Preview

Catcher In The Rye Expository Essay

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
525 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Catcher In The Rye Expository Essay
“The catcher in the rye expository essay” The catcher in the rye is a book I have read and really enjoyed because of the plot and the characters in the novel. “I always call it the catcher of the rye of the new generation.” (www.Thinkexist.com Jessica sharzer) the novel takes place in New York. This narrative is really enjoyable and fun to read. This novel deals with a lot of issues and this is the reason I enjoyed this innovative story. The story takes place in New York City and this is one of the many reasons why I like this novel. The story was also written in a narrative format because of the way the main character: Holden Coldenfield. Holden narrates throughout the entire narrative because he is the narrator. …show more content…
The only person who cared for him is his little sister. The family does not know he was kicked out of his new school Yancy academy. Holden cares for his little sister Phoebe Caulfield. Holden also stays at a hotel for a couple of nights after being kicked of his poised school Yancy academy. He tries to act like an adult to show he is not afraid even though he is sixteen. When Holden couldn’t afford to stay at the hotel anymore he decided to stay with a teacher who tries to molest him while he sleeps and Holden then decides to leave the teachers house without calling the police. While he is walking he happens upon a bar and decides to walk in even though he is sixteen but he has a fake driver’s license and he sees a girl dancing by herself and so he decides to ask her out and it does not end well for him. Holden decides to leave New York for another city because he knows that his family will send him to another prep school. His family might start to miss him since he was their only son and they took him for granted. Before leaving he finds his sister while she is on a field trip in central park and takes her to a merry go round before leaving. Since Holden really cares for Phoebe he explains to her that he is leaving and won’t be coming back and he
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Holden Caulfield's Breakdowns
    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Holden Caulfield's Breakdowns

    Being flunked out of school made Holden think bad about himself, he started to imagine himself dying and ending it all, but when he went to go visit Phoebe he knew that he could not leave her behind anymore and knows he now needs to stay with…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Does Holden Symbolize
    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What Does Holden Symbolize

    When he is at the carousal with Phoebe, he says, “if they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them” (211). What Holden means by this, is that you cannot stop people from growing up. The only way to stop aging and stay a child forever is death. Holden was so caught up with Allie’s death because Allie no longer is growing up, and he does not have to face the hardships of being an adult. Allie does not have to live in a society “surrounded by phonies” (13). Holden finally comes to terms with the fact that he must grow up and move…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Scared & Lonely in Catcher In The Rye
    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Scared & Lonely in Catcher In The Rye

    Holden Caulfield seems to be a troubled kid who keeps having to leave the school he is attending. He has just flunked out of Pensey Prep School because he was not applying himself. Holden goes to tell his former history teach Mr. Spencer goodbye. Mr. Spencer annoys Holden by reminding him that he flunked him and forces him to read his horrible essay he had written. Holden is in his room reading Out of Africa when one of the students Ackley comes into his room. Ackley stays for a while until Holden’s roommate Stradlater returns home, Ackley hates him. Stradlater gets ready for a date and asks Holden to write his English essay for him. Holden is concerned when he realizes he knows the girl that Stradlater is taking out. Holden goofs around with some of the other students having a snowball fight and going to see a movie. Holden writes the essay about his brother Allie who had died of Leukemia. Stradlater comes home from his date and asks Holden if he had written the essay. When he finds out what the essay was about he gets mad at Holden, Holden then rips up the essay and they get into a huge fight. Holden, after the fight goes into Ackley’s room full of blood and keeps him up. It really bothers Holden with the thought of his roommate with Jane. He decides to not wait until Wednesday to leave school and takes off in the middle of the night. On the train to New York he visits with a lady who turns out to be the mother of one of his classmates. He tells her some lies and does not give his real name. Once he gets to the hotel he goes down to the bar and meets some girls that he doesn’t find all that attractive but has some drinks and he dances with them. Holden gives a very descriptive account of his sister Phoebe. He has a lot of respect and loves her very much.…

    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Catcher In The Rye Innocence Quotes
    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Catcher In The Rye Innocence Quotes

    self conflict that Holden feels more towards the end of the book. On the day that he had planned to leave, he wants to see his sister, Phoebe, one last time, so they meet up to talk after her school gets out. When she arrives, she carries with her a bag with her clothes in it and insists that if Holden leaves, she is going with him. Holden has an internal struggle as to what he should do. He knows that he can’t take her with him, but he still wants to be with her. After thinking it over and talking with Phoebe, he decides to stay and live with his family. This is shown in the scene, “She kept hanging around. ‘Did you mean it what you said? You aren’t really going anywhere? Are you really going home afterwards?’ she asked me. ‘Yeah,’ I said. And I meant it too. I wasn’t lying to her. I really did go home afterwards.”(212). This shows that, although he didn’t like the kind of life that he would have to live if he stayed, he realises that he can’t abandon his family. This inner conflict was built up for a very long time, but in the last few pages of the book, it was at its…

