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Holden Caulfield And Sympathy In Catcher In The Rye

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Values Through Sympathy

Empathy and sympathy are the feelings that make us human, the feelings that can reveal our true values. Holden Caulfield, from J.D. Salinger’s Catcher In The Rye, seems like the type of guy that wouldn’t be able to feel sympathy. He has many faults, like depression, excessive lying, suicidal thoughts, and more, that could interfere with compassion. He also tends to cover up his emotions to not convey any true feelings. However, this is not the case. There are many instances of Holden showing compassion and pity which show his foremost value, which is his longing for a better society. Through Holden’s instances of sympathy for Ackley, Sunny the prostitute, and the nuns, J.D. Salinger symbolizes Holden’s true desire of a harmonious, non-corrupt society.
Holden’s commiseration for Ackley …show more content…
Ackley definitely is a black sheep in the herd of Pencey Preparatory School. He’s anti-social, anti-hygiene, and even anti-manners. Due to all of these, he gets made fun of and excluded relentlessly. Although Holden joins society in pointing out Ackley’s social and hygienic complications, he also feels quite bad for him. Holden points out that “his teeth were always mossy-looking, and his ears were always dirty as hell” (Salinger 26). Holden also talks about Ackley’s “lousy manners” (Salinger 27), the fact that “he hardly ever went anywhere” (Salinger 22), and how Ackley couldn’t take a hint. However, in response to his own observations, he “felt sort of sorry for him, in a way” (Salinger 28-29). While the reader doesn’t

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