interested. Holden talks about what happens to the ducks in the pond during the winter but the taxi driver gets annoyed and refuses to get a drink with Holden. Holden also tries to make friends with a lady he meets on the train. “Would you care for a cocktail?” pg(57) Holden asks the lady but she politely refuses and their relationship doesn’t build any further. Over all Holden is just a confused teenager trying to make sense of his adolescent years, build relationships and, prepare for becoming an adult. In many ways Holden is a lot like many teenagers today.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger the main character Holden Caulfield has trouble making connections with people. This happens many times over the course of the novel. Holden tries to connect with the taxi driver and have a conversation with him “By any chance do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over?”(60). In the end Holden just gets the taxi driver all riled up and the driver refuses to have a drink with him. Holden also tries to connect with the lady on the train but she thinks Holden is just a child. Holden also asks the girl with skates if she would come with him to gets some hot chocolate but she refused probably because Holden is too old. Holden can’t really fit in, he wants to stay a little kid but then he also wants to be an adult and drink and have sex. When Holden meets the prostitute he decides that he doesn’t want to have sex with her and that he only wants to talk to her. “Don’t you feel like talking for a while?”(95) But this doesn’t work out for Holden either because the prostitute gets upset and later on he gets beat up for not paying the prostitute enough money. After the play Holden talks to his date Sally about running away together. Holden says “How would you like to get the hell out of here?”(132). Sally can’t relate with Holden and instead they get into a fight, Again and again Holden tries to connect with people but Holden doesn’t seem to have found anyone who understands him.
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