Preview

Cynicism in the novel Catcher in the Rye. This essay is a research paper on what trates of a teenage cynic Holden displays, and how that relates to his actions.

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
760 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Cynicism in the novel Catcher in the Rye. This essay is a research paper on what trates of a teenage cynic Holden displays, and how that relates to his actions.
In the novel Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield displays characteristics of the cynic 's mentality. Holden hates everything about the world, he finds it "phony" (Salinger). That mentality in itself may very well be a defense mechanism that Holden displays when he is uncomfortable or put into a certain position, perhaps when he is nervous. Cynicism is a view on life that people develop through life experiences. Where, when, and how Holden developed a cynical personality and why he uses it tell a lot about the character Holden in depth.

Webster 's Dictionary defines the word cynic as follows: "a faultfinding captious critic; especially one who believes that human conduct is motivated wholly by self-interest" (cynic). That definition does nothing other than making cynics sound pernicious it doesn 't show the big picture. There 's no mention of lost values, sorrowful humor, and not even the slightest hint to "the wounded childlike soul that lurks behind a cynic 's sarcasm" (i-cynic). Perhaps there is more to cynics other than hating everything that occupies space.

Cynics are idealists under a misshapen and contorted exterior. In the words of a cynic the correct and absolute definition for a true cynic is as follows: "an idealist whose rose-colored glasses have been removed, snapped in two and stomped into the ground, immediately improving his vision" (i-cynic). But there must be a reason for Holden to be a cynic; people are not just born cynical. Something in Holden 's past directly affected his view on life.

Holden never really was the same after his little brother Allie died. He never got over his brother 's death as he constantly referred to him throughout the novel.

"The thing was, I couldn 't think of a room or a house or anything to describe the way Stradlater said he had to have... So what I did, I wrote about my brother Allie 's baseball mitt... He 's dead now. He got leukemia and died when were up in Maine, on July 18, 1946. You 'd like



Cited: Salinger, J.D. Catcher in the Rye. New York: Bantam Books, 1964. "Cynic". Webster 's Dictionary. 2002. Bayan, Rick. "What Is Cynicism?" I-Cynic. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 15 April 2005 . "Cynicism". Sophia On-Line Philosophy Courses: The Problem of Happiness.15 April 2005 . Lomazoff, Eric. "The Praises and Criticisms of J.D. Salinger 's Catcher in the Rye. Bohemian INK.1996. 19 April 2005 .

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The main reason Holden is viewed by us as sympathetic is because we know know his backstory unlike most of the other people who meet him. Holden is a troubled kid who said, “This is about the fourth school I've gone to.” You can only infer that there is something under the surface he isn’t just a bad student. Holden honestly…

    • 225 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Constantly Holden would think about past events in his life that corrupted him, and the core thought was the death of his brother, Allie. Holden admired his brother, and when he died, he could not handle all of the thoughts hat were going through his mind.…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Holden loses his innocence when his brother, Allie, dies. Allie is one of the only people Holden cared about, and he struggles with the idea of his beloved brother being touched by the angel of death. He always talks about how Allie was one of the nicest people he has ever met and his mind won’t let him get over it: "But it wasn't just that he was the most intelligent member in the family. He…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When he is at the carousal with Phoebe, he says, “if they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them” (211). What Holden means by this, is that you cannot stop people from growing up. The only way to stop aging and stay a child forever is death. Holden was so caught up with Allie’s death because Allie no longer is growing up, and he does not have to face the hardships of being an adult. Allie does not have to live in a society “surrounded by phonies” (13). Holden finally comes to terms with the fact that he must grow up and move…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Holden Caulfield Misfit

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The initial publisher of Catcher in the Rye thought Holden Caulfield was insane. In the story “Catcher in the Rye” by, J.D. Salinger, Holden was a 16 year old boy who kept being sent to different boarding schools. He had gotten kicked out of a few, before wanting to run away and not go back to the schools. His reason for being kicked out is because everyone in his schools were phony and he did not like it. Holden and society are a misfit, but Holden is the problem in this story. One example, Holden does not think before he does something. He blurts things out without thinking of the consequences of his actions. The second example is, he alienates himself from the rest of the world. He does not like a lot of people because he feels they are phony. Oddly enough, he himself has also been phony in the story. Lastly, he tries to drink his problems away. All of these signs add up to what makes Holden a misfit.…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Holden's Flaw Quotes

