Holdens teachers know he is smart, but they assume he does not put in effort because he struggles to initiate tasks and manage his time. I even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer, but my hand was already broken and everything by that time, and I couldnt do it (Salinger 21). WebHolden Caulfield is a typical anti-hero from the 20th century who features as the main character from the novel, Catcher In The Rye by J.D Salinger. That reminds me of my therapist back from a few years ago. In The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger gives us many hints suggesting that Holden may be gay. An earlier version of this story, titled "Are You Banging Your Head Against a Wall?" So I google searched. It was late, but I decided to text Sally. WebHolden Caulfield Character Analysis. I think you care deeply about many people, especially children. It is the title that summarizes the book in a few words and in this case, it is The Catcher in the rye. Since he ends up in a hospital at the end and consistently has those fainting fits towards the end of the book, I guess that that has something to do with it. He probably does this because the words feel good in his mouth or head or because they are words he has learned to say in certain situations, in other words, scripting. Part of Holden's collapse is due to his inability to come to terms with death. Itd be entirely different. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye was published in 1951, it was an instant success. All of these factors contributed to the mental hardships that he dealt with on a daily basis. However, his ability to function in social situations such as parties and other highly social areas [71] contradicts what most people refer to as an Aspie trait, so it cant be AS. Nothing. Salingers novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951). Although J.D. God, I love it when a kids nice and polite when you tighten their skate for them or something. Holden is a high functioning sociopath Holden later refers to Sally as the queen of all phonies (Salinger 63) and calls her snotty, She was still being snotty on account of her ankles when she was skating (Salinger 70). The schools are filled with lies and cruelty, ranging in degree from the relatively harmless Pencey school motto ("Since 1888 we have been molding boys into splendid, clear-thinking young men.") The answer to that question is complex. At the same time as he detests the adult world, he wants to be a part of it, which is why he smokes and drinks and attempts to be with a prostitute. However, when looking at all of the data together, it seems more likely that Holden is heterosexual. He has the potential to be the first realistic teenage homosexual character in English literature, which would give him a special significance. Instead, he goes to speak to Phoebe. Its full of phonies, and all you do is study so that you can learn enough to be smart enough to be able to buy a goddam Cadillac some day, and you have to keep making believe you give a damn if the football team loses, and all you do is talk about girls and liquor and sex all day, and everybody sticks together in these dirty little goddam cliques.. On the train back to New York, I checked my Instagram and thought about posting some crap about Pencey, but remembered that my mother and father followed me, and I didnt want them to know I had gotten kicked out. Returning to the bar after his phone conversation with Sally. Open your ears. Holden tends to rephrase things repeatedly and add on signature phrases such as that it did. Holden Caulfield From his outlook on the world to his actions, and even his past, it is very easy to see that he I decided I couldnt take it anymore, so I just packed up my things and left. I dont care. Holden interacts with homosexuality in a variety of ways and at different points in his life. All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid shed fall off the goddam horse, but I didnt say anything or do anything. I felt lonely, so I started looking through profiles of a few people from my dorm. I think he's definitely on the spectrum! Holden is my hero. I just finished reading the book, Catcher in the Rye. It makes me depressed to think about it. They said that I had to learn to follow directions. After a night of drinking, Holden decides to sit out in the freezing cold with no jacket on and he almost dies, Anyway, I kept worrying that I was getting pneumonia, with all those hunks of ice in my hair, and that I was going to die (Salinger 83). Holden is self-medicating with alcohol because he doesnt know what else to do, or who else to turn to. D. Salinger: Rare Quixotic Gesture, 1961: On the surface, Holden Caulfield is Salingers typical quixotic hero in search, once again, of the simple truth. WebThe character of Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salingers little window into the life of a certain adolescent, is an untapped well, brimming with educational merit beyond what those ignorant institutions are capable of appreciating. Salinger: The Normalcy Of Holden Caulfield, Explanation Behind The Sporadic Actions Of Holden Caulfield, Evaluation Of Holden Caulfield in Catcher In The Rye By J.D. WebWATCH: Holden Caulfield Diagnosed By Psychiatrist. Shouldnt we review our homework for this week and talk about our plans for your next appointment?, Yeah, Ill email you. I do. He was pushed around from school to school, failing and being expelled from the majority of them due to his poor behavior. Salinger, Free revision, title page, and bibliography, Get original paper written according to your instructions. I said no, there wouldnt be marvelous places to go to after I went to college and all. bookmarked pages associated with this title. Game, my ass. Jesus carries a raven on his shoulder; Jesus carries The Ravens on his shoulder. But I didnt feel like it most of the time. Download. You should have seen all of the comments on his post. When talking about a student in his school, Ackley, he says, He hardly ever went anywhere. A third reason why Holdens sexuality matters is that it impacts his relationships with other characters in the novel, particularly Stradlater and Phoebe. The day that old Principal Haas told me I had to leave I went back to my room and played Fortnite for hours. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Inability to keep attention in one place is a classic ADHD thing, and a skewed idea of importance is something relatable to ADHDers and autists alike, since we actually prioritize things in our heads based on interest. However, if Stradlater had known that his roommate was gay then he might have been more respectful toward him. "Life is a game, boy. What did he need to look more handsome for? Funny thing was, they were always talking about how much they annoyed the hell out of each other. The novel slowly details Holden's realization that you can't "protect the innocent" and they don't want to be protected in the first place. Holden Caulfield in experiencing adolescence in J.D. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Still trying to answer Phoebes question, Mr. Antolini elaborates on his ideas, telling. A sensitive, rebellious 16-year-old, Caulfield is expelled from prep school. Why the hell do you have to say that?" At that point Vincent is a fellow soldier about to leave for the war. In addition, some believe there isn't much a difference between sociopath and psychopath; they are the same disorder expressed differently. He from there decided to leave and head for New York City. Holden's fears and desires are understandable, but his solution (avoiding reality) is impossible. At the very end, he went on Adolescence is defined as, the period of life when a child develops into an adult, the period from puberty to maturity terminating legally at the age of majority, the state or process of growing up, a stage of development (as of a language or culture) by the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Holden had to cope up with his impulsive acts, erratic and upsetting thoughts and irrationality. WebHolden Caulfield was a seemingly unsolvable anomaly. Carl was the only kid who went over to help him find the game. Holden Caulfield was kicked out from Pencey Prep and he felt that his decision wasnt guided by any of his known adults. He bought a red hat at the beginning of the novel. I could do what they wanted when it made sense to. "Okay.". 2023 EduBirdie.com. For example, one might argue his chronic depression [141] and his inability to emotionally connect to people fit in with a form of Autism known as Aspergers Syndrome. Gladwaller's relationship with his younger sister can be seen as a parallel to Caulfield's relationship with Phoebe. He was just singing for the hell of it, you could tell. I really dont. Do you think you are angry now? he asked me. Salinger was published 62 years ago today. That makes sense. I dont know why. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Salinger 's novel, Catcher in the Rye, is an excellent example of a psychologically sensitive portrayal of a child with autism spectrum disorder. He was a handsome kid and all. He kept asking me about my feelings and I was happy to tell him. To Holden, Pencey and the other prep schools that he has attended represent all that is artificial ("phony" is one of Holden's favorite words to describe this artificiality) and all that is despicable about any institution controlled by adults. It would also fit in with the theme of the 1970s/80s being different from our time and socially acceptable and perfectly okay things today were looked at as taboo/bad (Wendy being a lesbian for example). Growing Up Twitbook: Top 10 Predictions Of Life in 2024! Hes sarcastic, nasty, and completely unlikeable. You dont like any schools. Refine any search. Everyone just started, but no one else went. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. character) might have been the same person, but simply renamed in a later work. He is kicked out of a boarding school and told not to return after Christmas break. Pencey is a good school, everyone always says, but it was filled with a bunch of phonies. is Holden Caulfield Holdens rebellion is not against some spooky threat like the establishment or capitalist America, but rather against something far more threatening to teenagers: maturity. In chapter twenty, Holden is feeling very lonesome so he calls a friend to have a few drinks with. He is from New York City, where his younger sister. Initially, he gave up on reading it after dropping out from Pinole Valley High School when he was 18 years old. Their dialogue is similar to that which appears in the later chapters of The Catcher in the Rye. Youre by no means alone on that scoreMany, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Joined: 10 Oct 2006Age: 43Gender: FemalePosts: 1,054. The name Holden Caulfield was initially used in an unpublished short story written in 1941 and first appeared in print in 1945. Near the beginning as well as the end of the novel, he feels that he will disappear or fall into an abyss when he steps off a curb to cross a street. Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Something went wrong, thoughI dont even remember what any more. I never did email him, however. He knows what hes doing. On a side note, I definitely think Bill's son might be on the spectrum. Holdens biggest problem with other people is the lack of authenticity he often encounters. I asked her if shed care to have a hot chocolate or something with me, but she said no, thank you. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 2021 Aug 04 [cited 2023 Mar 3]. WebI felt that both Holden and Brian were on the spectrum - in modern terms they'd both be classed as autistic, but if we were still using older terminology I'd say that Holden shows Holden also denies his own interests, namely film and literature, making it seem like he has a poor sense of himself. Holden Caulfield Character Analysis in The Catcher in the Rye This is exactly the sort of thing a neurodivergent person who thinks concretely and does not understand social facades would be mad about. Though it is not clearly stated, it can be inferred from the story that he is in a mental institution. He simply didn't fit into a NT world as hard as he tried. Nobodyd move. By understanding what these clues mean and how they reflect on Holdens character, we can come to a better interpretation of one of literatures most iconic figures. Is Holden Caulfield autistic? | AutismSD.com Previous It made me even more depressed when she said that. I had pills too. He was crying and crying. In particular I thought it was really interesting to watch Holden "mask" trying to learn social cues. It drove me damn near crazy.