Catcher in the Rye Essay Free Essays

Catcher in the Rye Essay In the novel The Catcher and the Rye by J. D. Salinger Holden believes childhood, and adulthood are completely different. We will write a custom essay sample on Catcher in the Rye Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Holden believes childhood is very immature, and playful, and adulthood is mature and serious. Childhood, and adulthood are not as different as Holden makes them out to be, there is a difference but even some adults act childish, and some children act mature and serious for their age. Holden believes he is superior to all other people including adults, making him believe he is in adulthood, but in reality the things he does and say make him very childish. Holden believes there are distinct differences between adulthood and childhood. Holden thinks adults don’t care about anyone but themselves and that they try to ruin his life like his teachers and his parents, â€Å"He put my god dam paper down then looked at me like he’d just beaten hell out of me in ping-pong or something. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for reading me that crap out loud†(12). Holden believed all adults were out to get him and make him feel terrible about himself. He thought adults always had to have it their way because their age made them superior, â€Å" Its ten bucks, chief. I tole you that. Ten bucks for a throw, fifteen bucks till noon. I tole you that. You did not tell me that. You said five bucks a throw. You said fifteen bucks till noon, all right, but I distinctly heard you†(101). Holden believed adults thought they could just take advantage of you because they were older and knew children couldn’t do anything about it. Holden thought the nature of childhood was the complete opposite of adulthood, he believed all were naive, innocent, and always did what they were told. She’s not little enough anymore to go stark staring mad in the toy department, but she enjoys horsing around and looking at the people†(197). Holden thought because of someone’s young age all they cared about was having fun and playing with toys but a lot of children are mature because of experiences they have gone through that have forced them to lose their childhood and grow up faster then expected, â€Å" I’m going with you. Can I? Okay? W hat? I said I almost fell over when she said that†(206). Two children wanted to run away one because he needed to get away and the other because children are influenced by their elders and want to do things they see or in many cases younger siblings want to be just like their older siblings. Childhood and adulthood are not as different as Holden makes them out to be. Childhood and adulthood can be determined by many different factors age, maturity, and experience. Their are many children who have not had a childhood because they were forced to grow up because of certain experiences they have gone through, like Holden. He was forced to grow up when he was on his own for the three days, he got on a bus by himself, got a hotel, and ordered a prostitute. Holden also was forced to grow up when his brother Allie died, he was now the oldest sibling, and just the going through the experience of losing a sibling had to have made him stronger as a person. Holden believes he doesn’t have to listen to anyone, because he thinks he knows everything. He didn’t think he had to try in school so he failed out of 5 schools, he didn’t listen to the advice his teachers gave him, â€Å" I’m pretty sure he yelled Good Luck! At me. I hope not. I hope to hell not. I’d never yell Good Luck! At anybody. It sounds terrible when you think about it† (15-16) Holden thought when elders gave him advice they we insulting him, or calling him dumb. These acts making him very childish but he thinks he is mature and an â€Å"adult† even though he is still in high school. He has gone through experiences in which made him have to grow up but by thinking he had to grow up he began to think that adults shouldn’t have to tell him what to do making him childish. Holden is still young and naive and in his childhood stage but has gone through so much making him a mature boy that still has his childish moments. In the novel The Catcher and the Rye by J. D. Salinger Holden has an opinion that adulthood and childhood are nothing alike. He thinks he is an adult and can do whatever he pleases. Holden may have matured as a person and in age but he still has his innocent and childish moments like any adult out there. How to cite Catcher in the Rye Essay, Essays Catcher In The Rye essay Free Essays â€Å"Catcher in the Rye† is a sophisticated yet simple character. He can be represented in many ways. The photo of James Dean represents Holder accurately. We will write a custom essay sample on Catcher In The Rye essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now The photo shows Holder’s external as well as internal characteristics. It represents Holder because: the photo portrays his tough guy attitude, suggests his outward toughness as well as his positive aspects, and the photo shows Holder’s internal sensitivity. Holder Coalfield Is precisely represented by the photo of James Dean. Holder’s typical attitude Is cynical, sarcastic and tough. The photo’s most prominent attitude is tough and mean, Just Like Holder. This represents Holder not Just because they both have the same attitude, but because that Is what defines Holder. An example of this Is when Holder fought Seedeater. Seedeater says, â€Å"If I letch up, will you keep your mouth shut? ‘ and Holder replies with, â€Å"Yes† then says, â€Å"You’re a dirty stupid consultants of a moron. † (Slinger 44). Holder displays his toughness when even at a disadvantage and pinned down he still jabbers on. The photo of James Dean represents both Holder’s outward toughness and some f his positive aspects. Although it mainly represents his negative, sadistic outward toughness, the photo shows some of his positive aspects. Dean’s jacket represents Holder’s inflated ego and his hunter hat. The hunting hat is correlated to the jacket because the leather jacket makes Dean feel cool. Holder believes he is a big shot while wearing the hat but also admits it is a bit corny. Holder says, â€Å"The way I wore it, I swung the old peak way around to the back?very corny, I’ll admit, but I liked it that way. I looked good in it that way† (Slinger 18). This shows Holder’s outward toughness because even though the hat looks silly, he wears it anyway giving the impression that he doesn’t care about what people thing, like a tough guy would. A positive aspect about Holder is that since he cares about his appearance, he cares about what people think, and since he cares about what people think he must care about people. In the end, Holder is not a cold-hearted person after all. Lastly, the photo suggests Holder’s internal sensitivity. Internal Holder is far deferent from external Holder; internal Holder is sensitive and external Holder is tough. James Dean’s face represents Holder’s weak side. Internal Holder Is scared, sad and mad. He is scared because he Is afraid of losing people he Is fond of and of growing up. Holder is sad because Holder misses his brother, Allele and by the end of the book, he misses all his friends at school. Holder says, â€Å"Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody. † (Stallings 214). This shows that Holder doesn’t bother getting to know people because he knows one day they will be gone. Holder’s built up anger Is from being kicked out school yet again. He directs this anger out on people around. In conclusion, the photo of James Dean very accurately represents Holder Coalfield. The photo shows Holder’s defining characteristics. It displays Holder’s tough attitude, suggests both his outward toughness and his positive aspects, and the photo shows Holder’s sensitivity and internal characteristics. The representation How to cite Catcher In The Rye essay, Essays