Preview

Holden Caulfield Essay Example

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
5329 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Holden Caulfield Essay Example
Analysis on Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye
Analysis on Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye
Thesis statement: Holden Caulfield is in many ways a typical teenager of the complicated and paradoxical youth. He has a naïve and kind heart with a great ideal, and he is willing to pursue the wonderful life. He only wants to be a catcher in the rye to be the guardian of innocence and the protector of innocents. I demonstrate his honesty, generosity, and kind from the descriptions and the incidents in some chapters.
Outline
Ⅰ. Introduction
Ⅱ.The personality of Holden Caulfield
Brief introduction to the prospectus of The Catcher in the Rye
A. Holden’s honesty and sincerity
1. His thoughts on Selma Thurmer
2. His deeds to others
3. His deeds comparing with that of the adult
B. Holden’s generosity
1. Contribution of his time to accompany others
2. His tendency to try to find some good in most people
3. His donation to the nuns
C. Holden’s kindness
1. Consideration for others
2. His unwillingness to make life difficult for people
3. His desire to protect the children
Ⅲ. Conclusion
Analysis on Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye
Abstract
This paper analyses the personality of the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, who is a controversial character. In this paper, the author mainly figures out the positive character of Holden Caulfield. Then the author analyses the personality of Holden Caulfield from three aspects: ⑴ Holden Caulfield himself is a sincere person, and he tends to espouse is authenticity, disgusting falsehood. ⑵ Holden Caulfield can not help being generous. ⑶ Holden Caulfield is a very kind boy. Key Words: honesty, sincerity, generosity, kindness
内容提要
本文主要对《麦田里的守望者》一书中的主人公霍尔顿•考尔菲德这一人物性格进行分析。这是一个颇具争议的人物,本文主要从正面理解的此人物。首先大致介绍当时美国的历史背景以及作者J.D.塞林格本人的生活经历。接下来本文从三方面分析阐述霍尔顿•考尔菲德的性格:一是霍尔顿•考尔菲德他本人的正直和他对真实的追求和对虚伪的厌恶。二是霍尔顿•考尔菲德帮助他人的慷慨大方。三是霍尔顿•考尔菲德发自内心的善良。
关键词:正直, 真实, 慷慨大方, 善良
ⅠIntroduction
His creator is not without his

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Holden Caulfield is J.D. Salinger’s main character in The Catcher in the Rye. We learn several interesting things about Holden, however, while learning the these we are not experiencing or seeing what Holden is. We learn about it through Holden’s perspective throughout the entire story like, for example, the death of his younger brother, Allie or the time James Castle committed suicide by jumping out of the school window. Most of these experiences have a significant meaning behind them and we find these out by reading the book. We get to know Holden in a personal way. While reading, comprehending, and understanding Holden’s emotions towards the encounters he has with the characters in this book, which makes it very interesting.…

    • 122 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Holden Caulfield is the protagonist and the first-person narrator of the book. I liked the narrating style of this novel, it used common slang terms that Holden and most teenagers would use. The narrating style makes the story seem realistic and gives a detailed capture of what is exactly going on in Holden's head. The repetition in the book set the tone of Holden, he repeatedly used words that lacked concern. The diction in this book gives hints about what time period this story is taking place in before the specific year is actually revealed. Holden uses words such as dough to mention money and says grippe when he talks about the flu. These words let me know the story took place in the mid 1900’s.…

    • 126 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The author’s main purpose was to introduce the persona of the character Holden Caulfield from his perspective. He reveals his dominant trait by refusing to mention his early childhood that involves personal details about his parents. Instead, he focuses on his experience in Pencey Prep and discusses its impact on him.…

    • 51 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Holden Caulfield, age 17, was brought to me, Dr. Joseph M. Guerrieri M.D. at Sutter Center for Psychiatry, by his parents as a result of his recent behaviors. Holden is a 6‘2” tall and healthy young man. In multiple therapy sessions he has brought up his family and friends. One family member in particular that was brought up was his younger brother, Allie, who passed away of leukemia when Holden was 13 years old. (Salinger 49) Allie’s death seems to be the root of Holden's behaviors. Since the death of his younger brother, Holden has not been able to cope with the loss and can not find happiness. This is why I believe Holden Caulfield is suffering from Clinical Depression. Clinical Depression is initiated by a sudden lose or major change in one's life. (Depression Center | Symptoms & Treatment 2017) This sudden change was undoubtedly brought upon because of the loss of his younger brother.…

    • 1153 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    When someone is young, they tend to have innocence about them. As children grow up, they no longer possess this natural innocence. Exposure to all of the hatred in the world causes this loss. Holden Caulfield realizes this simple fact, as he himself grows up, and has a difficult time with the change. He experiences problems with communication as well as his school work. A common theme used throughout The Catcher in the Rye has to do with contradictions Holden makes. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, first person point of view is used to highlight contradictions Holden makes throughout the novel.…

