Holden Caulfield Isolation

Words: 1125
Pages: 5
Open Document
The Catcher in the Rye
A person is indubitably shaped by their surroundings. Children grow up to be like their parents, just as people of faith aim to live as proper of a life as possible. J.D Salinger carefully illustrates this universal truth in The Catcher in the Rye. In the novel, Holden Caulfield is an isolated, depressed, 16 year old boy struggling with the reality of growing up. The novel takes place in the late 1940s, where the protagonist Holden narrates a series of past events from a sanatorium. Holden is sick with tuberculosis as a result of a lack of sleep and malnutrition as he prowls New York City looking to find his footing.
Caulfield’s depression, isolation, and struggle with becoming an adult are all a result of the significant …show more content…
Holden tells his audience that although Allie died about three years prior to his writing of the novel, he still looks to his brother often as a means of dealing with depression. This therapeutic relationship between Holden and Allie though holds a slight irony, because Allie is the reason that Holden became depressed in the first place. When he was eleven, Allie died of Leukemia, Allie’s death caused Holden to lash out, and break all of the windows in his garage. From Allie’s death onward, Holden becomes more cynical, as well as less encouraged about the world he lives in. Holden obviously had a deep affection for his brother, and the loss caused him great emotional distress. Allie’s death is an example of Holden’s constant battle with adulthood, as death is an inevitable part of life, especially as a person grows older. As the story progresses, Holden consults Allie several times to comfort himself. In chapter 25, Holden is walking down Fifth Avenue, and feels as if every time he steps off the curb he is going to disappear, the idea both satisfies Caulfield, and frightens him. To keep himself sane, Holden repeats to himself “Allie, don’t let me disappear” (198). In a way, Allie acts as Holden’s savior. Holden wants to be like a catcher in the rye, preventing innocent children from falling over the edge into adulthood, but it is Allie who catches Holden before he falls. Holden’s …show more content…
Caulfield’s overwhelming feeling of isolation is what actually drives the novel. In each interaction he has, Holden quickly exits leading him to his next encounter. As soon as Holden exits his cab to his hotel building in New York, he contemplates calling several people. After smoking a couple of cigarettes Holden decides to call Faith Cavadesh, although he has never met her he believes he can persuade her to have sex with him. As their conversation progresses Faith asks Holden to call back tomorrow so they can meet up, however Holden gets upset and decides not to call her back. Salinger includes Holden’s interaction with Faith to demonstrate how Holden turns to isolation as a means of self-protection, a trait common in adolescents. Later on in the story, Holden calls his old English teacher Mr. Antolini. Mr. Antolini permits Holden to stay at his apartment where the two converse for a bit, but eventually Antolini puts Holden to bed because his tiredness is very evident. Holden wakes up and “[Antolini] was sort of petting [Holden] on the head” (192). Although Antolini’s action was meant to be comforting, Holden misinterprets it as a perverted homosexual advance. Holden quickly gathers himself and decides to leave. Although in reality Antolini was just trying to comfort Holden, Holden is quick to assume the worst-case scenario
Show More

Related Documents: Holden Caulfield Isolation

Holden Caulfield Isolation Analysis

Holden Cawfield’s internal isolation. “Psychologists have found that younger children express feelings of grief, sadness, and depression, and pretend play with their deceased sibling, while older children act out more, engage in elevated levels of risk-taking” stated Jason Fletcher, Marian Vidal-Fernandez, and Barbara Wolfe from the article Dynamic and heterogeneous effects of sibling death on children’s outcomes. Holden Claufield’s internal isolation in the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger…

Words 795 - Pages 4

Holden Caulfield Research Paper

Holden Caulfield and Seasonal Affective Disorder Holden Caulfield has been kicked out of his private school and is roaming around New York by himself with very weird emotions and is doing some weird things while he’s there. Holden Caulfield has Seasonal Depression or SAD. J.D. Salinger shows readers what seasonal depression looks like through the actions and thoughts of the main character in The Catcher In The Rye, Holden Caulfield. J.D. Salinger is showing some of the symptoms of seasonal depression…

