1. The David Copperfield reference was written to show irony. The first time we meet Holden he says “… the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like and how my parents were occupied before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of [stuff]…” (Salinger 1). Holden makes fun of David Copperfield and how he says that he won’t get into that kind of stuff. Then he continues to spend the rest of the book talking about all the things that are similar to David Copperfield’s life 2. Holden forgot to mention his dismissal from Pencey because he had been kicked out. He casually mentions it after he told us that Mr. Spencer knew he wasn’t coming back, “I wasn’t supposed to come back after Christmas vacation on account of I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself and …show more content…
Holden hates the idea of sex because he feels once people have it, they aren’t innocent anymore. When talking about sex Holden says “I don’t like the idea. It stinks if you analyze it” (Salinger 70). Holden then continues to analyze it for the rest of the paragraph. He comes to the conclusion that if you like a girl, then say it to her face. Holden does not understand the reasoning behind sex, although he admits he would do it if he had the chance. 21. The author uses the name Faith Cavendish to show irony. Before Holden calls her up, he says “She used to be a burlesque stripper or something” (Salinger 71). This shows that Faith wasn’t all that pure in her earlier years. However, her name is Faith which shows purity. It is ironic because her name shows the exact opposite of who she is as a person. 22. Holden thinks of Jane because being with those three girls reminded him of her. When Holden is leaving the bar he talks about being with “…some girl that really knocks you out” (Salinger 85). Holden thinks Jane is a great girl and that she’s the type that he likes. Holden misses her and that’s why he starts to think of her at that
Grief is something that most humans may encounter sometime in their lives however contrary to general consensus, grieving is not a short process. In fact on average the grieving process takes 5-8 years. According to Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross there are 5 phases of the grieving process: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. This process is extremely relevant with the protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caufield, since Holden’s younger brother Allie’s died 6 years before the start of the novel therefore leaving Holden in said grieving process. Holden bounces in between the phases, specifically anger, bargaining and depression.
And I didn’t like her much. Nobody did. You had to feel sort of sorry for her, in a way” (). This demonstrates Holden’s failure to understand people and the judgemental thoughts he has. He often has these judgemental thoughts to distance himself from others.
Another very common characteristic found in most teenagers, including Holden Caulfield, is obsession about sex. Throughout the story, Holden is always thinking about sex or in his own words thinking about “giving a girl a feel”. When Holden had a temporary stay at hotel in New York, he wanted to lose his virginity by calling a prostitute over his room, but after calling the prostitute over, he was afraid to have sexual intercourse with her since he never practiced it before, so he ended up rejecting the prostitute. The only thing Holden got from this experience was a punch in the stomach from a pimp. Holden also spends a lot of time fantasizing about sex with the girls he knew from school, which is very immature, but not surprising for a
Salinger uses visual imagery to paint a picture in the reader’s mind of each moment in Holden’s life. Since the story is in perspective of Holden himself, it only makes sense that the narrator is trying to explain each detail of every event that crossed his
(Salinger, 96). This shows how Holden is naïve towards the subject of sex, since he thinks he’s ready, but he’s not. Furthermore, proving he’s afraid to grow up. As the book progresses, Holden stresses childhood innocence. He tells Phoebe that, “I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.”
What would happen to the world if kids of any age were able to watch any movie, listen to any song, and create any art they wanted? Well for starters, that would never happen, but that would be complete freedom, right? Artists, just like regular people, have their own individual opinions, but unlike regular people, some artist face censorship when expressing their ideas. In Artistic Freedom, Holden, the main character of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, originally feels that art should be censored because it could be considered harmful to children’s mindsets.
Theme: Individuality 1. “... I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.”
Holden Caulfield is not a cliche teenager that keeps his feelings in; he makes sure everyone knows how he feels and expresses it. During the book he reveals himself a little more to us. ‘When I was all set to go... I stood for a while next to the stairs and took a last look down the goddamn corridor. I was sort or crying…
He talks quite a bit about sex, but his virginity is the last existing innocence to him. Holden pays for a prostitute to have sex with, but he cannot go through with it. He is very hesitant about losing his innocence. Holden wants to be “the catcher in the rye” (191) and save all the innocence in the world. He believes that that is what he wants to do in the future as he tells his little sister, Phoebe.
Salinger is demonstrating in this phrase the fact that Holden admires his
Holden’s failure to embrace the masculine stereotype is epitomized in his idealized and naive views on romance and sexulaity. When Holden enters the upscale Edmont Hotel and sees a young couple on a date, he remarks, “I think if you don't really like a girl, you shouldn't horse around with her at all …. It's really too bad that so much crumby stuff is a lot of fun sometimes” (Salinger 70). Holden’s belief that a man should not engage in a casual relationship with a woman unless he truly loves her, stands in stark contrast to masculine standards which encourage and congratulate men’s sexual exploits. Holden’s asexual beliefs
Holden think about whether Jane and her "lousy adolescence" fills in as some kind of association amongst her and Holden. Given the circumstances, he later uncovers that he, as well, has had some "pervert" stuff transpire "around twenty circumstances since he was a child." On pages 87-88 Jane and Holden start to have dialogue and he begging’s to like her even more so does she. This allows Holden to have extreme confidence and maturity into making him a better person.
Change Can Be Good As one grows up they may experience dramatic changes in their life that they wish had never occurred. In The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D Salinger, the main Character Holden Caulfield, goes through loss as his life begins to change right in front of him. His brother Allie who Holden was very close with, passes away, and his family and friends are all moving forward with their lives.
Throughout “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D Salinger, Holden Caulfield shows great difficulty making long and meaningful connections with other people. Holden believes he is the normal one but it is actually the other way around. He holds on to a deep emotional road block of the death of his innocent brother Allie. Holden keeps this dragging around with him which causes him to veer from connecting and having a long term relationship with others.
In Session I, Holden displays signs of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). throughout the session, he tells me about his day and the events that took place, but he seems to always be fixated on things that seem out of place or messy. Holden goes on to tell me about how Ackley purposely misplaced his items when he visited his room: "He must've picked up that goddam picture and looked at it at least five thousand times since I got it. He always put it back in the wrong place, too, when he was finished. He did it on purpose.