...Although Holden spends so much time and energy finding phoniness in others, he never openly observes his own phoniness. Holden Caulfield’s deceptions are generally pointless and cruel and he notes that he is a compulsive liar, for example, on the train to New York, he commits a needless prank on Mrs. Morrow. He would like us to believe that he is a virtuous model in a world of phoniness, but this is not the case. Though he would like to believe that the world is a simple place and that virtue and innocence on one side while shallowness and phoniness rest on the other, Holden is his own hostage. The world is not a simple place as he would like—and wants—it to be; even he cannot follow the similar standards with which he continually judges others and has difficulty growing up due to the limbo of two different worlds....
Words: 589 - Pages: 3
...Holden Caulfield's “Catcher in the Rye” Fantasy Growing up, we have all experienced a particular desire to achieve something; an ambitious state of mind that gives us meaning to life. Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, has a primary ambition - to become the Catcher in the Rye – the protector of the young and innocent, as stated in his conversation with Phoebe (Salinger, 191). Completely imaginary and a hopeless fantasy, this passage underscores what is prevalent throughout the novel - the issue of Holden's black and white perspective on the dark, phony world of adulthood juxtaposed with the light, innocent, world of childhood. The important passage contributes to Holden's clinical depression as a result of his beloved brother's death, therefore his cynical view of adulthood, and his anxiety about growing up, resulting in the overall angst and alienation palpable throughout the novel, leading to his eventual catharsis. Holden's imagery of “catching” children playing in a field of rye before they fall off a cliff is unrealistic, misheard from a little boy, and it serves merely as an escape route from what he fears most about adulthood – the change and overwhelming complexity. Holden wants everything to be easily understandable and eternally fixed, similar to the Eskimos and Indians in the museum. Opposed to acknowledging that adulthood scares and mystifies him, Holden instead invents a fantasy – that childhood is an idyllic field of rye, while...
Words: 1183 - Pages: 5
...repeated use of the word "phony" to describe characters illustrates the protagonist's internal conflict toward accepting adulthood. Holden Caulfield perceives reality with a cynical point of view. For example, he deems Mr. Spencer's remark, "Life is a game that one plays according to the rules," as shallow and superficial (Salinger 11). Through indirect characterization, readers ascertain that Caulfield is repulsed by hypocrisy and disingenuous appearances. In addition, Caulfield is critical of the banal social formalities that adults partake in. For instance, Caulfield delineates headmaster Mr. Haas' behavior of shaking hands with parents and giving them a "phony smile" (17). Caulfield's condemnatory tone is manifested when...
Words: 660 - Pages: 3
...convey the emotions felt by characters facing the transition from adolescence to adulthood. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger communicates the conflicting emotions present during Holden Caulfield's journey into adulthood, reflected by his cynical attitude towards the adult world and his idealistic perspective of the innocence of youth. One of the prevalent themes of Holden's journey to adulthood is his cynical attitude toward the adult world. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden says, "You ought to go to a boy's school sometime. Try it sometime. It's full of phonies, and all you do is study so that you can learn enough to be smart enough to be able to buy a goddamn Cadillac someday, and you have to keep...
Words: 1055 - Pages: 5
...Professor Hendricks English Composition 2 1 December 2014 Bibliography Salinger, J.D. “The Catcher in the Rye” Little, Brown and Company. Boston: 1945. This source is the actual book The Catcher in the Rye which was written by J.D. Salinger. He writes of a boy, Holden Caulfield, the narrator of The Catcher in the Rye is a troubled teenager who switches between having a pompous attitude and feeling as if he is superior to others and then being aware of being alienated from his peers, to beginning to protect his innocence and that of other people. He begins to isolate himself from others because he doesn’t want to get hurt after losing a little brother, Allie. Other students looked down upon him and that is why he has possibly developed a dislike for other people. At first his isolation is more negative than positive. Holden is kicked out of the third school due to having poor grades. After being kicked out of school, he goes on a journey filled with various incidents that cause him to make grown up decisions. The story is narrated in first-person by Holden from a psychiatric hospital where Holden is for treatment. A quotation I will be using in the book is “I am always saying ‘Glad to've met you’ to somebody I'm not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though” (Salinger 87). Madrigal 2 “Catcher in the Rye the Alienation of Holden Caulfield” Humanities 360 Print. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. Humanities 360 is a website...