Words 399 - Pages 2

Essay on Modern Works

boy, Holden Caulfield, is surrounded by other teens that are turning more “phony” with each day they mature. One such boy, Stradlater, happens to be Caulfield’s roommate at the prestigious boarding school Pencey. When Holden learns that his childhood sweetheart is going on a date with Stradlater, he is dumbfounded. Caulfield becomes uneasy because he has trouble accepting that his old girlfriend is beginning to blossom into a young woman. As Stradlater is departing to pick up his date, Holden calls…

Words 975 - Pages 4

Red Hunting Hat Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye

Isolation has been used for protection for thousands of years whether it be by the The Todas, a native tribe of the Western Ghats or by young children upset by their parents so they flee to their rooms. The red hunting hat symbolizes an external conflict of Holden’s; he uses it to isolate himself, not from himself but from other people's ridicule. The ducks symbolize an internal conflict of Holden’s; he compares the ducks to himself and the actions that he take while physically, the ducks represent…

Words 933 - Pages 4

An Analysis of The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger Essay

character Holden Caulfield contains within his character both of these traits. I think that Holden holds a more pessimistic view of life in the beginning of the book where he always assumes the worst of things and doesn’t pertain a positive outlook on life. In the end of the novel, Holden finally achieves the feeling that he is going to go back to school and receive a better education and he is in a mindset where he is thinking positively for the most part about everything. 2. I think Holden is more…

Words 2726 - Pages 11

Holden Caulfield Conformity

assimilation, becoming defined by their “cookie-cutter” cultural conformity. J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye was published in 1951, with the United States’s economy booming as a result of the war and consumerism on the rise. The novel chronicles Holden Caulfield, cynical sixteen year old and private school degenerate, and the depletion of his emotional resources as he roams New York City in search of the authenticity he believed he was deprived of in private school. In Holden’s contempt for conformity…

Words 1067 - Pages 5

Comparative Essay Good Copy Word

dictionary refers to isolation as “the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others” (Merriam-Webster, Definition of Isolation). Isolation is a common theme in not only the daily lives of multitudes of people, but it is also a common theme in literature. The idea of being alone can be perceived as poetic and calming in some situations, yet in other occurrences it can result in temperamental and physical complications that are unwelcome and unpleasant. Isolation is a common feeling…

Words 1870 - Pages 8

together with the team Essay

Turgunbaev Mr. Shchudlo October 10, 2014 ELALF30S Holden Caulfield: a Self-Suppressed and Isolated Protagonist Often, when teenagers are self-conscious, they isolate themselves from their friends. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is the epitome of teenage rebellion and isolation. Holden spends the majority of the book as a suppressed, isolated, and hypocritical individual, resisting change. Holden is not just a rude boy, his rudeness is reasonable…

Words 499 - Pages 2

Holden Caulfield Mental Illness

D Salinger, published in 1951.The book is about a troubled sixteen-year-old, Holden Caulfield, narrating his flashback about three very disoriented days. The Catcher in the Rye is set mainly in New York during 1950s. In Catcher in the Rye, Holden demonstrates characteristics of Major Depression Disorder, social anxiety and post-traumatic stress which is a reflection of the author, J.D Salinger himself. Holden Caulfield displays symptoms of Major Depression Disorder throughout numerous scenes in…

Words 2066 - Pages 9

Holden Caulfield Anti Hero Analysis

Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield demonstrates the characteristics of an anti-hero. The death of Holden’s younger brother, Allie, greatly affects his perspective on life. Holden is failing almost every subject at Pencey Prep, so he leaves school. Considering he does not want to face his parents with the news of him getting kicked out of school again, Holden wanders the streets of New York alone until he is expected to be home. Holden is an anti-hero because of his nostalgic…

Words 797 - Pages 4