Holden Caulfield Character Analysis Essay

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One of the biggest hurdles many teens face today is the struggle to fit in. Most commonly stemmed from self-consciousness, inferiority, or even teenage angst. The same could be said for Holden Caufield who is finding his own way to face similar problems. Holden's character is seen as relatable to any teen about to cross over into the adult world. The novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, shows Holden Caufield and his struggle towards acceptance whether making friends at school, visiting his teacher Mr. Spencer and renting a hotel room with a prostitute. It is very difficult for Holden to maintain any kind of relationship. Holden is described to have several traits that make him a loner which consequently pushes many people away. This also makes him desire the only thing he struggles to keep or find; acceptance. His friend Ackley is described as the more disorganized and sloppy friend who was openly disliked by Holden. But because he was the only one who seemed to tolerate Holden and his personality, he clung to Ackley. His other friend, Stradlater was someone Holden looked up to. Stradlater treated him with very little respect and almost bullied him, yet Holden continuously followed him, near-obsessively. Holden did anything to be on Stradlater’s good side, such as doing his homework, lending him things, anything to be accepted. …show more content…
Spencer. Mr. Spencer’s character was one who tried to inspire Holden very early on in the novel and get him to be for focused in his studies. While Holden didn’t care for Mr. Spencer, he still went to visit him before he left the school permanently. Holden felt accepted by Mr. Spencer because he singled him out and tried to help him. Although Holden didn’t like his approach to this, he still felt the need to visit him. This shows Holden’s deep desire to be known and accepted no matter the reason or
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