Holden Caulfield Coming Of Age Analysis

Holden’s interactions with Sally Hayes and the nuns challenges Holden’s way of thinking because his corrupt way of thinking will prevent him from functioning very well in life especially with his negative outlook on life and others. Holden got lucky that he happened to know English literature so he could relate with the

The Catcher in the Rye is written by J.D Salinger and is a coming-of-age novel. This book portrays Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old protagonist, who gets expelled from his fourth school. After this incident, Holden goes on a journey in New York before heading home to face the consequences from his parents. Throughout his odyssey, for investigating the meaning of life, Holden is accommodated by three people- Dick Slagle, James Castle, and his younger sister, Phoebe. These three characters left in imprint on him.

He tells us that the hotel was full of “lousy perverts” doing “crumby stuff” (Salinger 33). The scathing remark isn’t unfounded, because in two different rooms Holden see a crossdressing man and two adults spitting water on each other. Though he admonishes the people he sees, he goes on to describe in vivid detail exactly what he saw. Later on, he orders a prostitute named Sunny (who’s a minor) to his hotel room, only to back out when things get too hot. As intelligent as Holden is, he’s incredibly immature when it comes to intimacy or relationships. While he welcomes “brief and isolated instances of kindness” (Edwards), he tends to avoid any type of emotional investment. Unfortunately for him, this is a major part of growing up, something Holden refuses to

What does it mean to be an adult? But then again, what does it mean to be a child? An adult is one who is seen as responsible and independent while a child is the complete opposite, dependent on others and irresponsible to the point where it became ridiculous. Yet, what about those who are in a limbo between both adult and child and shows both of these characteristics, because in the position of a young adult, they are somewhere in between since they look old but might still have a couple thoughts those of a child might have. They still do not have all of the responsibilities an adult might have but they don't have as much freedom as a child might have. This is where Holden Caulfield

One could say Holden is an immature 17 year old. He likes to spend his time at bars and loves to smoke, a lot. He likes the idea of being an adult but he simply can't be because of his age, he tries to get people to allow him to buy drinks and he is fascinated by the idea of sex, even though he doesn't really understand what it's all about. Something key to note though is Holden is very nice to women, if they tell him to stop for one reason or another he will. Holden also curses like a sailor it seems almost every sentence that comes out of his mouth has to have some sort of swear word in it. From an outside

Those who disagree may say that Holden does not reject adults, he even befriends the two nuns he sits by in the restaurant. However, he seldom enjoyed the company of an adult, and the fact that the two who choses to have discourse with are symbols of innocence in both the novel and reality. Holden enjoyed the companionship of the nuns so much because they did preserve their innocent minds, in which he strived to protect. Furthermore people with an opposing viewpoint or interpretation may say that holden had a relationship with his former teacher, Mr.Antolini. However Holden did indeed visit him, he did not even stay there through the night after the incident of Mr.Antolini patting him on the head. This further shows how disconnected and isolated Holden chooses to be from society and how he rejects any

Everybody at some point has to grow up. everybody will, sooner or later, have to adopt the responsibility that comes with adulthood. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is experiencing major growth throughout the book. This is evident through Characterization, Holden’s thoughts and realizations, and Plot events throughout the story. Throughout the book, Holden gives the impression to be reluctant and resistant to grow up and be an adult. He favors the companionship of more mature and intelligently developed children like Phoebe, his younger sister over most adults or older people, like Sally Hayes, Old Spencer and so on. Holden also consistently calls many adults “phony” as he is not fond of their fraudulent actions. Despite Holden’s resistance of adulthood, he still does undergoes many changes in his actions that shows he is maturing and becoming an adult, as well as becoming part of and accustomed too many parts of adult life.

