Preview

What Is The Moral Of The Catcher In The Rye

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
393 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
What Is The Moral Of The Catcher In The Rye
In these chapters, we see the emotional state Holden is really in. In chapters 15 and 16, we see Holden making friends with Sally, and Holden becomes friends with the nuns. Holden talks about phonies and how the nuns have cheap suitcases, but they should deserve more because they are innocent of wrongdoings. However, in chapter 16 we see a side of Holden that we have never seen before the appreciate side because when he goes to church with his family he sees a little boy singing and finds the innocence and the purity. After this moment we start to see more uncontrollable stages of his emotions and his fragile state of mind seems to show more frequently. In chapter 17, Holden goes on his date with Sally. The date at first seems innocent as they
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Catcher In The Rye Summary
    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Catcher In The Rye Summary

    "The Catcher in the Rye" opens with Holden Caulfield at Pency Prep, his high school, where he has just been kicked out for failing almost all of his classes. Holden, as a lost and frustrated teen, goes to his room for his last night before planning to run away from Pency Prep for some "alone time" before telling his parent he was kicked out of another school.…

    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Holden's Depression In 'Catcher In The Rye'
    • 1080 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Holden's Depression In 'Catcher In The Rye'

    There were recurring patterns Holden unconsciously fell into that contributed to his depression and then there were events that halted these depressions. The events that contributed to his depression were that he judged people, he judged himself and he did not take care of himself. Of course there were events that halted the depression such as the act of love shown by his sister Phoebe. Love is perceived as forgiveness, peace, living in the moment and happiness. His sister is the only person in the book who shows these characteristics. As for Holden he never doesn’t experience love at all, he is always depressed and is never really happy in the book. Except when he is with his sister, he feels happy and is in the moment.…

    • 1080 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Holden Lose His Innocence
    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Does Holden Lose His Innocence

    Holden has matured in many ways throughout the novel. He had grown from an immature child who only cared about himself to a mature adult who wanted to make something of his life. In the beginning of the story we are introduced to Holden…

    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Holden Caulfield In The Catcher In The Rye
    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Holden Caulfield In The Catcher In The Rye

    In chapter 14, Holden is seen sitting outside watching the sunrise. Holden describes himself as feeling miserable and depressed. The tone of this chapter is very dark and loathing. Holden then reveals to the reader that he talks to his deceased brother, Allie, when he is feeling depressed. Allie has been dead for three years, yet his death still heavily impacts Holden. Later on in the chapter, Holden gets ready for bed, he states that he, “felt like praying or something. But I couldn’t do it. I can’t always pray when I feel like it. In the first place, I’m sort of an atheist. I like Jesus and all, but I don’t care too much for most of the other stuff in the Bible” (Salinger 99). This quote also adds to the darkness of the chapter, Holden is looking to pray so he can have faith and hope, but cannot bring himself to complete the act. This quote also shows his weary and judgemental view on religion. Holden also smokes a heavy amount of cigarettes in this chapter, he describes the taste of the cigarettes as “lousy”, once again he cannot find an outlet to release his stress…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Examples Of Struggles In Catcher In The Rye
    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Examples Of Struggles In Catcher In The Rye

    He was also sort of a nasty guy. I wasn't too crazy about him, to tell you the truth.” Holden most likely hung out with people he did not like so that if he got kicked out of school he would not miss anyone he would leave behind. Throughout the book Holden also stated many times how he wanted to go out West and live in a cabin in the woods. The details in his fantasy of living in the West were constantly changing since he sometimes wanted to live in a cabin with Sally but other times he wanted to live as a deaf mute showing how he is not able to even commit to an imaginary future. At the end of the book Holden is walking in the street and can barely make it to each side of the road while he thinks about his dead brother Allie. This symbolizes Holden’s life since he only focuses on the present and struggles to make it through day-to-day life since he cannot commit to a future. Holden’s little concern for his future makes it more apparent that he cannot devote himself to a certain life style and even had a hard time maintaining a certain attitude due to the fact that he constantly reassured himself and said things like: “really” or “for…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Effects Of Holden's Death In Catcher In The Rye
    • 1410 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Effects Of Holden's Death In Catcher In The Rye

