Persuasive Essay On The Catcher In The Rye

Words: 697
Pages: 3

Holden Caulfield, narrator of The Catcher in the Rye, ended the book with, “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.” This comment refers to his experiences with most others, if you don’t make their acquaintance, there’s nothing to worry about. Throughout J.D Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden has avoided relationships, ignored advice from adults, and mainly distanced himself from his society all together. Holden cares for weakness and pure innocence, like his younger brother Allie, who past away in his childhood. Questioning why Allie had to be taken from the world, he developed a hatred for disingenuine students at his schools. He was expelled from multiple schools because his lack of work …show more content…
Many topics that Holden ragged on are still relevant in today’s day and age. “They advertise in about a thousand magazines, always showing some hot-shot guy on a horse jumping over a fence” (Salinger 4). Advertisements always show up on television, on a phone, and even in newspapers and magazines and Holden would feel the same way about each of them--phony. People continuously show off a product or models to make others feel as if they need to have them, but in reality they could be as useful as one they already have. Plus, Holden complains about sports because he can’t see the purpose in supporting them do or die. “The game with Saxton Hall was supposed to be a very big deal around Pency, and you were supposed to commit suicide or something if they didn’t win” (Salinger 4). Sports are just as popular or more with millions of supporters. He would’ve disliked each and every one of them. In addition, the only class he didn’t dislike at Pency was English. He described himself as good at writing compositions. “That’s something else that gives me a royal pain in the ass. I mean if you’re good at writing compositions and somebody starts talking about commas” (Salinger 33). With all the disregard for the English language on social media, and all the slang used for texting, Holden would’ve found himself about to puke. It was about the only class he cared about. Although, Holden could’ve found a place in the world today with all the diversity and different …show more content…
The death of his brother was tragic, however; it is no excuse to alienate himself from the world. Whenever dealing with a struggle, never delay the reality of facing your fears, always stand up to them or seek others to help you through. Holden’s final statement--“Don’t tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody”--suggests that he is still bound by the same problems he has dealt with throughout the book. He still seems scared and alone, and he continues to dread communication. On the other hand, his words suggest that he had begun to tear down the impenetrable wall be has built around himself. He has begun to value, rather than dismiss, the people around