Argumentative Essay On The Catcher In The Rye

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Throughout history millions of people have commonly asked questions regarding the universe, morality, and epistemology. These ideas are thought to be the root of philosophy. Many individuals spend their time discussing these ideas. Oddly enough, the most common time in one’s life to ponder these topics is during the teen years. These teenage years seem to become the mind’s blossoming stage. The young person’s philosophies tend to be constructed from family issues, ignorance, and fear. Teens typically cannot handle all of the responsibility and real-world experience without help. The developing adolescent mind becomes the consciousness of an isolationist, due to teenage incapability. Depression, alienation, and reclusiveness become recurring…show more content…
Holden Caulfield is a young teenage boy who lives in New York City, during the 1940’s. Caulfield possesses the infamous archetype of a rebellious teenager. Holden complains, slacks off, and alienates himself from everyone. However, Holden does engage with the female demographic largely, and does enjoy spending most of his time thinking about women. The novel begins describing the school that Holden attends. Pencey Prep is a wealthy private school that many gifted children attend. Holden does not apply himself and flunks out of the school. Soon before Holden is expelled for his lack of application, he is watching a football game. He is not with anyone else and is isolating himself from everyone. Holden expresses, “You could see the whole field from there, and you could see the two teams bashing each other all over the place…you could hear them all yelling” (Salinger 2). This quote strikingly depicts Holden’s position at Pencey Prep. Caulfield is an outcast, he does not participate in any event, no matter the importance. Holden is shown as an isolationist in this scene. The interesting idea in this passage is in the description of the two teams yelling. Only a character that has little to no internal conversation could recognize this. Holden is showing that his is not engaged with his environment or himself. Adolescents typically possess both of these traits. Holden’s teenage archetype reveals the theme of

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