Holden Caulfield Isolation

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The Catcher in the Rye
A person is indubitably shaped by their surroundings. Children grow up to be like their parents, just as people of faith aim to live as proper of a life as possible. J.D Salinger carefully illustrates this universal truth in The Catcher in the Rye. In the novel, Holden Caulfield is an isolated, depressed, 16 year old boy struggling with the reality of growing up. The novel takes place in the late 1940s, where the protagonist Holden narrates a series of past events from a sanatorium. Holden is sick with tuberculosis as a result of a lack of sleep and malnutrition as he prowls New York City looking to find his footing.
Caulfield’s depression, isolation, and struggle with becoming an adult are all a result of the significant …show more content…
Holden tells his audience that although Allie died about three years prior to his writing of the novel, he still looks to his brother often as a means of dealing with depression. This therapeutic relationship between Holden and Allie though holds a slight irony, because Allie is the reason that Holden became depressed in the first place. When he was eleven, Allie died of Leukemia, Allie’s death caused Holden to lash out, and break all of the windows in his garage. From Allie’s death onward, Holden becomes more cynical, as well as less encouraged about the world he lives in. Holden obviously had a deep affection for his brother, and the loss caused him great emotional distress. Allie’s death is an example of Holden’s constant battle with adulthood, as death is an inevitable part of life, especially as a person grows older. As the story progresses, Holden consults Allie several times to comfort himself. In chapter 25, Holden is walking down Fifth Avenue, and feels as if every time he steps off the curb he is going to disappear, the idea both satisfies Caulfield, and frightens him. To keep himself sane, Holden repeats to himself “Allie, don’t let me disappear” (198). In a way, Allie acts as Holden’s savior. Holden wants to be like a catcher in the rye, preventing innocent children from falling over the edge into adulthood, but it is Allie who catches Holden before he falls. Holden’s …show more content…
Caulfield’s overwhelming feeling of isolation is what actually drives the novel. In each interaction he has, Holden quickly exits leading him to his next encounter. As soon as Holden exits his cab to his hotel building in New York, he contemplates calling several people. After smoking a couple of cigarettes Holden decides to call Faith Cavadesh, although he has never met her he believes he can persuade her to have sex with him. As their conversation progresses Faith asks Holden to call back tomorrow so they can meet up, however Holden gets upset and decides not to call her back. Salinger includes Holden’s interaction with Faith to demonstrate how Holden turns to isolation as a means of self-protection, a trait common in adolescents. Later on in the story, Holden calls his old English teacher Mr. Antolini. Mr. Antolini permits Holden to stay at his apartment where the two converse for a bit, but eventually Antolini puts Holden to bed because his tiredness is very evident. Holden wakes up and “[Antolini] was sort of petting [Holden] on the head” (192). Although Antolini’s action was meant to be comforting, Holden misinterprets it as a perverted homosexual advance. Holden quickly gathers himself and decides to leave. Although in reality Antolini was just trying to comfort Holden, Holden is quick to assume the worst-case scenario
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