Holden Caulfied: Unreliable Narrator
Holden Caulfield: An Unreliable Narrator
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is the narrator; throughout the story he shows to be an unreliable and reliable narrator. Caulfield is a teenage boy, who is psychologically depressed and confused. To be an unreliable narrator, the narrator must be biased, a liar, and unable to associate with other characters in the novel. These are all characteristics that prove the Holden is an unreliable narrator throughout the development of the novel. http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&p=is+holden+a+reliable+narrator http://www.ask.com/question/definition-of-unreliable-narrator http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&p=how+is+holden+biased http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Caulfield
Holden is an unreliable narrator because he does not make many good decisions and he makes many failures. He shows that he cannot make correct decisions because the school told Holden that he was being expelled, Holden states, “…I was flunking for subjects and not apply myself and all. They gave me frequent warnings…but I did not [apply myself]. So I got the ax.” (4) This shows that he is not a reliable narrator because Holden is unable someone who is reliable should apply himself to his work and know what a right decision is from a wrong decision. Through Holden’s words it shows that he does not care about himself and his education and no one wants to rely on someone with these thoughts. Holden also shows to be unreliable through his failure to make good decisions, when his former history teacher, Mr. Spencer tries to lecture Holden on his academic failures. Mr. Spencer tells Holden, “Life is a game” (8) and he tells Holden that he must play by the rules. This shows that Holden is unreliable because he is unable to listen and learn from the advice his former teacher gave him.
Holden is also an unreliable narrator because he lies many times to other characters in the book. When he leaves Pencey, he takes a train to New
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is the narrator; throughout the story he shows to be an unreliable and reliable narrator. Caulfield is a teenage boy, who is psychologically depressed and confused. To be an unreliable narrator, the narrator must be biased, a liar, and unable to associate with other characters in the novel. These are all characteristics that prove the Holden is an unreliable narrator throughout the development of the novel. http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&p=is+holden+a+reliable+narrator http://www.ask.com/question/definition-of-unreliable-narrator http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&p=how+is+holden+biased http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Caulfield
Holden is an unreliable narrator because he does not make many good decisions and he makes many failures. He shows that he cannot make correct decisions because the school told Holden that he was being expelled, Holden states, “…I was flunking for subjects and not apply myself and all. They gave me frequent warnings…but I did not [apply myself]. So I got the ax.” (4) This shows that he is not a reliable narrator because Holden is unable someone who is reliable should apply himself to his work and know what a right decision is from a wrong decision. Through Holden’s words it shows that he does not care about himself and his education and no one wants to rely on someone with these thoughts. Holden also shows to be unreliable through his failure to make good decisions, when his former history teacher, Mr. Spencer tries to lecture Holden on his academic failures. Mr. Spencer tells Holden, “Life is a game” (8) and he tells Holden that he must play by the rules. This shows that Holden is unreliable because he is unable to listen and learn from the advice his former teacher gave him.
Holden is also an unreliable narrator because he lies many times to other characters in the book. When he leaves Pencey, he takes a train to New