    Just like the lake in a midway transition, Holden is between childhood and adulthood, and cannot seem to let go of his younger years. This is regularly proven when something goes wrong and he does something more adult in Holden's mind view such as repaying the prostitute. After the events, he often thinks he deserved it or just wanted to end it all. It can be regularly seen when something does not go the way Holden intended, he will often verbally beat himself up about it which shows Holden does not have very good self-esteem at this age. Interestingly, Holden also mentions "I didn't give much of a damn any more if they caught me. I really didn't. I figured if they caught me, they caught me. I almost wished they did, in a way." This can be interpreted to mean perhaps Holden wanted to transition into adulthood, but the grief of Allie's death was holding him back too much. Although at the end of the book, Holden has a realization about adulthood. During the carousel scene with Pheobe, Holden realizes Instead, of trying to catch kids or his own self from going into adulthood, he should allow them to make their own mistakes. He says, “I was sort of afraid…but I didn’t say or do anything…If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them” (232). Comparatively, it took a while for Holden to come to this realization. Moreover, it also helped…

    • 1410 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Holden's Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye
    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Holden's Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

    Holden vainly seeks for innocence in society only developing anger and depression as a result. Holden acts disturbingly at the thought of Jane, his childhood friend, having a casual encounter with his room…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Holden Caulfield Relevant Today Analysis
    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Holden Caulfield Relevant Today Analysis

    Holden is still trying to get a grip at maturity as he is regardless a rebellious teenager, just as shown though our adolescents today. This kind of behavior and attitude grasps onto most high schoolers as they are trying to grow up faster. Most are missing what’s behind them and aren’t realizing what they have left. “Sometimes I act a lot older than I am--I really do--but people never notice it. People never notice anything” (Salinger 22). Holden has been trying to get away from the life he has, and wants to be grown up for all the freedom they are allowed to have. There comes a point in everyone's life where they just become…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Holden Caulfield Phony
    • 1558 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Holden Caulfield Phony

    Holden’s *friends are familiar and experienced with the topic of sex while Holden stays puzzled and curious. Holden comes on strongly with just about every woman he meets for example Sally Hayes, Sunny, and Jane Gallagher. Sally Hayes is a longtime friend of Holden’s and grew up together. Holden is extremely attracted to Sally and even dreams of running off to a cabin with her having children and living happily ever after. Holden says that he “felt like marrying her the minute I saw her” (138). Sunny is a prostitute that Holden paid just to talk to even after she started removing her clothes. When he met her pimp he knew what he was paying for, however never went through with it. Jane Gallagher is an old friend that Holden used to spend summers with and she is very important to him. He comes on strong to women at the bar and close friends but never actually does it. Holden is confused about sexuality, especially when it is homosexual. Holden strongly dislikes when a guy “flirts” a lot and is simply puzzled by the whole topic of sex. Sex is simply a confusing idea for any young teen, but for Holden it is a little harder. In the novel it implies that as a child he was sexual abused by his neighbors dad and was neglected by his own parents. He is also timid when it comes to being imamate with a women after his brother, Allie, lost his life to cancer. Phoebe is…

    • 1558 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Holden's Coming Of Age Analysis
    • 2510 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Holden's Coming Of Age Analysis

    Throughout the story Holden has been given many opportunities to show his mature side. He helped children by marking out the graffiti at his sister's school. He also talked to his sister about wanting to be The Catcher in the Rye is because he wants to help kids who are rushing into their adulthood and not enjoying their childhood. He wants to catch them before they make the jump into adulthood. Holden himself is a very unique character. He occasionally shows that he cares even though it is thought that he doesn’t care about anything. Holden often tries to hide his nice side in order to portray as if he doesn’t care. All of these are shown in the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger he goes into detail to…

    • 2510 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Catcher In The Rye Character Analysis
    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Catcher In The Rye Character Analysis

