Preview

How Does Holden Use Repetition In Catcher In The Rye

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
186 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Does Holden Use Repetition In Catcher In The Rye
Catcher in the Rye In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger narrates the psychological and physical tribulations of Holden Caulfield, an overanalyzing, mentally unstable teenage boy, searching for satisfaction in an ever-changing world. In one selection, Holden describes his nighttime journey through Central Park; on the edge of an emotional breakdown, he seeks companionship yet continuously scorns the idea of being with those who care about him. Through Salinger's manipulation of detail, setting, and repetition, he underscores Holden's feelings of loneliness and detachment, and he exposes his deteriorating mental state.
In order to capture and demonstrate Holden's unspoken emotions, Salinger employs an ironic selection of details.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Character Analysis: Holden Caulfield
    • 122 Words
    • 1 Page

    Character Analysis: Holden Caulfield

    Holden Caulfield is J.D. Salinger’s main character in The Catcher in the Rye. We learn several interesting things about Holden, however, while learning the these we are not experiencing or seeing what Holden is. We learn about it through Holden’s perspective throughout the entire story like, for example, the death of his younger brother, Allie or the time James Castle committed suicide by jumping out of the school window. Most of these experiences have a significant meaning behind them and we find these out by reading the book. We get to know Holden in a personal way. While reading, comprehending, and understanding Holden’s emotions towards the encounters he has with the characters in this book, which makes it very interesting.…

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

    How Does Holden Present The Catcher In The Rye
    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Does Holden Present The Catcher In The Rye

    Within The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden’s childhood and past are depicted containing happiness, hope, and optimism(shown in yellow containing Jane ,with the game of checkers, Allie,and Phoebe). Holden thus clings to his childhood as a source of his happiness, as he views his current reality(depicted in purple) with cynicism and pessimism. (represented by the piano for his pessimism towards “phony” musicians, and by Sally’s “phony” conversation with George) Holden, however, isolates himself from his past for fear of tainting it(represented the the cracking glass case turning purple in response to Holden’s touch) because he wants to preserve the happiness which he draws from his childhood(represented by the containment of his…

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

    Holden Caulfield Symbolism Essay
    • 1609 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Holden Caulfield Symbolism Essay

    J.D Salinger has a written a novel called catcher in the rye, about a teenage boy named Holden Caulfield who lives in New York City. Holden is not an ordinary teenage boy. His way of viewing life is different its extraordinary Holden is confused, lost, and depressed. His character is very complex to understand through the book Holden tries to reach out to a lot of people and he tries to build a relation but something is not letting Holden to do so, the fact that Holden wants to remain a child is keeping him away from growing up and becoming more understandable to himself and the people around him. He has no stable relation with his parents which has affected him to do poorly academically. Through the book J.D Salinger have used symbolism that shows Holden’s mental anguish. The symbolism explains everything that’s is going on with Holden…

    • 1609 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Phoebe Caulfield Catcher
    • 2282 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Phoebe Caulfield Catcher

    Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye reveals a teenager’s dramatic struggle against death and growing up. The book is composed of stories after the protagonist Holden Caulfield’s expulsion from a private school. He leaves school early to explore New York before returning home, interacting with teachers, prostitutes, nuns, an ex-girlfriend and his sister along the way. We characterize Holden as an innocent child that possesses an ideal fantasy of becoming a catcher in the rye, protecting an unsophisticated world of love, passion and justice. It seems Holden, a “guardian” towards childhood and innocence is the hero or “catcher” without any questions. Throughout the entire book, however,…

    • 2282 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Holden Caulfield Character Development
    • 1855 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Holden Caulfield Character Development

    Many adolescents often suffer from a lack of direction. Not knowing what they are doing or where they are headed, faced with the many obstacles of both life and adult society as they struggle to find direction in the world. Many long for acceptance and love that they do not receive. This description perfectly suits the situation befalling Holden Caulfield, the controversial protagonist and main character of J. D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. In the novel, after being expelled from his fourth school, Pencey Prep, Holden goes on a journey of self discovery through New York. He becomes increasingly unstable in a world in which he feels he does not belong, with the company of people he deems "phonies". Holden, not unlike a typical teenager, is also on his own quest in order to find himself, yet he re­sorts to ignoring his problems as a way of dealing with them. Holden tells his story from the confines of a psychiatric hospital, having been there to recover from a neurotic breakdown caused by his outlandish and often over the top actions. Holden Caulfield’s unachievable dreams, delusional fantasies, and erratic behaviour all lead to the breakdown of his character throughout the course of the novel Catcher in the Rye.…

    • 1855 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Diagnosing Holden Caulfield
    • 948 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Diagnosing Holden Caulfield

    In the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden Caulfield, has strange tendencies that could be diagnosed as a mental disorder or multiple disorders. Thinking like a psychiatrist, this book has plenty to dissect. Reading a classic, such as Catcher, can really draw the reader into the story and make them feel like they are a part of that world. Holden Caulfield’s world has a lot going on.…

    • 948 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Holden Caulfield Phony
    • 1558 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Holden Caulfield Phony

    The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger is a reflection of his own life being shown through a teenage boy, Holden Caulfield. Like Salinger in the novel Holden jumps from prep school to prep school not finishing each time, however excels in English classes. Holden’s life in the novel shook the nation with controversy and curiosity. Illustrated in the text it conveys extreme depression, sexual tension, love, and lewd language. Holden attempts to see the “phony” world through a new light, however fails due to the type of person he is, his troubled background, sexual confusion, family issues, and fallacious world we all live in.…

