Catcher In The Rye Holden's Struggles Analysis

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Life Struggles
The story The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is a very sad and depressing book. Throughout the novel, the reader follows a young boy named Holden Caulfield who had lost his younger brother due to cancer. He becomes depressed and seems to have no more motivation in life. This loss deeply affects Holden because Allie’s death caused Holden’s personality to change. With his new, more negative attitude toward life, Holden starts to struggle. The three most significant struggles he faces are with relationships, family pressure, and society. Holden struggles are with relationships, both with people and with himself. He seems to have a hard time getting along with anyone. In the book it is seen several times with Holden where he struggles with other people. Like noticing how Holden has a clear interest in Jane, and he says it himself in the story, "Jane Gallagher. Jesus. I couldn’t get her off my mind. I really couldn’t. I oughta go down and say hello to her, at least.” This shows his obsession with her, but how he can’t bring himself to go down and say hello to her. Throughout the whole book Holden brings up Jane multiple times, but can never really talk to her.
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As well as Growing up in an upper-middle class family, Holden is expected to succeed his prep school.Holden can’t find ways to deal with things so he tries to run away from it . He calls Sally and tells her on their date to run away with her and go to the west with him, “we could live somewhere with a brook and all and later on we could get married or something.” Holden also does this with Phoebe and says how he’s leaving to go to the west. Holden struggling with the pressure he assumes he has doesn’t face it instead he tries to run away into the west where he can ignore his