A Comparison Between the Characters of Wole Soyinka and Holden Caulfield.
André Malan A Comparison Between the Characters of Wole Soyinka and Holden Caulfield. Word Count (1049) When comparing J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in The Rye and Wole Soyinka's Aké a great similarity between the two main characters is noticed. Both characters strike us as being very intelligent, moral people who seem to have rejected the norms of the societies in which they live. However there are also distinct differences between Wole and Holden. Wole is presented to the reader as a hero, whereas we see Holden as more of an antihero. This difference is most evident in not only the maturity level of the characters, but also their general attitudes towards education and indeed their attitudes towards life. These differences do not detract from the fact that they both bring the same message across to the reader. Both Wole and Holden are intelligent individuals. Holden is very philosophical and this leads him to make very profound conclusions. We see this early on in the book when in a discussion with a teacher he notes, "it isn't all true. People always think that something's all true" (Salinger 9). This is an incredibly perceptive statement in the context of which it is being used. Although Holden is failing school we get the impression that this is not due to a lack of intelligence but simply through a lack of effort. Holden through his own self-doubt portrays himself as
The Rainbow Stripes and their Meaning.
Benjamin F. Cocchiaro Mrs. Cassel, p. 5 English 1O, 6.O 8 April 2OO3 The Rainbow Stripes and their Meaning Growing into adulthood is a harrowing trial for everyone and the death of a family member can make the passage all the more unbearable. So it has been for Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Holden is a severely disturbed youth. A trinity of problems stems from the death of his younger brother, Allie. After witnessing the passing of his brother, Holden finds himself fascinated with death, unable to love, and unwilling to grow up. These problems are amplified and aggravated by the people Holden encounters and the events that take place both during his upbringing and during his adventure in New York City. Holden is emotionally and mentally disturbed. Since the death of his brother, Holden had become a morbid youth. His fixation on death manifests itself through various different quirks in his personality. One of the most prominent mannerisms is Holden's tendency to say "that killed me." (Salinger 77) While the phrase is used lightly, the frequency with which he uses it throughout the book seems like somewhat of a Freudian slip, revealing a subconscious and quite possibly conscious death wish. He even goes as far as to fantasize about his own death and funeral. "I thought I'd probably get pneumonia and die. I started picturing
The Catcher in the Rye - Holden's obsession with death
ENGLISH ESSAY The Catcher in the Rye In the book The Catcher in the Rye, Holden (the main character) is close to having an obsession with death, which might have come from having experienced two deaths in his early life. The death that affected him the most was Allie's, who was Holden's brother. In the book, the author shows that Holden hasn't yet overcome the loss of his brother "he's dead now. He got leukemia and died when we were up in Maine, on July 18, 1946. (...) I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage"1. Allie was his example of life. He was someone who Holden admired a lot "You'd have liked him. He was two years younger than I was, but he was about fifty times as intelligent. He was terrifically intelligent. (...) He was also the nicest in lots of ways. He never got mad at anybody"2 because he was one of the few people that accepted him how he was without making any prejudges over him and who he had shared his life with. He relates some of the things that happen to him with his brother, thinking that maybe his life could have been different with Allie around. That maybe he would have helped him and that way he would have been a different person. A better person, maybe. This fact meant a lot to him. And made him feel alone. That's why Holden was always trying to be surrounded by
In J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye
Archer 1 Lyndsey Archer English 110-01 Mrs. Joanne Vickers 1-1-02 Holden Caulfield In J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden Caulfield is a rebellious, judgmental, troubled and hypocritical individual. He does not fit in with the "phonies" of society. A few traumas have occurred in his life, such as his brother Allie's death, and a school friend committing suicide, which seem to be the root of his behavior. He acts as though the world is not good enough for him, and no one can avoid his inner criticisms. Even though he is very quick to judge others, he never criticizes his own actions directly. The characteristics mentioned are portrayed several times throughout the novel and from his actions we try to find out who Holden Caulfield really is. . Holden Caulfield is a rebellious individual. One of the major ways he shows this is by wearing his red hunting hat, which is also a major symbol in the novel. The red hunting hat shows individuality, personality and shows his desire to be different from everyone else. The hat reveals the main conflict in the book: Holden's need for seclusion opposed to his need for companionship. The hat is peculiar and shows Holden's desire to be different than everyone else. His refusal to apply himself and constant rebellion toward authority also show this. He failed out of four schools because he