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The first reason for Holden’s flaw is his craziness. He acts this way because he is not normal like others. Something that he repeats constantly throughout the novel is, “He is the biggest phony.” This quote shows how Holden thinks and acts towards others. Holden acts this way because who falls in love too quickly with Jane and Sally. He also thinks this way because Jane and Sally equal perfection and he isn’t perfect like them or anybody else. Finally his thoughts are what can he do to be perfect like everyone else because he seems to be the only that is crazy. Therefore, Holden acts and thinks differently from everyone else because he is insane.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Holden Caulfield is a teenager who is struggling to fit into adult society. This is evident from very early on in the book when Salinger immediately characterises Holden as a very judgmental and cynical person. Examples from the very first page include when Holden refers to his brother D.B as a prostitute because he writes scripts for movies. He then continues “I there’s one thing I hate, it’s the movies. Don't even mention them to me”. He doesn’t even give his brother the benefit of the doubt over his occupation, and it is through phrases like this where Salinger creates the characterisation of Holden as a judgmental and stubborn personality. This is further continued throughout the novel where Holden continually uses the phrase “phony”, to refer to other people. He perceives the world as superficial, whereas it is his views on society that are lacking depth. This immediate characterisation of Holden by Salinger…

    • 532 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Holden's intense feelings of love for his deceased brother Allie and his younger sister Phoebe were rarely put into words throughout…

    • 2229 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through his actions, thoughts, and words, we see the major traits of Holden Caulfield. He is judgmental, picking out the faults of almost everyone he knows. Second, he is lonely, always seeking the company of others, and always no getting it. To add on, he is not satisfied with the company that he has since he keeps on looking for other company. Lastly, he is a depressed character, who finds no interest in everyday life, perhaps a cause of why he failed school. Despite all these negative aspects, Holden Caulfield is an interesting character who resembles many of the negative, but realistic, aspect of our…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Holden purposely alienates himself from others and doesn’t hold many close relationships. He displays lack of interest in his education. It is not straight forward, but Holden believes he has no future, does he even want one? Detachment is also represented when he fails out of every school he is sent to. He rebels against those who wish for him to have a decent life. Mr. Antolini was one of those who cares and stated “ the mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one” which Holden takes advantage of . Holden is particularly introverted (Salinger 188). He wanders the city, passing hundreds of by standards, he is still all alone. Sure he wants to talk to people but he doesn’t know how to hold a proper conversation. He is a constant critic of others actions although his actions make him come off as an arrogant pest, therefore Holden isolates…

    • 1321 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Holden Caulfield is a teenage boy living in a society in which he believes to be full of hypocrites and "phonies". Everything with any connection to his life he believes to be a phony. From teachers to his friends, to people he does not even know. Holden always found some kind of a reason to give off the impression that he is superior because they are just fake. He is in belief that he is capable of understanding everything about a person just by looking at them and judging their first impression. Holden seems to almost have an obsession with people being phony. He explains that children are innocent but once they reach a point in their lives where they can almost be taken seriously, he strives to find phoniness in somebody's personality…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Holden Caulfield has difficulty coping in life with his judging, loneliness, depression, and anti-social behaviour. Holden is cynical in life and rarely ever is happy. An anti-social person is described as Persistent lying, using charm or wit to manipulate others for personal gain or for sheer personal pleasure, intense egocentrism, sense of superiority, repeatedly violating the rights of others by the use of dishonesty and misrepresentation, hostility, significant irritability, agitation, impulsiveness, aggression or violence, poor relationships, irresponsible work behavior and failure to learn from the negative consequences of behavior; according to Mayo Clinic.com. Holden displays all of these symptoms. Things symptoms are also habits of other people, just not serve enough for them considered to be anti-social or carrying one specific trait, like the habit of lying for example. Holden claims these people to be phonies but in fact, he does the same thing. "One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. That's all. They were coming…

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel Holden talks about his brother, Allie. Unfortunately, Allie passed away from cancer. Holden still thinks and talks to Allie as if Allie was there with him. When Holden feels alone, Holden tries to communicate with Allie, saying, “Every time I’d get to the end of the block…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He hasn’t started being the catcher in the rye yet, but he has the power to save the youngsters. Overall, Holden is a normal teen like the others. Teenagers like to convey their thoughts, take risks, be kind towards others, and experience things. They want to reveal what they are thinking in an honest way. Furthermore, the advantages including the enjoyment from doing things is important to them, so they do whatever it takes to get them. Teenagers are eager in what they want to do, but don’t start until later. To conclude, a typical teenager like Holden has these…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Isolated Youth and His Struggle to Communicate." Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by Lawrence J. Trudeau, vol. 378, Gale, 2015. Literature Resource Center, go.galegroup.com. Originally published in Studies in J. D. Salinger, edited by Marvin Laser and Norman Fruman, Odyssey, 1963, pp. 177-185.…

    • 1595 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays