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How Does Holden Caulfield Change Throughout The Catcher In The Rye

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How Does Holden Caulfield Change Throughout The Catcher In The Rye
In the Catcher In The Rye, Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year old junior who has just been expelled from Pencey Prep. Although he is sensitive and intelligent, he finds the hypocrisy and unpleasantness of the people around him almost unendurable, and through his mistrust, he tries to protect himself and those whom he cares about from the pain and harsh reality of the world. However, the disapproval that Holden has with people around him is also aimed at himself. He does not like opening up and is very uneasy about opening about his weaknesses. There are many signs that Holden is troubled and undependable: he fails out of school, he shows a lack of interest towards his future, he is unable to connect with people and he is hospitalized and is visited by a psychoanalyst. Holden habit cannot be explained because he feels that there is no meaning in life. Doing so, the way Holden approaches people changes throughout the novel. Towards the end, he regrets telling his story at all, which shows that he is cautious about change and in denial about maturity and change. Holden is so afraid of losing people that he purposely pushes them away.
This is about “closure”, the sense that a chapter of Holden’s life ended, with a level of …show more content…
“When I really worry about something, I don't just fool around. I even have to go to the bathroom when I worry about something. Only, I don't go. I'm too worried to go. I don't want to interrupt my worrying to go” (p.40). Holden does not care about the phonies, so for him the worry is all fierce. However, there seems to be something other than his reality that is involved with imagination which takes over him and guides him to understand the greater achievement in life. All the worrying seems to be a protection against the pain of reality. When Holden is “worrying” it's about him over thinking about his depression and worrying too much about whether everyone would leave
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