The Mysteries Of Holden Caulfield Essay, Research Paper
The Mysteries of Holden Caulfield
In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger there are many penetrations about Holden Caulfield revealed by symbols, which would otherwise stay ill-defined. School, the checker board, the museum, and coffin nails and intoxicant are all symbolic of Holden. These symbols tell us things about Holden that he doesn & # 8217 ; t state us straight out. This essay will discourse many symbols in the book and what they tell us about Holden.
The checker board is referred to a batch when Holden is believing of his old friend Jane Gallagher. The checker board is symbolic of Holden & # 8217 ; s obsessiveness with Jane. Holden is ever inquiring people and inquiring if Jane still keeps her male monarchs in the back row. In draughtss, if you keep your male monarchs in the back row, it & # 8217 ; s like a security. You can & # 8217 ; t lose if you play that manner. This is why Holden is so funny about Jane and if she still keeps her male monarchs in the back row. What he truly wants to cognize is if Jane has lost her security and allow person besides Holden in. This is why when Stradlater returns from a day of the month with Jane, Holden repeatedly asks Stradlater, & # 8220 ; Did you inquire her if she still keeps all her male monarchs in the dorsum row? & # 8221 ; Holden is really inquiring if Jane let down her guard and allow travel of her artlessness to Stradlater. Holden ponders a batch about if Jane keeps her male monarchs in the back row over the period of the book. This merely shows that Holden is wholly haunted with Jane & # 8217 ; s artlessness and if she still has any artlessness left.
School is besides a symbol that tells us about Holden. It really tells us about what will likely go on to Holden in his life. School is a structured system with many stairss that must be completed in order to base on balls. It is a batch like life where there are many obstructions and challenges one must get the better of in order to win. Holden had already failed a figure of schools before he failed Pencey. Holden doesn & # 8217 ; t even care if he fails school because his parents don & # 8217 ; t attention. Holden tells people about how he failed so many schools like it & # 8217 ; s something to be proud of. He tells us about how he failed Whooton School, Elkton Hills, and Pencey like it & # 8217 ; s no large trade and he & # 8217 ; s proud to speak about it. It & # 8217 ; s obvious he even care about his hereafter. When Mr. Spencer asked Holden, & # 8220 ; Do you experience perfectly no con
cern for your hereafter, boy” , Holden responded, “Oh, I feel some concern for my hereafter, all right. Sure. Sure, I do. I thought about it for a minute. But non excessively much, I guess. Not excessively much, I guess.” This shows that Holden hasn’t truly thought about his hereafter and what neglecting school will make to it. If Holden fails school it fundamentally means that he will neglect life, which is reasonably much what happens to him at the terminal of the book.
Holden besides likes to imbibe spirits and fume coffin nails. He does this because he feels it makes him look older and more mature. Most of the clip he smokes or drinks when he is outside so people can see him. Holden even tells us, & # 8220 ; I must a smoked a twosome packs today. & # 8221 ; He is merely stating this to boast about how & # 8220 ; cool & # 8221 ; he is. The coffin nails and intoxicant are of a symbol of age and adulthood, but Holden tells us a few times, & # 8220 ; I ordered a Scotch and soda & # 8221 ; , and so says that the server wouldn & # 8217 ; t convey it because Holden looked excessively immature. This is similar Holden is seeking to suit in with the more mature people but they keep denying him because he is so immature and non ready to be an grownup. Holden needs to halt and believe about what & # 8217 ; s traveling on right now alternatively of seeking to turn up so fast.
One of the most of import symbols about Holden is the Museum in Central Park. Everything in the museum hasn & # 8217 ; t changed at all, while Holden has changed a great trade since his childhood. Holden walks all the manner through Central Park to the museum, so decides non to travel in. & # 8220 ; All of a sudden, I wouldn & # 8217 ; Ts have gone indoors for a million vaulting horses. If Phoebe had been at that place, I likely would hold, but she wasn & # 8217 ; t. & # 8221 ; ( Page 122 ) . He doesn & # 8217 ; t want to confront his past entirely. He wants person to be at that place to assist, but doesn & # 8217 ; t portion his yesteryear with anyone, except for one juncture. This was when, while Holden was go toing Pencey, he wrote about Allie & # 8217 ; s baseball hand. The hand brought back a batch of emotions because Allie had died. When Stradlater read the paper about the hand, he criticized Holden and the paper. Holden got uncomfortable and tore up the paper. This event made him really cautious about traveling into his yesteryear once more. The museum shows us about Holden & # 8217 ; s cautious side. He ever does whatever he feels like. He fails school, drinks, fumes, and gets in battles, but he merely can & # 8217 ; t live over his yesteryear. It is one of his largest obstructions.
