Catcher In The Rye
Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, reveals the hardships that teenagers endure as they mature and enter adulthood. Holden Caulfield, the narrator, tells the story of his hardships. Any teenager’s mind can lose focus, especially in Holden’s case. Holden has many issues that lead to the root of his problems. Holden has been kicked out of several schools and endures many more issues. He suffers from the loss of a loved one, financial issues, and parental neglect. These three root problems lead Holden to the psychiatrist’s office. There are many traumatic effects that family deaths can have on an individual. Holden talks about his younger brother Allie, who died three years earlier of cancer. “Just because somebody’s dead, you don’t just stop liking them… especially if they were a thousand times nicer than the people you know that are alive.” (171) He thought highly of his little brother and looked up to him in a way. Holden tries to cope with his role model’s death as best he can, but it an extremely difficult task. He creates a type of mental block toward anything related to Allie. The problem is Holden believes practically everything relates to Allie. This tragic event plagued Holden with constant thoughts of death and mortality, which Holden often focuses on to avoid interacting with the real world around him.
Holden’s family financial situation holds him back from socializing. He wants to be considered normal financially, but does not want to lose his luxury. “God dam money. It always ends up making you blue as hell.” (113) It bothers him that everyone does not have the same financial advantages therefore money depresses him. It isolates and creates a barrier from connecting with others. The reader constantly sees the need to reach out diminished by Holden’s thoughts about money. Holden’s home financial situation