What makes nihilistic Holden Caulfield happy? In the grand scheme of life‚ happiness can often be a rare occurrence. Holden Caulfield‚ the main character of the novel Catcher in the Rye‚ by J.D. Salinger‚ knows this all too well. The sixteen-year-old teenager is selectively content. Despite his supposed affluence and attendance in distinguished schools‚ Holden never seems to radiate happiness. Instead‚ he broods in cynical thoughts‚ only recognizing the flaws in people. Judgmental and nihilistic
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Lokho Galgalo Ms.Cheng PAP English 2 23 March 2016 Catcher in the Rye Essay In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye‚ Holden can be described as a character in denial. Throughout the book the word phony is used to describe people who don’t act in a genuine or rather act in a fraudulent way. Someone who is basically interested in playing part in society’s expectations rather than being honest and being themselves. In this case Holden is one of the many people who dislikes phonies greatly even though
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had always planned to go into some form of social work for my masters. When people find out I’m getting my degree in English they assume I’m going to be a teacher‚ and never imagine that I want to go into social work. To me however the transition makes perfect sense. My degree in English has taught me about a rage of behavioral health‚ through characters in different novels. I learned about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) through The Catcher in the Rye‚ Holden Caulfield. I’ve read a wide rage
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In many humans‚ there comes a point where one may feel ostracized or disconnected from the society in which one lives. In the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger the protagonist‚ Holden Caulfield‚ represents the severe end of the spectrum with his disconnection from society throughout the novel. He often feels trapped within the “phony” and ugly confines of human relationships and increasingly lives outside the dimensions of reality as the novel progresses. Part of this disconnection is served from
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everyday and people die everyday and along the course of life people change. People are born innocent but as they grow up their innocence is lost. In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye Holden Caulfield struggles with the fact that everyone has to grow up. He feels that the adult life is corrupt and wishes to be the "Catcher in the Rye" to "save" them from being corrupted by the adult morals of the world. A baby is born without a care in the world‚ it has everything provided for it and it’s born
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impression usually isn’t an accurate depiction of the person’s true personality. But to Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye‚ first impressions are concrete in his mind. Because he is so judgmental‚ he doesn’t have any friends and eventually goes insane seeing as human nature is to communicate and interact and he doesn’t have anyone to interact with. J.D. Salinger argued in the catcher in the rye that being judgmental isn’t beneficial to ones well-being or success in life and this is seen as Holden
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puberty‚ and school. Most would say this is a huge factor for young men and how they grow up. We see this character named Holden Caulfield‚ experience this though his journey of becoming a man. A variety of themes occur from J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye.” Holden is dealing with grieving from losing someone and trying to find his purpose in life. Three themes that occur the most throughout Holden’s story include loneliness‚ love‚ and phoniness. Loneliness can be described as someone feeling
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In the novels Catcher in the Rye‚ and Eleven Seconds‚ the main characters cope with society in very different methods. In Catcher in the Rye‚ Holden Caulfield deals with society in an unusual way. When his brother Allie died‚ four years before his story‚ he decided to break windows with anger. Doctors observed this action physically and mentally. I think that the doctors help him cope with his feelings for Allie because they try to fix any problems he might have. Also‚ when he was expelled from
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A 2014 mental health report by the CALM charity has found that men are struggling to deal with the pressures and expectations of their personal and professional lives. Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye presents a substantial alternative view of masculinity that are even more relevant today than before. The stereotypical man prefers to be alone‚ not requiring anyone else to function or survive. On the other hand Holden‚ while he is commonly alone throughout the book‚ is looking for someone
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Holden knows that Stradlater didn’t go on a date because he really liked her but because simply he was bored. This being the reason he gets in a fight with Stradlater wishing it was him on that date with Jane. Holden says in the novel‚ The Catcher in The Rye‚ “I’m too worried to go. I don’t want to interrupt my worrying to go. If you knew Stradlater‚ you’d have been worried‚ too”(chapter 6). This proves that Holden has a sentimental value for Jane or else he wouldn’t have been so worried for her
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