There is a strong resemblance of Holden Caulfield to J.D. Salinger in which one could say it is quite autobiographical about Salinger's views of the world. Whereas Holden gave up the dream of ditching society and living by himself away from everyone else, Salinger didn't. After the success of the novel put him in high demand in the public eye, he withdrew and lived a life of isolation. Salinger’s early life is so similarly close to that of the character Holden in "Catcher in the Rye" in several significant ways, one of which is that Salinger grew up and spent his entire life in the wealthy apartment district of Manhattan. He was also sent to prep schools where he had difficulty adjusting.

Becoming an adult is a hard process that we all have to pass through. During the time of adolescence, teenagers desire to explore the adult world, but at the same time, they are sensitive and still immature in many ways. Holden, in the novel “the Catcher in the Rye” (1951) by J.D. Salinger, is an example of this condition. The novel is about, Holden Caulfield, who is 16years old, been expelled from Pencey prep school and tries experience the ‘adult world’ in New York City. When a child reads this novel, they seem to see Holden as a heroic character because he does different things as other characters do in the novel.

Long-time controversial novel The Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger, explores the world of living post-trauma as a youth in the midst of the nineteen-fifties, through the eyes and flowing thoughts of its narrator, Holden Caulfield- a sixteen year old boy recuperating from the traumatic loss of his younger brother, Allie. Jumping into the story, the audience quickly learns that Holden is retelling his story in some sort of hospital, after he “got pretty run-down and had to come out… and take it easy” (1). Salinger goes out of his way to make points on many touchy topics throughout Catcher, however, the true meaning of the text is heavily debated due to the nature of Holden: a sarcastic, lying, cynic. Often labeled an “unreliable

Holden tries to hold onto his innocence therefore separating himself from the rest of society. Although, sex is quite a taboo topic, it is also a very common interest in society. It is especially a common interest for teenage boys like Holden. Unlike his roommate Stradtler and many others in society Holden feels like sex should not be meaningless. He feels that it is important to have a real connection with the other person. This view on sex and the nature of the relationship separates him from many people his age, including his roommate. When Holden visits Phoebe's school and is upset by the vulgar writing on the wall he says, “I thought how Phoebe and all the other kids would see it, and how they'd wonder what the hell it meant, and then finally some dirty kid would tell them" (Salinger 260). There he expresses his desire for people's innocence to be preserved. This idea to keep children young and pure is far different from societies desire for people to grow up

In Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s fantasy of being “the catcher in the rye” is a direct reflection of his unstable emotional state: he wants to shield other children from the horrors adulthood, subconsciously because he feels vulnerable and alone in the world, and does not want others to experience that type of pain, as evidenced through Holden’s thoughts during different periods of time in the novel.

Holden is the main character in the story and he has a rough time making and keeping friends. He is rude and he doesn’t seem to think about what he says before he says. Within the book he talks about other characters and he explains all of the characteristics that he doesn’t like about that one person. For example, he talks about Ackley in the book and he has nothing good to say about Ackley. The reader also gets introduced to Stradler, Holden’s roommate, but he talks poorly of Stradler. At first it seems like maybe Stradler is a pretty cool character then, Holden explains everything that he feels is wrong with Stradler. The current society tends to become easily offended and this would only add to Holden not having many friends.

Holden’s clouded judgment and extreme cynicism, which he uses to stay alienated and disconnected from society and others, indicates he suffers psychological and emotional struggle. Cynicism is a state of mind characterized by a general distrust of others' motives. Holden hates everything about the society he lives in and sees a lot of wrong in the world. He finds most people fake or “phony” (Salinger). His negativity and criticism of others is often unreasonable. For example, Holden ventures down into the Lavender Room, a nightclub in the hotel, to see what is going on. As soon as he gets there, he starts making judgmental comments about the people he sees, “Except for a few pimpy-looking guys, and a few whory-looking blondes, the lobby was pretty empty” (Salinger 90 ).

Holden needed guidance and had many questions about sexuality, and desperately needed someone to discuss it with him. One source writes, “Holden struggles with his emerging sexuality. He is unable to relate in any meaningful way to the girls he encounters