Catcher in the Rye essay
Life Lessons through Holden Caulfield
In “The Catcher in the Rye”, Salinger uses Holden Caulfield as a vessel to portray the loneliness created by the flaws and realities of the human psyche. Human beings are not born “socialized”. The process of socialization and the ability to interact positively with others can be a long and perilous journey. Loneliness is a common theme of human existence. The alienation can be created via multiple pathways such as by lacking a sense of self, lacking support from family, and through not “playing” by society’s rules. Understanding what Holden is going through and why he acts the way he does gives a greater understanding of life. While Holden himself may be a fictional character, he represents a common figure in society who is often misunderstood. Holden is lonely. Loneliness is created by not playing by the rules. Before Holden leaves Pencey, his teacher tells him that he has to “play life according to the rules” (Salinger 12). When growing up, parents teach you basic courtesies. There are certain rules to which humans follow; they are used to show politeness, to use respect, and to properly interact with other human beings without causing trouble. Most people can understand these rules naturally, and for the most part, can follow them without thinking about it. There are others, such as Holden, who have no such luck. Holden has a hard time interacting with other people. His inability to make friends, relate with other people, lack of motivation, and lack of support from his family causes him to alienate himself from others. This alienation is the root to his loneliness. While his roommate, Stradlater, goes out; Holden stays in his room. Stradlater asks Holden to write a descriptive composition on a house or room for him. Instead, Holden ends up writing about his old baseball glove. This provokes Stradlater to yell “you don’t do one damn thing the way you’re supposed to!” (53). This didn’t just refer to the
In “The Catcher in the Rye”, Salinger uses Holden Caulfield as a vessel to portray the loneliness created by the flaws and realities of the human psyche. Human beings are not born “socialized”. The process of socialization and the ability to interact positively with others can be a long and perilous journey. Loneliness is a common theme of human existence. The alienation can be created via multiple pathways such as by lacking a sense of self, lacking support from family, and through not “playing” by society’s rules. Understanding what Holden is going through and why he acts the way he does gives a greater understanding of life. While Holden himself may be a fictional character, he represents a common figure in society who is often misunderstood. Holden is lonely. Loneliness is created by not playing by the rules. Before Holden leaves Pencey, his teacher tells him that he has to “play life according to the rules” (Salinger 12). When growing up, parents teach you basic courtesies. There are certain rules to which humans follow; they are used to show politeness, to use respect, and to properly interact with other human beings without causing trouble. Most people can understand these rules naturally, and for the most part, can follow them without thinking about it. There are others, such as Holden, who have no such luck. Holden has a hard time interacting with other people. His inability to make friends, relate with other people, lack of motivation, and lack of support from his family causes him to alienate himself from others. This alienation is the root to his loneliness. While his roommate, Stradlater, goes out; Holden stays in his room. Stradlater asks Holden to write a descriptive composition on a house or room for him. Instead, Holden ends up writing about his old baseball glove. This provokes Stradlater to yell “you don’t do one damn thing the way you’re supposed to!” (53). This didn’t just refer to the