Catcher In The Rye Holden Analysis

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Sometimes growing up can be hard, but in the Novel “Catcher in the Rye” It is even harder for the main character holden. Before the book begins his younger brother allie dies of leukemia. His death leads holden to be torn between becoming an adult and trying to hold onto his childhood. He tries to make himself look and feel like an adult even though inside he just wants to be a kid. Holden often uses cigarettes and alcohol to make him feel more like an adult even though he doesn't really want to use them. Holden often remarks on his smoking/drinking afterwards regrettably and sometimes negatively indicating he doesn't actually like it. Insecurely he comments on others doing the exact same thing that he does just to make him feel better about…show more content…
When Holden is still at pencey he his lying in his bed smoking while stradletter is clipping his toenails on the other side of the room. Holden hates how stradlater indiscriminately cuts his toenails over the floor and doesn't pick the clippings up. While criticizing stradlater Holden smokes a cigarette in his bed, which is not only against dorm rules but could be more of an issue than leaving toe clippings on the floor. He says “I lay on the bed and lit up a smoke. Stradletter hated when i smoked in the dorm, it was against school rules but no one could smell it. Stradletter hated when anyone broke any rules. He was so god damn phony. It killed me. It really did, I just turned to the other side on my bed and smoked like a madman , as he clipped his goddamn toe nails.” In this situation evidence of Holden’s sociopathic nature is shown. He can't understand what is wrong with other people and at the same time can't understand why anyone would think wrong of him. In the quote he says “It killed me. IT really did, Just turned to the other side of the bed and smoked like a madman”. This shows that Holden is not really mad at him but mad at himself and sad because it seems like Holden wants their to be something wrong with him but he just gives
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