Holden Caulfield Flaws

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The Catcher in the Rye
“Boy I felt miserable. I felt so depressed, you can’t imagine” (Salinger 110). Holden Caulfield is never happy and he doesn’t care much for his future, or for other people. He judges everyone and never takes any advice. In the book, “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is an angry kid who is ruining his life by seeking attention.
Holden spiraled out of control and became very angry after his brother, Allie died. “I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage” (Salinger 44). After Allie died, Holden freaked out and broke all the windows in the garage with his hand. He then slept in the garage that same night. Holden missed Allies funeral because he was in …show more content…
“I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself at all” (Salinger 6). Holden comes from a smart family. However, he is not applying himself in the classroom because he is seeking attention and he wants any little bit he can get from whoever will give it to him. He is also having a hard time focusing on himself, instead he focuses on everybody else because it is easier for him.
Holden is a very impatient person who is constantly contradicting himself. “It’s no fun to be yellow. Maybe I’m not yellow at all. I don’t know. I think I’m just partly yellow” (Salinger 100). Holden contradicts himself so often, and he is either putting himself down, or others down. He puts others down to make himself feel better. He also cannot take constructive critism either because he doesn’t know what to do with it, so he just doesn’t listen to it.
Holden Caulfield is slowly ruining his life. He flunked out of multiple schools becaus he is seeking attention. He also can’t take any advice, and he’s very impatient. He doesn’t know how to fix his problems, instead, he focuses on anybody but himself. This is due to his brothers

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In J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist Holden Caulfield frequently uses the term "phony" to describe the people he encounters. To Holden, a phony is someone who is insincere, fake, or pretentious. He believes that almost everyone he meets is a phony, and this perception is a recurring theme throughout the novel. Holden's obsession with phoniness stems from his desire for authenticity and genuineness in others. He is disillusioned with the superficiality and hypocrisy of…

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