Holden's Feelings example essay topic

The novel The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is about a troubled young man named Holden Caulfield. Holden searches his teenage life, struggling to find answers to his questions about himself and his identity. No matter where Holden goes, in his opinion he is surrounded by phonies. They appear to be everywhere Holden is: his school, the hotel, the theatre, and all over the streets of New York. The story is told from Holden's point of view, as he endeavours to put together the pieces of the puzzle that he calls his life. Holden Caulfield, the main character in the novel, is an immature teenager.

Holden is sixteen years old, six feet two inches tall, with a crew cut and prematurely graying hair. His story begins as he is kicked out of prep school, and takes off to New York. Holden's thoughts and ideas reveal many of his character traits. One late Saturday night, four days before the beginning of school vacation, Holden decides to leave Pencey, his school, at once and travels to New York by train. Once in New York, he decides that he will stay in a cheap motel until Wednesday, when he is to return home. His plan shows how very impetuous he is and how he acts on a whim.

He is unrealistic, thinking that he has a foolproof plan, even though the extent of his plans are to "take a room in a hotel... and just take it easy till Wednesday". This course of action proves Holden's recklessness and immaturity very early on in the novel. Another considerably minor (and yet still imperative) addition to the novel is Phoebe Caulfield. Holden's younger sister is his main supporter. She sticks with him no matter what, but she also, however, is not afraid to scold Holden for his errors. Although Phoebe is merely a young child, she understands Holden, sometimes more than he does.

"Old Phoebe didn't say anything, but she was listening... she always listens when you tell her something. And the funny part is she knows, half the time, what the hell you " re talking about. She really does". (167) Phoebe is an instant reminder of delight to Holden, and every decision he makes revolves somehow around the sister he loves so much. Holden Caulfield, at first, appears to be having a conflict with society, but, upon closer examination, we see that he is truly only at war with himself. Holden's first major conflict begins after he is kicked out of yet another school, this time Pencey Prep, for failing four classes.

He is supposed to go home at Christmas Break and not return, however, things don't work out as planned. A situation in his dorm progresses into a fistfight, when Holden finds out that his roommate (who has quite a reputation) took out a girl named Jane Gallagher, whom it becomes apparent that Holden holds a deep sentiment for. Holden loses the fight, grabs his bags and hunting hat and heads for the train station a few days early. This presents the conflict of Holden deciding how to tell his parents that he has been kicked out of Pencey. Another less obvious conflict is Holden dealing with the people around him without getting the urge to blow up a building. ."..

I got up from the bed... and then I tried to sock him, with all my might, right smack in the toothbrush, so it would split his goddam throat open... ". (43) He is completely convinced that everyone in the world is a phony, except for his sister Phoebe, Jane, and himself. Throughout the story, he is plagued by phony people. "Finally, when they were all done slobbering around, old Sally introduced us. His name was George something... you should have seen him when old Sally asked him how he liked the play.

He was the kind of phony that have to give themselves room when they answer somebody's question... ". (127) These two problems connect when Holden is attempting to plan his future away from such "phonies", and do it without his parents finding out about his being kicked out of Pencey. After a night of sleeping on a bench in Grand Central Station, Holden believes that he has discovered the solution to both of his problems. He has decided to hitchhike to California to find his brother D.B. He writes a note to Phoebe, telling her to meet him at the museum so he can return her money, and leaves it at her school. But when Phoebe shows up with a suitcase for herself, Holden doesn't know what to do.

He tries to tell Phoebe that she needs to stay, but she won't listen. Both of Holden's conflicts are resolved in this scene, which is the peak of the novel. The only way Holden can get Phoebe to stay is by staying himself, thus meaning that he has to tell his parents that he was kicked out of school again. By being with his sister, he learns about what makes him happy.

"She practically jumped off the bed, and then she waited while I took my shoes off, and then I danced with her for a while. She's really damn good... she stays right with you. You can cross over, or do some corny dips, or even jitterbug a little, and she stays right with you. You can even tango, for God's sake". (175) Just being with her makes him smile. Once he realizes this, it just doesn't seem important to him whether or not people are phony.

A necessary idea that Salinger presents in the novel is the theme of acceptance. Holden frequently examines his role in society, finding that he is often isolated from adolescents his own age and even, at times, made to feel inadequate. Holden distances himself from his friends and family because of such feelings. In the end, Holden realizes that he does need people to whom he can relate. At the close of the novel, Holden says, 'About all I know is, I sort of miss everybody I told about. Even old Stradlater and Ackley, for instance.

I think I even miss that goddam Maurice. It's funny. Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everything' (217), letting his emotions of inadequacy and need for acceptance escape.

Many teenagers can identify with Holden's feelings, and it is these very sentiments that may lead some teens to a life of solitude and agonizing unhappiness. On the other hand, many young adults fear isolation and loneliness so much that it forces them to conform to society's ideas and perceptions. It is in this way that Holden truly becomes the reader's hero. Through his actions and reactions to society and others, Holden demonstrates to the reader the theme of acceptance, illustrated throughout the novel.

Holden speaks his mind, which the average teenage reader values highly, but it often forces him to be cut off from society. When Holden conforms to society, he feels an outer air of acceptance from his peers". 'Holden!' [Sally] said. It's marvellous to see you!

It's been ages. ' She had one of these very loud, embarrassing voices when you met her somewhere. She got away with it because she was so damn good-looking, but it always gave me a pain in the ass". (124) When Holden speaks his mind, he feels isolated and awkward". 'Look,' I said.

'Here's my idea. I know this guy down in Greenwich Village that we can borrow his car for a couple of weeks... tomorrow morning we could drive up to Massachusetts and Vermont... we could get married or something. I could chop all our own wood in the wintertime and all... ' You can't just do something like that,' old Sally said... ". (132) It is through the eyes of the protagonist that the reader can see the downfalls and benefits of going against and conforming to society's will.

The universal theme of acceptance in J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye encourages teenagers to really consider society's creeds and to think as an individual, yet it still explains to the reader the need for friendship and family in life. Both of these concepts are essential to the reader's development into adulthood. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel The Catcher in the Rye, and can relate somewhat to many of Holden's thoughts, feelings and opinions. The theme of shifting into adulthood can help many young adults better understand the world and other people. Although it does contain abusive language and sexual connotations, The Catcher in the Rye provides insightful information and relevance to the life of young adults through its realistic situations and theme of acceptance.