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, seven year old Charles Baker Harris, also known as Dill, is shipped from Meridian, Mississippi to Maycomb, Alabama to stay with his aunt, Miss Rachel. His recently-divorced mom and his step-dad pay little attention to him; they buy him toys to play with in his room, so not to bother them, and they send him off to Maycomb during the summer. In J.D. Salinger’s coming of age story, The Catcher in the Rye, protagonist Holden Caulfield comes from a very wealthy Manhattan family that sends him to different boarding schools, no matter how many times he flunks out. There are numerous similarities between Dill and Holden, namely the hardships they each face, including a great loss of innocence.…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ever since its publication in 1951, the quality of J. D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, has been a controversy. The story has been praised for its enlightening views on society, but criticized for its use of slang and sexual content. Nevertheless, the story is worth both reading and teaching, for the story still relates to the lives of today’s teenagers, introduces a unique writing style to its readers, and teaches its readers an important lesson about phoniness. Throughout the novel, the main character, Holden Caulfield, attempts to catch innocent children before they fall off the cliff and die or before they lose their innocence and become a corrupt and phony adult. While doing so, he suffers isolation…

    • 1244 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Holden Caulfield’s past events have affected his present actions, attitudes, and values of character in both positive and negative values. Some many notable past events that affected him in the future without him knowing were; when he didn’t take Pencey seriously and got kicked out of it for his grades, also when him and Jane were close friends and Stradlater brings her up, also when he gets a prostitute ordered to his house, and lastly when his little brother dies from an illness. All these past actions put Holden in either a positive or negative situation in the future, without him even realizing it.…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Holden Caulfield is a teenager who is struggling to fit into adult society. This is evident from very early on in the book when Salinger immediately characterises Holden as a very judgmental and cynical person. Examples from the very first page include when Holden refers to his brother D.B as a prostitute because he writes scripts for movies. He then continues “I there’s one thing I hate, it’s the movies. Don't even mention them to me”. He doesn’t even give his brother the benefit of the doubt over his occupation, and it is through phrases like this where Salinger creates the characterisation of Holden as a judgmental and stubborn personality. This is further continued throughout the novel where Holden continually uses the phrase “phony”, to refer to other people. He perceives the world as superficial, whereas it is his views on society that are lacking depth. This immediate characterisation of Holden by Salinger…

    • 532 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The world of childhood is sheltered from the corrupt adult world and maturation is a sometimes difficult pathway between the two. The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger, is a fictional novel seen through the eyes of sixteen year old Holden Caulfield after he is expelled from Pencey Prep. Holden leaves Pencey two days early to explore New York City before he has to return home. On his excursion, he meets prostitutes, nuns, his old girlfriend, and his sister Phoebe, while traveling around the city contemplating life and his future. Through the varying behaviors of Holden Caulfield, his maturity is shown to be stuck in a limbo between his imminent departure from the childhood world and his fear to move into the world of adults. Holden finds sexual activity intriguing in some situations, but also perverse and immoral. When Holden comes home,…

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Often times, who one surrounds themselves with, even for a short period of time affect a person’s life for years to come. In Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger captures the story of Holden Caulfield, who throughout his travels to New York, is compelled by his thoughts of characters who are never introduced to readers. The absent characters are as impressed upon him as much as he is affected by those who are among him in the city. The situations in which the characters are introduced are often when Holden is faced with uncomfortable or adult situations. He reminds himself of those who once surrounded him, while recollecting the memories, Holden is affected by the innocence of the situation. This allows for the theme of innocence and his somewhat childish actions across the events of the novel.…

    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Holden Caulfield, the novel’s protagonist, is a pivotal character in The Catcher in the Rye. Holden is characterized as an innocent, apathetic, naive teen who is seeking knowledge of life and the meaning of becoming an adult. Holden’s struggle with seeing the genuine nature of people is something that acts as a barrier for him throughout the novel. Holden is troubled and burdened throughout the story, which causes him to have a warped view on an array of subjects. Holden passes strict judgement on everyone, as he struggles to transition from adolescence to adulthood. Holden appears to be stunned when he sees how different the life of an adult is comparison to that of children. His views on topics such as, life, his future, and sex. Holden approaches each of these subjects with strict views, and feels dejected when he realizes there are more multiple perspectives to these topics.…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this novel, Holden Caulfield gets kicked out of his school and stays in New York for a couple of days before returning home. During his travels Holden does not maintain any relationships and he associates most adults with being phony. He is constantly trying to protect himself and his sister Phoebe from being exposed to the harsh adult world. In The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger uses rhetorical devices to explain Holden’s struggles and establish the theme of preserving his own innocence and the innocence of those around him.…

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    However, the reasons behind his actions depict the moral thoughts an inspirational and motivational person would possess. Therefore, children in the 21st century should not view Holden Caulfield as a role model to mimic the actions and attitude of, but instead a role model of how one should think. After all, the best role model is not one who’s actions people would wish to emulate, but instead a person who aids one to establish an ethical thought processes, to which one can think for oneself and carry out admirable…

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Adolescence is the stage in which everybody has to go through; some people may find it pleasant, others may find it horrendous, but no one can escape it no matter what. In the Catcher in the Rye, the novel published in 1951 by JD Salinger, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield struggles through his rebellious, grievous teenage years. Soon after being published, the book acquired huge praises as well as criticism. Even though many critics attack the book viciously, it remains in teenagers’ mind because of its moral themes and lessons; therefore, everyone, especially high school students should widely study the novel.…

    • 1183 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays