Research Paper On The Catcher In The Rye
Kirsten Wright
Ms. Fogarty
LTTC
May 8, 2017
In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, Holden acts hypocritical by hating fake people and loving unique characters because he doesn't have a strong sense of self knowledge so he acts phony himself because he has not found his identity. Holden accuses almost everyone of being a phony, especially adults who he finds impossible to understand, which makes him even more terrified to become one himself. Holden attempts to hold onto his childhood while battling grief, depression, and his reoccurring failures in school making him able to see everyone else's flaws, but not his own flaws. Holden spends a large amount of time judging others while ignoring his own problems because he does not want to take
responsibility for his faults and fails to own up to his mistakes when he is wrong. Holden is jealous of his “messy” roommate Stradlater for his social status, especially when he asks out Jane Gallagher, a girl he values and cares about very much. Although he says that he cares about her, he never calls her and makes excuses to avoid confronting her. When Stradlater goes out with her, Holden has many mixed feelings. He wants to have life both ways, but he has to like Jane enough to call her and needs to realise he doesn't have a say in who she goes out with since he isn't making a move. Overall, Holden gets frustrated when faced with failure or difficulty, causing him to blame others for his faults when in reality he is just stuck faced life obstacles while trying to find himself as a teenager.
Ms. Fogarty
LTTC
May 8, 2017
In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, Holden acts hypocritical by hating fake people and loving unique characters because he doesn't have a strong sense of self knowledge so he acts phony himself because he has not found his identity. Holden accuses almost everyone of being a phony, especially adults who he finds impossible to understand, which makes him even more terrified to become one himself. Holden attempts to hold onto his childhood while battling grief, depression, and his reoccurring failures in school making him able to see everyone else's flaws, but not his own flaws. Holden spends a large amount of time judging others while ignoring his own problems because he does not want to take
responsibility for his faults and fails to own up to his mistakes when he is wrong. Holden is jealous of his “messy” roommate Stradlater for his social status, especially when he asks out Jane Gallagher, a girl he values and cares about very much. Although he says that he cares about her, he never calls her and makes excuses to avoid confronting her. When Stradlater goes out with her, Holden has many mixed feelings. He wants to have life both ways, but he has to like Jane enough to call her and needs to realise he doesn't have a say in who she goes out with since he isn't making a move. Overall, Holden gets frustrated when faced with failure or difficulty, causing him to blame others for his faults when in reality he is just stuck faced life obstacles while trying to find himself as a teenager.