Words: 910 - Pages: 4
...Olivia Tanner Mrs.Polen English 8 Position paper What does Catcher in the Rye, Harry Potter, Fifty Shades of Grey and have in common? They have all been banned in the 21st century. If you wanted to dive in the magical world of Hogwarts with Harry or wanted to follow Holden Caulfield’s mind on all things that are phonies then you have to hope that they aren't banned from your library. Catcher in the Rye should not be banned because it is relatable , has themes that we don't often see today, and there are worse things that are online. Sometimes when you are reading a story the characters are too perfect or don't seem to think about certain topic the way people do in real life so you disconnect from them. But, when you can relate to a character, like Holden from Catcher in the Rye, you start to question yourself and begin to learn about yourself more and even other people. Throughout the story you follow Holden’s point of view of his interactions with other people. Like when Holden comments about the crowd’s reactions to Ernie’s piano playing, “ You should've heard the crowd though, you would’ve puked, They were exactly the same morons that laugh like hyenas in movies at stuff that isn't funny. People always clap for the wrong things” (J.D. Salinger). In the article, The Case for Censorship in the New Social Age, discusses how censorship is sometimes needed on social sites to prevent hateful behavior...
Words: 407 - Pages: 2
...‘THE CATCHER IN THE RYE’ AND ‘IGBY GOES DOWN’ – NON-CONFORMITY Both J.D Salinger’s 1951 Bildungsroman novel The Catcher in the Rye and Burr Steer’s film Igby Goes Down, demonstrate that regardless of context, the youth will choose not to conform to socially held values. We can see that this is the manifestation of the vulnerability and hesitation experienced as adolescents like us grow up. Ultimately both these texts explore the search for identity and individualism as a cause for non-conformity. The Catcher in the Rye was written during a post war era and a time of drastic social change. However, many of its conservative values remained and most importantly, the notion of youth conformity was held in high regard. On the other hand, Igby Goes Down is set in the 1980s -1990’s American era, a time of expanding multi national corporations, materialism and commercialism. Salinger and Steers utilise the characterisation of their young, sardonic and rebellious protagonists, Holden and Igby to epitomise non-conformity. The composers allude to the recurring theme of isolation and alienation in both texts. As a result of their non-conformity, the protagonists experience rejection and depression as they search for their selfhood. Similarly, the national ethos of the American Dream is explored as a mere fallacy, and both composers portray this through their protagonist’s wealthy backgrounds and opulent upbringings and yet money doesn’t bring them happiness. Salinger, through literary...
Words: 2434 - Pages: 10
...The Catcher in The Rye Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in The Catcher in The Rye is a sixteen year old boy who is distressed between the corruptness of growing up, and the beauty of staying innocent. Holden can not withstand the thought of adulthood, he constantly emphasizes and intends to protect innocence in children. He fears that once a child loses their innocence they will become a “phony” like everyone else (Salinger 84). Holden tries to protect Jane Gallagher an old crush, Phoebe Caulfield his virtuous little sister, and all children who still have their innocence. Jane Gallagher is a not so beautiful girl that also happens to be Holden Caulfield's former crush. Jane Gallagher is...
Words: 1071 - Pages: 5
...everybody." In the novel the Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a young man who seeks the acceptance of others. In the novel, Holden Caulfield is guilty of often criticizing people for being “phony” but continues to interact with and seek guidance from them. There are many instances in the novel where the connections Holden makes do not end positively for him. Holden faces many rejections even though he is just looking for a friend. In J.D. Salinger’s the Catcher in the Rye, Holden reaches out to the nuns, Stradlater, and even a hooker to make a connection and feel accepted. Holden Caulfield’s interaction with the nuns is one of few that actually benefit him in some way. Holden first meets the nuns and helps them with their “cheap” suitcases. Holden gives them a generous donation and also wants to pay their bill, but they refuse to let him. “You’ve been more than generous,” she said . “You're a very sweet boy” (Salinger 125). After talking to the nuns, Holden feels accomplished. The nuns and Holden begin talking about Romeo and Juliet in a friendly manner, which he was not used to. After talking to the...
Words: 518 - Pages: 3
...The Catcher in the Rye Hannah Genich Mr. Buzminski ENG 3U March 7, 2015 J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye demonstrated a typical Bildungsroman novel, showing that maturing is inevitable and ones life will go on. Holden Caulfield’s experiences allow his character to undergo permanent change that altered his perspectives on life. Salinger illustrated a Bildungsroman with emotional loss, life lessons learnt from encounters, and acceptance of ethics in society. Holden’s role as a developing character in Salinger’s novel demonstrated the elements used in a Bildungsroman. The first phase of a Bildungsroman involves an emotional loss, a period of awkwardness and typically ends with moral the growth of the protagonist. The emotional loss Holden experienced was the loss of his younger brother, Allie, who passed away from leukemia five years before the beginning of the novel. This event altered Holden’s psychological behavior. Holden still grieved from the passing of Allie and regretted the time he told Allie to leave him and Bobby alone. Holden reenacted that particular moment and tried to change the past: “Okay. Go home and get your bike and meet me in front of Bobby's house” (Salinger 99). Holden tried to comfort his depression by attempting to change the past through communication with his deceased brother. Due to Holden’s ongoing struggle to deal with this loss of Allie, he demonstrated traits of awkwardness in the form of cynicism. Holden’s mental state...
