Holden Caulfield Character Development
The development of the character Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye
Many adolescents often suffer from a lack of direction. Not knowing what they are doing or where they are headed, faced with the many obstacles of both life and adult society as they struggle to find direction in the world. Many long for acceptance and love that they do not receive. This description perfectly suits the situation befalling Holden Caulfield, the controversial protagonist and main character of J. D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. In the novel, after being expelled from his fourth school, Pencey Prep, Holden goes on a journey of self discovery through New York. He becomes increasingly unstable in a world in which he feels he does not belong, with the company of people he deems "phonies". Holden, not unlike a typical teenager, is also on his own quest in order to find himself, yet he resorts to ignoring his problems as a way of dealing with them. Holden tells his story from the confines of a psychiatric hospital, having been there to recover from a neurotic breakdown caused by his outlandish and often over the top actions. Holden Caulfield’s unachievable dreams, delusional fantasies, and erratic behaviour all lead to the breakdown of his character throughout the course of the novel Catcher in the Rye.
One …show more content…
Constantly alternating between conflicting feelings of superiority and inferiority, Holden Caulfield’s unachievable dreams, delusional fantasies of grandeur, and erratic behaviour all lead to his slow decomposition over the course of the novel. Thus it is clear that his wide array of character flaws, including his cynical, depressive, and often unreasonable attitude and thoughts are rooted in some underlying emotional and mental health issues. Holden takes on a journey that transforms him from a dreamy romanticising idealist to a
Many adolescents often suffer from a lack of direction. Not knowing what they are doing or where they are headed, faced with the many obstacles of both life and adult society as they struggle to find direction in the world. Many long for acceptance and love that they do not receive. This description perfectly suits the situation befalling Holden Caulfield, the controversial protagonist and main character of J. D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. In the novel, after being expelled from his fourth school, Pencey Prep, Holden goes on a journey of self discovery through New York. He becomes increasingly unstable in a world in which he feels he does not belong, with the company of people he deems "phonies". Holden, not unlike a typical teenager, is also on his own quest in order to find himself, yet he resorts to ignoring his problems as a way of dealing with them. Holden tells his story from the confines of a psychiatric hospital, having been there to recover from a neurotic breakdown caused by his outlandish and often over the top actions. Holden Caulfield’s unachievable dreams, delusional fantasies, and erratic behaviour all lead to the breakdown of his character throughout the course of the novel Catcher in the Rye.
One …show more content…
Constantly alternating between conflicting feelings of superiority and inferiority, Holden Caulfield’s unachievable dreams, delusional fantasies of grandeur, and erratic behaviour all lead to his slow decomposition over the course of the novel. Thus it is clear that his wide array of character flaws, including his cynical, depressive, and often unreasonable attitude and thoughts are rooted in some underlying emotional and mental health issues. Holden takes on a journey that transforms him from a dreamy romanticising idealist to a