Holden's Faith In His Own Life example essay topic

ENGLISH ESSAY FORM IV The Catcher in the Rye "Holden's problem is not himself but other people". Discuss with close reference to the novel. Holden's problem is exposed, aggravated and made worse by other people's influences and misunderstandings. Holden, in general, is a misunderstood teenage boy. The most defining point in his life has been the death of his younger brother Allie, and he has never quite recovered from this event.

In turn taking away his motivation leading to his cynical attitude towards society and the people outside his family. He becomes jealous of other boys his age who he assumes have never had to go through what he has had to. These combined factors lead to his profound insecurity within himself and his sentimental feelings towards his happier past, shown in his reminiscence of the museum during his childhood. Holden's problem is a mixture of his own character flaws and those of his society to boys of his age in the 1940's era. Holden Caulfield has been exposed to a very tough environment that other seventeen-year-olds could never imagine. Allie's death took away Holden's faith in his own life.

However rather than this motivating him, it gradually led to his depression. Allie played a major role in Holden's character even after death, in being one of the few people he could turn to. Towards the end of the novel when Holden is at his most fragile, emotionally, he talks to Allie to help him through. .".. I'd make believe I was talking to my brother Allie. I'd say to him, 'Allie, don't let me disappear.

Allie, don't let me disappear. Please, Allie. ' And then... I'd thank him". The distinct cynical attitude of Holden's is formed when he is made an outcast at school, although this is only by isolating himself subconsciously. Jealousy becomes one of his major character flaws", everybody sticks together in these dirty little goddam cliques.

The guys that are on the basketball team stick together... Even the buys that belong to the goddam Book-of the-month Club stick together". Holden is continually labeling people as "phonies". He feels that people who do something under false intentions are phonies, later he digresses to call anyone remotely agitating to him a phony. Holden visits a New York night club to listen to a renowned piano player called Ernie", everybody was clapping their heads off, old Ernie turned around on his stool and gave this very phony, humble bow. Like as if he was a helluva humble guy, besides being a terrific piano player.

It was all very phony... ". He tells the psychoanalyst that he becomes depressed when he sees someone fake a smile to a person they do not even like. A major fact about phonies that Holden fails to accept is that everybody, at some point, acts phony.

It is a part of human nature and he is no exception, as demonstrated in the scene on the train where Holden feeds Mrs. Morrow lies about her son being a completely different, kind person as to what he really is. Holden rejects his own society because his own society has rejected him. It is clear to see that he has not been accepted among his peer group. He is not a member of the book of the month club, nor the basketball team, and if he ever had been, he would currently be in a different mindset than the one he is in. Even after Holden has flunked out of Pence he still accepts to write an English composition for his room mate, Stradlater.

This is because there is still a part of him that wants to show that he can still do some things well, if he can be bothered to. He knows he can write well he longs to be accepted even if he is leaving later that week. Jealousy of other boys increases his depression, because they all take what they have for granted, he is angry at how his life has developed for him and how easy their life has been. Without realising how much he has for himself, if only he sat back to enjoy being seventeen, he tends to have a contradicting character of being over analytical and ignorant at the same time. He is unhappy with his current state and when given the opportunity to meet a friend of his, Jane Gallagher whom he met a few years back he chooses not to. Primarily because he has a fear of rejection, he does not want to disappoint Jane's recollection of Holden nor does he want to damage the memory he holds of her.

This highlights a strong case of insecurity. With no real enjoyment coming from the people around him he begins to form a sentimental side of his past. He visits the museum from his childhood to reflect on his happier days. He wishes that his life back then never changed, "You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases, and just leave them alone". This episode shows how underneath Holden's superficial, cynical character, he does appreciate the things that please him.

Here Salinger explores the concept of time. People change, circumstances change and our values and attitudes alter. Holden's feelings of discontent are evident as he longs for happier times to remain permanent, rather like museum displays. However he acknowledges that even if that could occur, one cannot stop the change in oneself. Salinger explores the ideas of an individual coming to terms with himself and his world. Holden has, without doubt, a large problem with depression.

It is clear that his own character traits have influenced how large this problem has become. However the determining factor in his mental breakdown has been the society in which Holden is based. Holden's lack of acceptance into any peer groups has been the reason he has "flunked" out of three high schools. The way his personality is unpredictable, deems it misunderstood to many people, as shown in the incident when Holden gets the idea to run away forever with a pretty girl called Sally Hayes. His insecurity, maturity and quest for sincerity cloud his thoughts and make him a pessimistic and cynical person leading to more in acceptance and deeper depression. The bottom line being that Holden's problem is a near spot on equal mixture of his own personal flaws and those of his society.