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Is Holden's Lack Of Respect For Lawful Behavior
    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages

    What Is Holden's Lack Of Respect For Lawful Behavior

    With only a few pages into the novel, Holden begins with a plethora of information about him and his family. He informs the reader that he must say his goodbyes with his history teacher, Mr. Spencer, for unknown reasons. In a moment of nostalgia he quickly remembers to mention that he has recently been expelled from Pencey Prep for flunking most of his courses. To the reader’s surprise Holden remains completely calm throughout his entire explanation of the expulsion, yet a hint of suspicion lingers after he states, “They kicked me out… I mean I’ve left schools and places I didn’t even know…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Themes In Catcher In The Rye
    • 181 Words
    • 1 Page

    Themes In Catcher In The Rye

    Holden loses touch with reality when his younger brother Allie dies, he cannot comprehend why the essence of pure innocence had to suffer and die. Allie represented the good and truth in the world while everyone else represents the phony and evil aspects. After losing Allie, Holden believes that the only innocent people left are himself and his younger sister Phoebe. The death of Allie is the start of Holden’s…

    • 181 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Literary Analysis Essay On Catcher In The Rye
    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Literary Analysis Essay On Catcher In The Rye

    Imagine what it feels like to be a teenager. Is a teenager considerate and open minded? The novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger talks about a teenager named Holden Caulfield who tells his story about a school named Pency Prep in Pennsylvania, away from his sister and parents. Throughout most of this book, Holden explains his inner thoughts regarding everyone he knows, and most of them are judgmental. Holden is considered to be a typical American teenager in this novel. First of all, teenagers like to express their thoughts. In Sylvia Plath’s article “Sylvia Plath at Seventeen”, she begins saying,“As of today I have decided to keep a diary again―just a place where I can write my thoughts and opinions when I have a moment. Somehow I…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Catcher in the Rye Comparison
    • 1164 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Catcher in the Rye Comparison

    One of the needs that holden wants to achieve in the book is social.According to Maslow the social need is “[The] needs for belonging, love and affection”(1). Holden tries many ways to satisfy the need. He starts talking to strangers on the street and he even invites the taxicab men for a drink(60-61). Holden does not have the social need because he doesn 't have many friends and his parents do not pay much attention to him. Holden wants to have friends and feel the need to be loved. The only person that shows love for him is his sister Phoebe. Holden really cares about her and feels that she is the only one that loves him. Also, Holden wants to satisfy the social need because when he goes on a date with Sally he starts to tell her that they should get married and go live…

    • 1164 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Holden Caulfield's Journey
    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Holden Caulfield's Journey

    When he is assigned to look after his schools fencing equipment, he leaves the equipment on the train. He does not care about what he has done and does not even want to go back and look for it. Also, his attitude towards learning are atrocious, and when he finally flunks out of school, he does not bother to tell his parents. Instead, he escapes to New York City where he begins to learn things about himself and about others. However before he goes, he decides to visit his social studies teacher, who flunked him, to say good-bye. Also, he visits his previous English teacher to tell him he has flunked out of yet another school. Maturity is evident because he is trying to maintain relationships with people he cares about. Along his journey, though, small changes suggest that Holden is growing up. He was once very selfish and did not like to share. However when he encounters two poor nuns traveling to another church, he gives them a large portion of his remaining money. This is a major step in Holdens own self discovery. Holden requires much help to come to terms with his maturity. Even though he constantly speaks as if he is experienced in connection and bonding, they were always just…

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Examples Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye
    • 1257 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Examples Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

    Holden cherishes the genuine innocence and wishes he can go back to those carefree days. Holden's exertions to save himself from growing up eventually establishes attempts to protect other children. When Holden visits his younger sister's school, he spots a few swears on walls. He instantaneously rubs the swear on the wall and becomes extremely upset at whoever wrote it. Holden really wants to rescue Phoebe and her classmates from experiencing the brutal world, just as he experienced when Allie has passed away and was taken away from him. Phoebe asks Holden what he wants to be, and he replies: “I keep picturing these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye…and nobody’s around—no one big, I mean, except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start going off the cliff.” (173) Holden wants to be the rescuer that will safeguard the innocent from growing up and experiencing pain. He wants to be the savior that he did not have in his childhood days. While saving these children, he prevents them from experiencing the pain he goes through, but these painful moments are exactly the ones that the children need to mature and develop. On the other hand, Holden never fully recoups from the death of Allie. It is Holden's impotence to shield himself of what causes him to protect others from a fate he could not save himself…