    • 1558 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Holden Caulfield Psychological Analysis
    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Holden Caulfield Psychological Analysis

    He's so lonely, in fact, that he even spends free time with his fellow boarders – who he often hates – just to avoid spending a Saturday night by himself."(The Dormouse,"The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - Review.") Throughout his three days in New York, he tends to get worse, even dropping to thoughts of suicide from the inability to make friends and cure his depression. He also realizes something besides the never ending phoniness. He should be catching children in the rye fields so they don't fall off the cliff and become phonies or lose their innocence. Holden is a depressed, anti-social, judgmental and lonely person, and it does not get better, his New York trip makes sure of…

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rye Rough Draft
    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Rye Rough Draft

    In the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Salinger demonstrates the struggles of a boy Holden as he tries to battle his way though his high school years given all the obstacle and task he has to overcome to do as he pleases. The basis of the authors work is to show readers how alienation can be detrimental to one’s life.…

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

    Catcher In The Rye Essay: Holden's Mental Instabilities
    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Catcher In The Rye Essay: Holden's Mental Instabilities

    At some points in life, everyone experiences some types of sadness, loneliness, and self-deception. In Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, the character Holden faces these issues constantly but is unable to overcome the adversities and, subsequently, he is sent to a sanatarium. The first motif, Holden’s loneliness, causes him to feel unhappy and makes him go crazy when he reaches out to random people. The second motif, Holden’s depression, becomes so deep that it occurs very frequently leading to his unstable mental status. The third motif is Holden’s delusions about Allie’s death. Loneliness, depression, and delusions about Allie’s death are motifs that are evident in the story and lead to the major theme…

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

    Examples Of Mental Isolation In Catcher In The Rye
    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Examples Of Mental Isolation In Catcher In The Rye

    Despite being surrounded by others, many people tend to feel alone in society. This feeling of mental isolation is shown throughout J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. A sixteen-year-old boy, Holden Caulfield, wanders around New York City after being expelled from his most recent school and encounters numerous people, particularly women, before going back to his family. Though Holden tries to surround himself with others, he never seems to be able to connect to them.…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Of The Catcher In The Rye
    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Of The Catcher In The Rye

    In this novel, Holden Caulfield gets kicked out of his school and stays in New York for a couple of days before returning home. During his travels Holden does not maintain any relationships and he associates most adults with being phony. He is constantly trying to protect himself and his sister Phoebe from being exposed to the harsh adult world. In The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger uses rhetorical devices to explain Holden’s struggles and establish the theme of preserving his own innocence and the innocence of those around him.…

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

    Catcher In The Rye Adulthood Analysis
    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Catcher In The Rye Adulthood Analysis

    Holden Caulfield, a cynical and paradoxical teenager not ready to embrace adulthood goes on a journey to explore the phoniness of the adult world. J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye published in 1951 reflects on Holden as a child as well as an adult. His neglection of adulthood and his blindness on the innocence of youth presents a great challenge in his life. The bulk of the novel displays Holden, a 16 year old teenager who just flunked out of Pencey Prep fleeing to his hometown, New York City in hope of staying at a hotel for a few days before revealing his expulsion to his parents. Throughout his stay, Holden has unusual encounters with past colleagues, his former neighbor, his sister Phoebe, and his old teachers. From these encounters, Holden acquires different perspectives on life and adulthood.…

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

    Literary Analysis Of Catcher In The Rye
    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Literary Analysis Of Catcher In The Rye

    Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in Rye speaks to core of being an outsider, but beyond the anti-hero, anti-establishment persona that Holden reflects, Salinger wrote a portrait of a boy deeply troubled by the end of simplicity. Past the cynical nature and the reclusion from people, Holden is a little boy saddened by the death of his brother. Holden was never able to get closure over Allie’s death and because of this he has never been able to move on. To remember his brother and a simpler time Holden treasures innocence and has remained a child himself in many ways. Through the uses of metaphorical landscapes, a relatable anti-hero, and the setting of a repressed post-war American society Salinger depicts the journey of a young boy fighting, resisting the transition from childhood to adulthood. Holden Caulfield’s cynicism and reclusion are his defense mechanism, they warn of phony and slobs alike, but leave him lonely. He is both a figure for the youth and old alike, because Holden’s disdain of hypocrisy, longing for innocence, and his need for acceptance transcend age groups, these are human emotions that bother any age group. At the end of the novel, Holden says “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do you start missing everybody” (Salinger 214). There are times when Holden comes off as neurotic, but in this case he meant that you will the way life used to be if you remember it. At the end Holden realizes that Allie’s death and his longing to go back to his childhood were holding him back, keeping him from applying himself. Many readers come away from that last line and feel that there is no happy ending for Holden, but the negative tone of the comment is less of a warning and more of a new being for Holden, meaning that Holden’s dream of being the catcher in the rye can can…

    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

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

    Loneliness In Catcher In The Rye

    “You could tell they didn't want me around”, Holden constantly displays his lack of self-confidence through bringing himself down in J.D Salinger’s the Catcher in the Rye, which follows seventeen year old, angsty teen, Holden Caulfield as he tells the in depth story of a trip to New York after flunking out of Pencey School. Holden’s loneliness and isolation highlights his inability to recognize his traumatizing past and lack of closure due to his brother’s recent death, establishing his depression and furthering his apathetic attitude towards school, aspirations, and his future entirely.…

    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics