Examples Of Phony In Catcher In The Rye

The novel "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger is very interesting novel in which the main character, Holden, intrigues the reader with his unpredictable actions and upfront judgments of his surroundings. Holden alienates himself to try and help protect him from the outside world and conserve his innocence. He constantly proves this to reader many in times in the novel by, telling characters he feels different, wearing clothing that makes him stand out even though it may make him look stupid, and failing to come through in relationships with characters in the story.

Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D Salinger is a classic novel that is not only controversial but contains relatable characters such as Holden Caulfield. Holden is a 16 year old boy who has gone through so much pain and hurt throughout his life that he has given up in school and during the novel you start to see that he has given up at life itself as well. Holden struggles with depression, unhealthy drinking habits and with failing out of school. These three struggles are very relatable to teenagers these days. In the following paragraphs I will show you the connection between teenagers these days and Holden and the the similarities that make him such a relatable character. Holden is an ideal and universal representation of teenagers.

Literature has always relied on techniques to catch the reader’s attention and format the story, and “the Catcher in the Rye” is no exception. Salinger brought many different writing styles into his novel to make it a bestseller. With his knowledge, Salinger was able to depict the persona of Holden to the reader without directly stating his characteristics. Salinger proves Holden is a lonesome figure who wanted to fit in but struggles to be accepted. The Catcher in the Rye depicts Holden as one who struggles with his sexuality and adulthood and wants to save children from adulthood because of the difficulties that it has brought himself. Salinger greatly expresses Holden through the use of metaphor, imagery, symbolism,

Actor Judd Nelson once said: “Young alienation, disappointment and heartache is all a part of the first real growing up that we do.” Nelson’s quote demonstrates a main theme of alienation throughout J.D. Salinger’s contemporary fiction novel The Catcher in the Rye. The novel follows teen Holden Caulfield as he leaves his school and stays in New York for the weekend. There, Holden constantly finds himself alone and isolated even though he meets many people. Through diction, indirect characterization, dialogue, and symbolism, Salinger creates the alienated character Holden Caulfield.

There is no character that stands out against the society’s ideals and best represent for teenagers like Holden Caulfield. Like some teens, Holden does not do well in school and eventually gets kick out from one of the most prestigious schools in Agerstown, Pennsylvania: Pencey Prep. He gets so feed up with the school that he decides to leave earlier and travels to New York to have some lone times. During this period, the interactions that he has with the people he meets change his behavior and mind set, especially with Phoebe. In “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, Holden indeed is still a relatable character through his actions, feelings, and concerns to his family members, especially Phoebe.

Many readers will agree that The Catcher in the Rye is a coming of age, but some may disagree that it is not because of Holden’s personal view of children. The disagreement may have resulted from Holden’s childish acts, such as, being

To make an understatement, Holden Caulfield is the driving force behind The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger. Salinger comedically tells the story in Holden’s perspective, and depicts a condensed version of his life story. Because of his life experiences including loss and depression, Holden is a very reserved individual; his inability to express his feelings keeps him from reaching his full potential. He is too emotionally inept to keep strong relationships with people and this results in him struggling with loneliness and waves of sadness. Though this book was written in 1951, the character traits and problems that Holden embodies are still relevant to teenagers of today. Not only do they feel in excess the struggles of everyday life, but all teenagers can relate to Holden on the varying severities of self-isolation, recurring depression, and dealing with the consequences of the

He chooses to not acknowledge this and he wants to keep his innocence like the children in the field of rye. Once Holden leaves Pencey and heads into New York, he must face many scenarios where he must confront the good, the bad, and the ugly of life. At one point he encounters a man and a woman spitting water into each others faces. When seeing this he unexpectedly enjoys it and is confused why. He goes on to talk about how “[sex] is something I just don’t understand. I swear to God I don’t” and how he is unaware of the complications of what comes with it (pg.63). Holden exhibits that he still has his innocence and still has not realized the complicated things that come with adulthood such as sex. Another instance of Holden not being able to come to grips with adulthood is when he marvels at the timelessness of the Museum of Natural History. Holden discusses how “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move. . . . Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you.” (pg. 121). Holden is afraid of the idea of time changing things and he is scared of change. He is scared of the responsibilities that come with change and how things may change around him while he is left behind. At this point in time, when Holden’s journey through New York is coming to a close, he starts to realize

J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye presents a look into the mind of Holden Caulfield, a popular literary icon numerous teenagers have rightfully found themselves relating to at some point. While the familiar emotions of Holden were welcoming for me, his anecdotes and witty remarks proved entertaining as well. The story chronicles Holden’s exploration through New York post-expulsion, with his point of view influenced by his growing alienation with the world. He represents that growing sense of unease at growing up and facing a reality that is not always pretty, and, in his case, a need to save children from having to face that reality. I personally admired the fact that he was not just an angry teenager in the world as stereotypes suggest.

Throughout the novel “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden seems to be excluded and isolated to the point he becomes alienated from the world in order for him to protect himself from other people.

The story begins from Holden being flunked out of the Pencey Preparatory School, in which he failed 4 of his 5 subjects, what was the major reason of his dismissal. However, instead of being disappointed with himself, the boy was rather content with leaving the place representing everything but truth. According to Holden, this institution, which is controlled by adults is despicable and fake; for instance, the advertisements of Pencey “[show] some hot-shot guy on a horse jumping over a fence. Like as if all you ever did at Pencey was [play] polo all the time. [He] never even once saw a horse anywhere near the place” (Salinger 4). Through his attitude towards the closest people surrounding him, Holden resents the adult world and resists entry into it, even

The Catcher in the Rye focuses on a character named Holden, who by any means, does not fit society’s mold of a young adolescent. While on a date with Sally Hayes, Holden mentions how instead of dealing with all the phonies in the world, he would much rather run away with her and “stay in [some] cabin camps and stuff...until the dough runs out”(Salinger 77). Though quite unrealistic, instead of trying to fit the mold of getting a job and contributing to society, Holden believes the world is very much fake to the point where he would much rather escape the harshness and the cage, and run free in a cabin in the woods. His thought process is unlike any other individual in the society he lives in, and Holden would much rather stay true to what he believes in, and who he wants to be. Moving forward, when visiting Mr. Antolini, his former teacher and mentor, where he warns him of a “terrible, terrible fall” that may occur if he were to continue acting the way he did(Salinger 109). However, instead of listening and heeding Mr. Antolini’s warning, Holden chooses to continue thinking the way he does, concentrating on his own thoughts of how tired he feels. Holden’s view on how society wants him to be contradicts the way he wants to act. Holden would much rather do as he pleases when he pleases than let society decide for him. Instead of conforming to what society would want an adolescent to do, Holden puts his own thought and spin into every situation he faces.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a coming-of-age novel about an adolescent boy’s struggle throughout high school and his hesitation to growing up. Set in the year 1946, Holden Caulfield recounts a week in his life, which is full of events and encounters that make him reluctant to maturing. The novel is not only about a lost and conflicted adult- Holden Caulfield- but also his journey of trying to overcome the grief he feels from the death of his brother. Holden rambles and digresses away from the main point of his story multiple times. However, they all are significant roles that relate to the overall story. J.D. Salinger displays Holden’s opposition to transferring from an adolescent society to an adult society by integrating the thematic conflict of innocence and the phoniness of adulthood, major symbols, and the use of informal language and jargon.

It’s hard to not appreciate The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, but’s it’s also hard to be one hundred percent involved in the narrator’s, Holden Caulfield, life. The journey of a young boy and his youth is fascinating, enjoyable even; however, Holden’s isn’t the typical life of a sixteen year old. Holden has a unique personality, unique life experiences, and an independence that can rival all of the angsty teens he grows up with.

The novel The Catcher in the Rye is considered one of the most controversial and criticized books in the history of literature. Mainly due to the fact of the protagonist Holden Caulfield being a troubled and rebellious teenager that you journey with throughout in his cynical tone. Teenagers during the 1950s argued that Holden stood as a teenage icon for his relatability and typical attitude and behavior for adolescences at the time. While parents argued that he was the bane of existence for his inappropriate behavior, language, and attitudes. Yet, many people can’t argue that Holden Caulfield makes no sort of progression of growth or development throughout the novel. After the analysis of Holden’s desperate need of companionship, his need to protect his innocence for himself and others, and his lack of responsibility, it will be present that Holden’s development as a character is incredibly non-existent and is a major criticism of the book.