    He also details that the events occurring last winter were what inspired him to reach out for help. By doing this, Holden is contrasting the vast majority of the actions he makes throughout his madman experience. One of his main grievances with the people around him are that they are, as he frequently claims, “phony.” To Holden, just about everybody can be called a phony, particularly those his age and above. Of the many people he has opportunities to form relationships with, Holden only appears to care about two people: his deceased brother Allie and his younger sister Phoebe, both of whom are prepubescent children. These relationships exist to emphasize Holden’s lack of ability to let go of the past and develop as a person over the course of the book. He has an unhealthy admiration of their childlike innocence, which prompts him to act as immaturely as possible. Subsequently, he tries to show his maturity by making exceptionally poor choices such as getting drunk and hiring a prostitute. Whenever his actions have consequences, he blames the “phony” world around him instead of himself, which motivates him to alienate himself from others. Salinger’s main goal in characterizing Holden is to show how…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Literary Analysis Essay On The Catcher In The Rye
    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Literary Analysis Essay On The Catcher In The Rye

    Holden is quite a peculiar kid. He tends to change his mind on a lot of things. However, the one thing he changes his mind about the most is whether he is ready to grow-up or not. Throughout the book he tries to do such adult like things, because he is sick of his usual life style. Then he gets sick of the unusual adult life. He talks to his sister, Phoebe, one night about the poem by Robert Burns, and Holden gets to thinking about innocence. How he wishes he could be the catcher in the rye. Stopping all the kids from losing that sight of innocence. He begins to regret all the adult things he did and wishes he could go back to the way his innocent childhood was.…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Holden's Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye
    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Holden's Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

    It’s actually ironic how Holden wants to save the innocence of the children yet, he uses foul language often, he appears to be a pathological liar, and he drinks alcohol. When Holden wakes up to Mr.Antolini stroking his head Holden reacts harshly. Although it was wrong holden went to Mr.Antolin for help and that's what he thought he was doing. many of the characters and the audience understand that Holden needs mental help, Holden himself is completely oblivious to it. So while his reaction understandable even justifiable, his reaction was childlike, because he could have found a better way to handle it, instead he decides to run away from his problems. This helps understand Holden the teenager as the narrator, who still hangs on to the fringes of his childhood. Holden seems to want to retain his innocence but he also believes he’s ready to be an adult as evidenced by the drinking and the many abandoned sexual encounters. His maturity level seems to fluctuate, for example on the train ride after leaving pencey and he’s talking to the mother you would think he was much older than a teenager, but on the other end of the spectrum, picking fights with your roommate out of jealousy is childlike and…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Catcher In The Rye Isolation Theme
    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Catcher In The Rye Isolation Theme

    Holden’s fear of being intimate and a part of a relationship makes him vulnerable to being hurt. This most likely hints at his fears of the unknown, change and complexity which explains his attachment to the Natural History Museum, where “the only thing that would be different would be you” (65). As a result, he completely detaches himself from people and through his pessimistic persona, he is constantly on the lookout for reasons to hate being an adult. However, when looking at his circle of “friends,” they’re privileged, rich and adults, like him. Hanging out with them gives him the opportunity of being directly judgemental towards them rather than himself because their perspectives and conflicts are similar. With Phoebe, he feels at peace and enjoys his time with her, but her physical image (a child) overpowers her personality of being unpredictable, complex and prone to change. The placement of a child mask on his monsters (fears) forces him to confront them, but in a more positive and relaxed manner. Through this, it becomes clear that the challenging innocent questions from Phoebe challenges Holden to question his self-confidence and self-worth which then leads to his fear of “phoniness.” Through Phoebe’s suggestion of being a lawyer, Holden considers the idea and immediately swarms towards “saving innocent [guys’] lives,” but rejects it after he thinks about what he has…

    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Theme Of Childhood In Catcher In The Rye
    • 1574 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Theme Of Childhood In Catcher In The Rye

    Throughout the novel Holden fights to protect his innocence from the cruel society around him that is just so… phony. He hates all of society for the phony things it does, he hates sex because that may make him feel that he too is apart of the adult life, and he hates change because change is just a recipe for a child to step into the new life, the older more mature life. The one that comes with responsibilities that Holden is not ready to…

    • 1574 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics