The Catcher And The Rye :: essays research papers

Love, Affection, and AdulthoodIn J.D. Salingers controversial 1951 novel The backstop in the Rye, the main character is Holden Caulfield. When the history begins Holden at age sixteen, due to his poor grades is kicked out of Pencey Prep, a boys prepare in Pennsylvania. This being the third school he has been expelled from, he is in no hurry to face his parents. Holden travels to New York for several days to cope with his disappointments. As James Lundquist explains, Holden is so full of hopelessness and loneliness that he is literally nauseated most of the time. In this novel, Holden, a lonely and confused teenager, attempts to flummox love and direction in his life. Holdens story is realistic because many adolescents face similar challenges.J.D. Salinger presents Holden Caulfield as a confused and distressed adolescent. Holden is a normal teenager who needs to find a sense of belonging. All though Holdens obsession with phonies overpowers him. Dan Wakefield comments, The things that Holden finds so deeply repulsive are things he calls phony- and the phoniness in every vitrine is the absence of love, and , often the substitution of pretense for love. Holden was expelled from Pencey Prep School not because he is stupid, but because he just is not interested. His attitude toward Pencey is everyone there is a phony. Pencey makes Holden feel lonely and isolated because he had very few friends. Holdens feeling of alienation is seen when he doesnt attend the biggest football game of the year. His comments on the game It was the last game of the year and you were supposed to commit suicide or something if old Pencey didnt win (2, Ch. 1). This also hints to Holdens obsession with death. Holden great dealt find a since of belonging in the school because of all the so-called phonies. Holden speaks of Penceys headmaster as being a phony. Holden says that on calamity day the headmaster will pay no attention to the corny-looking parents. Holden portrays his not bein g interested by saying, all you do is study so that you displace learn enough to be smart enough to buy a goddam Cadillac someday, and you have to keep making believe you give a execrate if the football team loses(131, Ch. 17). Holden does not care for school or money. He just wants everyone to be sincere and honest.Holdens obsession with phonies causes him to have no positive heavy(a) role models to follow.