- Holden Caulfield is a boy that has many aspects to his character. A lingering aspect that has been with him since he was young is the absence of Allie, his younger brother who passed away from pneumonia. Allie was not only his brother but his closest friend as well so when Allie passed away, it has scarred Holden ever since then. This scar causes him to put Allie onto a pedestal, finding something negative in everything else. He also tries to befriend multiple people who he can have a good conversation, trying to fill in the hole that Allie left behind. He tries to befriend the cab drivers, asking them out for a drink even though they’re complete strangers to him. Holden doesn’t want to grow up, he sees adulthood as the loss of innocence which is why he wants his job to a catcher that keeps kids from falling off the cliff which symbolizes adulthood. He wants keep kids from growing up because then they change which then they aren’t children anymore. He sees a majority of adults as phonies. Holden is extremely moody about things. He will angry whenever anyone close to him is disrespected. He attacks Stradlater when he finds out that he is dating Jane Gallagher because he knows that Stradlater is a bad influence on the picture that Holden has painted for us of Jane. He begins to get depressed when he thinks of things he considers sad. For instance, he got very depressed after his blowup on Sally, regreting his decisions.
- Symbols in the “Catcher In The Rye” I believe are important are the alcohol and cigarettes. The cigarettes symbolize the childhood that Holden doesn’t want to let go. Holden doesn’t want to enter into the terrible concept of adulthood. Each time a cigarette runs out, Holden always finds a way to get another. Holden thinks the idea that if he doesn’t have cigarette, the adulthood begins to creep up on him. Many people tell him to stop smoking, to cut it out which is to Holden as them telling him to grow up. He uses cigarettes to calm himself down when he is excited and confused. He has become addicted to cigarettes most likely as an outlet for his anger he has for the world since he doesn’t have Allie anymore to comfort him with his innocence. The cigarettes are timers for him, whittling down, counting down until he has to return to world. He can escape to his imagination, where he is this great protector or catcher, catching children before they fall off the cliff and into the “abyss” that is adulthood. The alcohol that Holden seems to fancy quite often in the story may symbolize the adulthood that has already planted itself in Holden. Alcohol is a very strong adult drink. Each time Holden goes to a bar or club, he attempts to get alcohol in which he has succeeded multiple times. In these moments, he wants to seen as a adult yet he doesn’t want to be an adult.
- I think it means that whoever you confide in, you put your trust in their hands but also you put yourself in their hands. You sort of become attached whether you think so or not. Holden holds everyone “even Stradlater and Ackley”(Salinger, 214) in his heart because they were all important to him in this story he has told us. That he confided in all of them even if he didn’t put too much or noticed it either. Whether Holden accepts it or not, he sort of gave himself to Stradlater and Ackley. To him, they were just a jock and jerk but we know that he used them as an outlet for his problems even if all they did was listen and didn’t really care either. He has spoken about his past to so many people that he can’t seem to forget it. He confided his past one way or another into many of the people, they know his past. He ends his story with telling his past when he tells D.B. besides the audience. He has completely refreshed himself twice of his past, once with the audience then again with D.B. He misses that crazy adventure that he went through which may have brought about changes that have appeared later in his life. It also could be that he changed in way that didn’t but came to terms with but still kinda wants to be like himself prior to this journey he embarked.
- “He was a bit like Ackley, that way.”(28) Ackley and Stradlater are two halves of the same coin. They both are similar yet different. Ackley is dirty, jerk outcast while Stradlater is the clean, popular gentleman. But what Ackley is unclean in appearence, Stradlater is unclean in thought. They both are extremely open about their feelings and don’t think twice about putting people in their place. For instance, when Stradlater knocks down Holden and pins him.
