Abraham Lincoln once said, "Character is like a tree and reputation is like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." Holden from Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is good example of this quote. Holden is a sixteen year old boy living in the1950's, who got kicked out of yet another school for his bad grades. Holden's shadow is of a sixteen year old boy who simply doesn't care about anything. He just wants it drink and have sex like any other sixteen year old boy. He has few to no friends. He doesn't go out with friends, or go to social events. He is looked at as the boy who wants to be an adult without all the responsibility that comes with being one. But the real Holden is a boy who fears change and feels guilt over his brothers death, although there was no way to prevent it. Holden gets expelled out of his current high school Pency Prep right before Christmas break. He runs off to New York to escape before he return home. While in New York, Holden hangs out at bars, drinking and trying to hook up with girls. While in New York, Holden must confront his demons, before they bury him alive. I believe Holden's character changes throughout the novel, and he develops social skills needed in life.

Holden runs away from school after being kicked out, just like he runs away from his problems. When Holden arrives in New York, most of time is spent in bars drinking, trying to to get girls, and smoking. Like when he gets really drunk after Carl Luce, and older friend from a different high school, leave the bar upset over Holden's childish questions about sex. Or when he buys a prostitute named Sunny, but doesn't have sex with her. This was his way of blocking out everything, getting kicked out of yet another school, his brother Allie's death, just everything and anything. It's his way of escape. But, at the end of the novel, he accepts it. He copes with his problems. It is revealed at the end of the novel that the book is Holden's is in a sanitarium. In the end of the book, Holden says that he regrets telling his story. He may not like it, but he is accepting the fact that he is not well and getting the help he needs.

Holden shows traits of a Socially Awkward person, but loses this traits by the end of the story. Holden has a lack of meaningful connection with others, a trait from the article, "The Profile of Socially Awkward People. He feels that he has no one to talk to about how he feels. Not even Phoebe, his little sister, who is closest to him. When Phoebe tells him he has nothing that makes him happy, he denies it and covers it up by saying he is happy with her. At the end of the book it is