Words: 1804 - Pages: 8
...novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, the main character Holden is a seventeen year old boy who loathes the thought of adolescence and maturity. Holden believes that any prep school contains “phonies” or artificial people who are controlled by adults and society. Holden holds inside this anger that has been developing ever since he lost his brother Allie. The thoughts of his brother help Holden express to the readers how Allie’s death has led him to moments in his life where he feels completely hopeless. During the time that Holden was at his prep school, he kept a baseball mitt that belonged to his brother. The mitt helped him remember the times he spent with Allie and all the astounding memories they shared. In the book,...
Words: 779 - Pages: 4
...The use of language in J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, is an upper-class boy who has gone from one private school to another, searching for -- something. He expresses his frustrations in language highly characteristic of adolescence; his extremely colloquial speech sounds just like that of teenagers today, even though Salinger's novel was written in the 1950s. But a particularly striking factor of Holden's narration is his frequent use of the words "phony" and "crazy", as well as his ongoing lapse into second person -- "you". These characteristics attain greater significance given Holden's desperate need to actually reach out and communicate with someone, anyone, who just might understand him. The novel takes place in the two days following Holden's dismissal from his latest school, Pencey Prep. Much of this two-day period is spent either making or contemplating a huge number of assignations and phone calls, most of which are never made. Each of these represents an unsatisfied need to reach out, to affirm the validity of his place in the world at that moment and have it confirmed by the response of another person. In almost every case Holden holds back from really touching another person who could make a difference to him. In fact, his very name -- Holden -- may stand for this attitude of "holding", of keeping himself so close to the vest that he is unable to communicate with the people he so desperately...
Words: 3182 - Pages: 13
...Hollow Man In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield believes that almost everyone he comes in contact with is a “phony”. About the only two people that Holden does not consider phonies are his sister, Phoebe, and his dead brother Allie. Virtually everyone else fits this label, including himself. The root of Holden’s pessimistic outlook on life and people is the fact that he is invisible. Although Holden is a phony himself, he has a negative view of society because he wants to connect with someone and he’s chronically depressed. Holden claims that most of the people he call phonies are phonies because they act a different way, or sort of put on a front, when they’re around certain people. This makes Holden a complete hypocrite in every aspect because he does this many times throughout the book. For example...
Words: 783 - Pages: 4
...The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage angst and alienation. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major languages. Around 250,000 copies are sold each year with total sales of more than 65 million books. The novel's protagonist Holden Caulfield has become an icon for teenage rebellion. The novel was included on Time's 2005 list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923, and it was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. In 2003, it was listed at number 15 on the BBC's survey The Big Read. The novel also deals with complex issues of identity, belonging, connection, and alienation. Plot summary Holden begins his story at Pencey Prep, an exclusive private school in Agerstown, Pennsylvania, on the Saturday afternoon of the traditional football game with rival school Saxon Hall. Holden misses the game. As manager of the fencing team, he loses their equipment on a New York City subway train that morning, resulting in the cancellation of a match. He goes to the home of his History teacher named Mr. Spencer. Holden has been expelled and is not to return after Christmas break, which begins the following Wednesday. Spencer is a well-meaning but long-winded middle-aged man. To Holden's annoyance, Spencer reads aloud Holden's History paper, in which Holden...
Words: 3119 - Pages: 13
...4141- 4141--- Cherished and Cursed:Towarda Social History of The Catcher in the Rye STEPHEN J. WHITFIELD THE plot is brief:in 1949 or perhaps 1950, over the course of three days during the Christmas season, a sixteen-yearold takes a picaresque journey to his New YorkCity home from the third private school to expel him. The narratorrecounts his experiences and opinions from a sanitarium in California. A heavy smoker, Holden Caulfield claims to be already six feet, two inches tall and to have wisps of grey hair; and he wonders what happens to the ducks when the ponds freeze in winter. The novel was published on 16 July 1951, sold for $3.00, and was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection. Within two weeks, it had been reprinted five times, the next month three more times-though by the third edition the jacket photographof the author had quietly disappeared. His book stayed on the bestseller list for thirty weeks, though never above fourth place.' Costing 75?, the Bantam paperback edition appeared in 1964. By 1981, when the same edition went for $2.50, sales still held steady, between twenty and thirty thousand copies per month, about a quarter of a million copies annually. In paperback the novel sold over three million copies between 1953 and 1964, climbed even higher by the 1980s, and continues to attract about as many buyers as it did in 1951. The durabilityof The author appreciates the invitationof Professors Marc Lee Raphaeland Robert A. Gross to present an early version...
Words: 12326 - Pages: 50
