Holden Caulfield Character Analysis
Thomas Kim
Period 1
3/15/10
Who Exactly is this Compulsive Liar?
Trivial and interesting are the personality traits that come to mind when thinking of the character, Holden Caulfield. The title of the book by JD Salinger reveals much about the personality of Caulfield. Holden Caulfield, the main character of The Catcher in the Rye, is explained in great detail with the title. The life experiences of Caulfield have shaped him in each and every way. Holden Caulfield’s personality is revealed to be protecting, childish, and at the same time very confused. Holden Caulfield’s personality is very protective and the title of the novel explains how so. For example, Caulfield says, “…I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s …show more content…
For example, Caulfield says, “Anyway, I kept picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all,” (Salinger 173). Holden wishes as if he is a child. He lets his imagination run free and lets his dreams get out of control. Holden gets carried away with his childish fantasies. Holden gets carried away with his fantasy of going away with Sally Hayes (Salinger 132). He gets very serious about it and that is very childish because it doesn’t even seem plausible. The way that he envisions so many outlandish ideas and talks about them as if they could happen shows that his mental age is at a very low level. His childish acts of getting carried away shows signs of his innocent being. After being angered by the sight of the vulgarity on the wall at Phoebe’s school, Caulfield wants to pummel the person that did it. But, Caulfield admits that if it were to come to it, he would be too scared to confront him and back out (Salinger 201). Holden is not fully developed mentally and is the real world scares him. He is childish because he states that he wants to do something but ends up going back on his word. Furthermore, Holden Caulfield is not only protective and childish, but he is also very confused about many things in his
Period 1
3/15/10
Who Exactly is this Compulsive Liar?
Trivial and interesting are the personality traits that come to mind when thinking of the character, Holden Caulfield. The title of the book by JD Salinger reveals much about the personality of Caulfield. Holden Caulfield, the main character of The Catcher in the Rye, is explained in great detail with the title. The life experiences of Caulfield have shaped him in each and every way. Holden Caulfield’s personality is revealed to be protecting, childish, and at the same time very confused. Holden Caulfield’s personality is very protective and the title of the novel explains how so. For example, Caulfield says, “…I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s …show more content…
For example, Caulfield says, “Anyway, I kept picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all,” (Salinger 173). Holden wishes as if he is a child. He lets his imagination run free and lets his dreams get out of control. Holden gets carried away with his childish fantasies. Holden gets carried away with his fantasy of going away with Sally Hayes (Salinger 132). He gets very serious about it and that is very childish because it doesn’t even seem plausible. The way that he envisions so many outlandish ideas and talks about them as if they could happen shows that his mental age is at a very low level. His childish acts of getting carried away shows signs of his innocent being. After being angered by the sight of the vulgarity on the wall at Phoebe’s school, Caulfield wants to pummel the person that did it. But, Caulfield admits that if it were to come to it, he would be too scared to confront him and back out (Salinger 201). Holden is not fully developed mentally and is the real world scares him. He is childish because he states that he wants to do something but ends up going back on his word. Furthermore, Holden Caulfield is not only protective and childish, but he is also very confused about many things in his