...Aha Moment- After having a strenuous few days, Holden has come to a realization about what he wants to do with the rest of his life. While talking with Phoebe about failing out of Pencey, she brings up the point about what he will do if he does not continue school. Holden stops and really thinks about this and all of a sudden has an idea, “That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye. I know its’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be”(Salinger 225). Although this idea sounds crazy, it must mean something because The Catcher in the Rye, ended up being the title of the book. It is also ironic that Holden wants to do something that helps others because he needs the help of other people to help him through his problems. This is a significant realization for Holden because now he can have something to aim for in life instead of being depressed all the time. Aha Moment- There are two occasion in the book where Holden has came up with a plan to move to a secluded place and to never be bothered by anyone. The first time this plan came up was when Holden was on a date with Sally Hayes. Out of nowhere Holden wanted Sally to run away with him to a...
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...In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden has been kicked out of Pencey Prep; he then proceeds to visit Mr. Spencer whom he talks to for a while. Mr. Spencer leaves Holden more depressed than he was beforehand. Holden leaves Pencey Prep and goes into New York City where he debates calling Jane, searches for Phoebe, and tries to cheer himself up before having to go back home. Holden goes back home during the night to talk to Phoebe and she gives Holden some money she had been saving, Holden cries and goes back out. Holden returns home at the end of the novel and we don’t know what happens, but he tells us that everything is okay. Throughout the novel three main literary elements are present: Holden’s tone, Holden’s point of view, and Phoebe’s point of view. The tone and word choice Holden uses reveals what’s going on inside his head. Holden uses negative and hostile language which shows his despair and isolation (Miller). “‘That’s exactly my goddam point,” I said. “I don’t get hardly anything out of anything. I’m in bad shape. I’m in lousy shape’” (Salinger 146). The novel is packed with religious profanity that Holden emits all throughout the novel and because of it, religion is kept fresh in one’s mind and can infer that Holden wants it but doesn't want to go through with getting what he wants (Evans). Though the religious profanity is so prevalent in...
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...The Deep Depression of a College Student Depression, a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, unimportant, and often is unable to live in a normal way. This definition ties into the main character in J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye. The Catcher in the Rye is a novel about a teenage boy, Holden Caulfield, who is suffering from a depression problem. Some people believe he is not suffering from the mental illness of depression. While others believe he is suffering from the mental illness of depression. In The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, Holden Caulfield is suffering from the mental illness of depression, which began when he lost his younger brother Allie at a young age. The death of Allie began the mental illness of depression for Holden. “I was only thirteen, and they were gonna have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the...
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...Catcher in the Rye Critical Paper Pencey Prep High School expelled Holden Caulfield at 17 years old on account of flunking. He failed 4 out of 5 of his classes at Pencey Prep; the only passing grade was in English. (Salinger 4) A total of 5 prep schools have expelled Caulfield throughout his teenage years. (Sallinger 13-14) Regarding Holden’s abnormal physical appearance, he has grey hair with a statue of 62.5 inches. (Salinger 9) Holden's tendency is to resort to perverted ideas around sexual desires and memories. Starting out after his expulsion from Pencey Prep, Holden's journal The Catcher In The Rye gives a detail account on his adventures in New York City. Holden Caulfield is in this facility because he hallucinated Allie's existence...
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...In “Catcher in the Rye” Holden hypocritically points out the phonies and wickedness around him throughout the novel. Holden thinks everyone is phony, because adulthood creates a “phony” world in his eyes. Holden idolizes Phoebe, because he believes she is the only one besides Allie, his younger brother, who is not fake. Hopeless, lonely, bad and beat are Holden's labels. Depression, longing, emptiness, anger and cynicism were his true emotions and attitudes. He doesn't have a filter, because he would talk badly about others. (“Her son was doubtless the biggest bastard that ever went to Pencey, in the whole crumby history of the school. He was always going down the corridor, after he'd had a shower, snapping his soggy old wet towel at people's asses… I told her. I didn't feel like giving her my whole life history. Rudolf Schmidt was the name of the janitor of our dorm.”) (Holden 30) This demonstrates that although he had these thoughts, he lied to his mother, which showed the phoniness within himself. Holden expresses this hypocrisy by complaining about others while doing similar actions, and sinking in his childhood after his brother died, which is the emotional scaring we see as a trend in the novel. In the “Catcher In The Rye” we know that Holden came from a mental hospital, we then understand that he mentally...
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...Do you know that about 20 percent of teens will experience teen depression before they reach adulthood? According to Teen Depression: Teen depression can affect a teen regardless of gender, social background, income level, race, or school or other achievements, though teenage girls report suffering from depression more often than teenage boys. Teenage boys are less likely to seek help or recognize that they suffer from depression, probably due to different social expectations for boys and girls – girls are encouraged to express their feelings while boys are not. Teenage girls’ somewhat stronger dependence on social ties, however, can increase the chances of teen depression being triggered by social factors, such as loss of friends. (teendepression.org) There are many symptoms of teen depression. Some of the most common symptoms of depression include: Loss of interest in daily activities or hobbies, change in personality, changes in appetite, lack of energy, feeling of worthlessness, guilt and low self-esteem, sadness, isolation from family and friends, poor performance at school and work, and suicidal thoughts (teen-depression.info). In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, Holden Caulfield, the main character, is suffering from depression and has difficulty dealing with his own life. Holden is depressed because of many things such as: his failure in life and school, his loneliness, and also because of the death of his brother, Allie. As he tells more stories,...
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...Death Lives On Everyone’s lives are constantly being altered by the events occurring around them. This can change your personality and possibly your mental health. In Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Holden’s life has been drastically altered from specific events that happened to him in his adolescence. Holden’s mental health is significantly altered due to deaths that occurred around him, mainly Allie’s death. Also due to these deaths Holden is lead to a conclusion that everyone is a phony. Finally, Holden refuses to commit to relationships with anyone after the death of Allie; he distances himself and avoids deep lasting relationships. Holden is affected strongly by James and Allie’s deaths; he is suicidal with mental problems and...
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...The story Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is about a 16-year-old boy named Holden Caulfield. His story starts off in a mental institution where he is undergoing treatment for a severe nervous breakdown, after being kicked out of Pencey Prep. This is not the first time he got kicked out of school, he continuously fails academically regardless of the school. He develops deep depression over the death of his younger brother, Allie, who died from Leukemia about three years ago. He is not sociable with his peers, has no real friends, and creates conflicts with or criticizes everyone around him. Holden had feelings of apprehension over Stradlater's date with Jane, and leaves school just days before he is suppose to, without. He also is not...
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...Anthony Cann English Hour 1 The Catcher in the Rye Term Paper The story was full of pain, suffering, and above all, just a dark story in general but it was covered up by making it humorous which made it a way better story. So the main character of the story is Holden Caulfield, the man with the depression and all the sadness and darkness surrounding him. Holden was suffering from so many consequences like depression, anxiety, and was trying to be suicidal but the tone of how that was represented changed since it was brought to the reader as a funny tone instead of a dark and depressing tone. He needed therapy to deal with the thought of his early life that only mentioned his brother D.B. who was a Hollywood writer, and with bringing that statement...
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...In the Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, Jane has a drastic impact on Holden. She keeps him grounded in multiple ways. Jane prevents him from falling down a dark path. She makes Holden realize that people change and that it is impossible to keep them the same. Jane is a reminder of happiness and reality to Holden as he transforms himself throughout the novel, allowing him to maintain hope during this delicate time. Jane is a source of reality for Holden because as he hears more about her from others, he can see how she has changed. She establishes the idea that it is impossible for everyone to stay the same. Holden wants to keep Jane in a glass box; he does not like the idea of Jane growing up and losing her innocence. Shortly after Holden...
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