    • 1257 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Loneliness In Catcher In The Rye
    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Loneliness In Catcher In The Rye

    Holden expresses this apathetic trend in everything he does. His carelessness with money is displayed by the end of the book, when he is forced to ask his younger sister Phoebe for money, “You got any dough Peob? I’m practically broke.” He also shows some early signs regarding lack of motivation in school. Holden reveals that Pencey is not the first school he’s had trouble with, he references a couple other places like “Whooton School” and “Elton Hills”. As school is seen as the guiding pathway to young adults’ futures, Holden’s lack of application implies his nonchalant perspective on his forthcoming…

    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Catcher In The Rye Isolation Theme
    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Catcher In The Rye Isolation Theme

    Holden’s fear of being intimate and a part of a relationship makes him vulnerable to being hurt. This most likely hints at his fears of the unknown, change and complexity which explains his attachment to the Natural History Museum, where “the only thing that would be different would be you” (65). As a result, he completely detaches himself from people and through his pessimistic persona, he is constantly on the lookout for reasons to hate being an adult. However, when looking at his circle of “friends,” they’re privileged, rich and adults, like him. Hanging out with them gives him the opportunity of being directly judgemental towards them rather than himself because their perspectives and conflicts are similar. With Phoebe, he feels at peace and enjoys his time with her, but her physical image (a child) overpowers her personality of being unpredictable, complex and prone to change. The placement of a child mask on his monsters (fears) forces him to confront them, but in a more positive and relaxed manner. Through this, it becomes clear that the challenging innocent questions from Phoebe challenges Holden to question his self-confidence and self-worth which then leads to his fear of “phoniness.” Through Phoebe’s suggestion of being a lawyer, Holden considers the idea and immediately swarms towards “saving innocent [guys’] lives,” but rejects it after he thinks about what he has…

    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye
    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

    When Holden comes home at night to see Phoebe, he mentions that regardless of what a kid is doing “they still look all right” (Salinger 207). Holden is watching Phoebe sleep in D.B.’s room right before he wakes her up. He mentions adults look funny when they sleep with their mouths open but kids always look fine. Multiple times throughout the novel, Holden mentions that when kids are young such as in elementary school, they are perfect and innocent. The kids are pure and Holden wants to keep all kids this way by stopping them from growing up. Holden feels that it is his duty to protect younger children by shielding them from the real world and ensuring they are safe. Another instance where Holden shows how Phoebe determines his societal views is when he ponders what would happen to Phoebe if he contracted pneumonia and died. Holden explains Phoebe is “quite fond” (Salinger 202) of him. When pondering this thought, Holden realizes how much he loves Phoebe and what she would go through if he died. Holden decides to sneak home to see Phoebe. Holden gets home and waits for Phoebe to wake up, and then begins to talk to her. Holden talks to Phoebe about D.B. in Hollywood and eventually Phoebe finds out he got kicked out of school. For a while, Phoebe and Holden fight about being kicked out of school but eventually Holden and Phoebe carry on their conversation. At this point in the novel, Holden realizes how special Phoebe is to him and why he is constantly thinking of her. Holden always recalls great memories of Phoebe and he always raves about how pretty and smart she is. Holden loves to strike up conversation with her and always thinks of her when making decisions. Holden realizes Phoebe is a guiding star in his…

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Chosen-an American Novel
    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Chosen-an American Novel

    Next, the setting of the novel is an extremely important element of the story. I think that America is the ideal setting for the lessons and experiences that Danny and Reuven experience throughout the novel. However, I also believe that it is possible for the story to take place in a different setting. The main conflict of the story is based off of cultural…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Catcher In The Rye Theme Analysis
    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Catcher In The Rye Theme Analysis

    J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is about a young Holden Caulfield’s growth into maturity. Caulfield begins the novel as an inexperienced boarding school student attending Pencey Prep, a private boarding school located in Pennsylvania, who is struggling academically and socially. After getting kicked out of yet another boarding school, Caulfield travels to New York City before going home. After staying in New York for the time period between when he got kicked out and when he can return home Caulfield learns the struggles of living in the adult world. As he experiences New York, it opens his eyes to the painfulness of growing up and he wants to escape it. A major theme in this story is keeping innocence, which is portrayed through Caulfield’s theory about the catcher in the rye, his need to protect his sister, and the red hunting hat.…

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics