Character Analysis Essay On Catcher In The Rye

At this point we can tell that Holden is just a tad bit judgemental toward the opposing teams that face Pency. But with the description he gave about his childhood and about his parents, we know his life has not been an easy one. We also know that Holden is a bit of a loner because everyday instead of watching the game from the sidelines he watches the game from the top of Thomsen Hill by himself. With no friends and nothing to occupy him it is understandable the way he has a comment for everything that happens, bad or good. Holden repeatedly says “I really do” as an affirmation that he isn’t lying to you when he says something that sounds like it could be a lie. This repetition gives off a sense that Holden does not believe that he is good enough to account for
the things that he says. It sounds as if Holden is scared or afraid of the way or the things that people might be thinking or saying about him. He is unsure of the thoughts of the other people around him. At school Holden lives on campus in a dorm room, his neighbor Ackley was someone who always came into Holden’s room without knocking and touched everything and never put it back where he picked it up from. Ackley always had a way to annoy Holden one way or another, whether it be cutting his nails over the carpet of sitting on the arm of the chair instead of the seat part, or standing in Holden’s light while he is focused on reading a book. Holden tried as much as he could to get Ackley to leave but as much as he tried Ackley always back with something that annoyed Holden more than the first thing did. Holden always lost battles against Ackley because Ackley was a pro at annoying anyone and everyone. Stradlater is getting ready to go on a date and realizes that he has a composition to write that is due on Monday. Stradlater doesn’t want to skip out on the date so he asks Holden to write it for him which confuses Holden because he is flunking out of the school. Holden does not agree nor disagree to write the composition so Stradlater just hopes that he will. Holden describes Stradlater as a “sexy” guy but also informs us that he is also a secret slob. Jane Gallagher is a girl that Holden was friends with a few summers back. The way Holden talks about Jane gives signs that he once had feelings for her and her being brought back up is bringing those feelings back to Holden. Holden fears the relationship that lies ahead between Jane and Stradlater because he knows the type of girl that Jane is and the type of Guy that Stradlater is.
Jane still has a shield of innocence to her and Stradlater is a bit more experienced. Holden is describing the things that Ackley describes to him and how often he jumps around from one scene to another or from one story to another. Ackley likes to talk himself up to others talking about how many girls he’s been with and the things that he’s done with them but Holden sees right through him. “He’s a virgin if I ever saw one”. Holden knows that Ackley is a virgin because the thing that he describes of him “being” with girls is way to unrealistic for any boy at 18 years old to experience. Holden tells us his brother is dead in such a calm way “He’s dead now”. The way he says it sends a message that he was very close with his brother, Allie. Holden tells us how much of a pleasure everyone thought that he was and how good of a brother he was. We can tell from his tone that he doesn’t like to talk about it because of the feelings it left him with. Holden misses his brother and he wishes that he didn’t have to go through life without his brother by his
side. Holden and stradlater get into a fight and stradlater pins Holden to the ground. Holden says that he is strong but clearly he can not get up from underneath him. Holden is holding the whole Jane Gallagher date thing against stradlater without saying it. He is trying to be tough and is trying to defend Jane without saying he is defending Jane but he Can not compete with stradlater when it comes to a fight because Holden is not the strongest, not against Stradlater anyway. Holden leaves campus to head home sooner than he had planned because he didn’t want to wake up in the same room as Stradlater after their fight. He takes the train into the city where he meets one of his fellow school mate’s mother but only Holden doesn’t give the women his real name because he wasn't the closest friends with her son. Not at all in fact. Holden tries to get the women to have a drink with him because he wants a drink but can't afford to buy it and wants the women to buy it for him. Holden is staying the night in a hotel because he doesn’t want to get home before his parents have had the chance to digest the fact that he had been kicked out of another school and will be returning home. While he is in the hotel room, he notices many sexual activities going on between partners in other room while he is looking out his hotel room window. He says he finds it fascinating because the things that he saw happening were all things that he believes he would try with a girl if he got the chance. Holden is at a nightclub called “lavender”, they won’t let him order a drink for himself which was his intention for going. He noticed three girls sitting at a table near by and thought that he would ease his mind with women since he couldn’t get a drink. Holden danced with each of the three girls and then Bought them drinks to go around. Holden was upset because he really wanted a drink too but becaus ehe was under age he purchased the girls their drinks and went on with the night. Walking back into the hotel lobby, Jane Gallagher was back on Holden’s mind. He didn’t know what happened between her and Stradlater in Ed Banky’s car and he didn’t really want to know all the details, he just wanted to know that Stradlater hadn’t taken advantage of her in a school coaches car. Holden felt strongly about Jane Gallagher and her innocence was something that was important for him to look out for. He didn’t want Stradlater ruining the person that she is only because he wanted to get some action from a new girl than the last time.