Catcher in the Rye: Close Reading
Jason Chernenko Lit 219W, Sec.1 Essay #2 Is it Holden or the World Around Him that is Phony? J. D. Salinger tells the story of The Catcher in the Rye in the first person perspective through the main character Holden Caulfield. Holden tells the reader the events that he is going through, trying to explain his world view, dominated by unreal, two-dimensional people with "phony" intentions. Webster's Dictionary defines a "phony" as, "a person who is not what he pretends to be" (Webster 952). The entire story consists of Holden's narrative, as he develops his stream of thoughts about the world and his own role in it. Near the middle of the story, in chapter thirteen, Holden narrates about his encounter with a prostitute. Prior to the scene with the prostitute, Holden spends time in a Greenwich Village nightclub, as he drinks scotch and soda, unintentionally listening to the conversations that surround him, which Holden views as depressing and "phony." The scene begins as Holden checks into a hotel after a long walk back to his hotel after leaving the nightclub. In the scene Holden encounters Maurice the elevator operator, and pimp. Maurice offers Holden a prostitute. Holden agrees to the offer, but soon regrets his decision to allow the prostitute in his room. During this time Holden is nervous and anxious of his soon encounter with a prostitute. Soon the prostitute arrives,
The Dangers of Isolation in The Catcher in the Rye
The Dangers of Isolation in The Catcher in the Rye It is normal to want to get away from all of the problems of the world, but it is not normal to want to be completely isolated from people. Holden wanted to have no human contact what so ever, and that is not normal. Throughout the book Holden expresses a rebellious attitude toward the world, and this rebellious attitude comes from his infatuation with being alone. He isolates himself from the world because he has not yet found himself and is searching. Holden feels that he must find himself alone with no one else's help. Holden expresses his rebellious side when he gets kicked out of school, again. Holden doesn't like school because he doesn't like doing activities that he loses patience for and sees no point in doing them. Holden also is rebellious in the way that he smokes and drinks when he is a minor. He is an excessive smoker and turns to alcohol to suppress his feelings of depression, which are signs of alcoholism. This behavior is not unheard of, but is rare for a 16-year-old to become an alcoholic. From this rebellious attitude Holden becomes isolated from those around him. His first act of isolation with a combination of rebellion is when Holden doesn't go to the game in the beginning of the book. Everyone was going to be there and he doesn't want to be like everyone else. Getting kicked out of school is another
A Liar is a Liar is a Liar.
A Liar is a Liar is a Liar In Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) and The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexander Dumas), the main characters both use deception to achieve their goals. Both main characters have different motives behind their actions and convey their lies in different ways. Regardless of the difference in characters, their primary reason for deception is that they despise society. While reading the two novels, it can be seen that Holden lies to himself to achieve his goals while Dantès lies to others to achieve his goals. The favourite, catch-all phrase of Holden, the main character of Catcher in the Rye, is phoniness. He uses this to describe the superficiality, hypocrisy, pretension, and shallowness that he encounters in the world around him. He holds a greater amount of hatred towards people who believe themselves to be better than others. Phoniness, for Holden, stands as a symbol of everything that is wrong in the world around him and provides an excuse for him to withdraw in cynical isolation. His concept of phoniness largely relies on self-deception. Self-deception allows Holden to blame the rest of the world for all of his problems. There are many examples in the novel that show how frequently he convinces himself of the shortcomings of others in order to defend himself. One is that he resents the fame and fortune of the acting career and
Why is symbolism in the Catcher in the Rye so important?
Andre Malan (word Count 1064) Why is symbolism in the Catcher in the Rye so important? Symbolism is an essential element in any literary work. This is especially true for J.D. Salinger's novel the Catcher in the Rye. Salinger's main character, Holden finds it difficult to communicate with the outside world and therefore with us, the reader. Salinger uses symbolism as a subtle way of communicating Holden's emotions and faults to us the reader, without compromising the consistency of his characters by forcing Holden to do so. Salinger also uses symbolism to relate events in the novel to society at the time and expose its faults to public ridicule and criticism. Finally Salinger uses symbolism to highlight the idea of Holden making a journey and to make the reader aware of when Holden's journey has reached an end. Holden hides his emotions from himself and from those around him. He says that his breaking of the car windows was 'just for the hell of it' (Salinger 39), when it is patently obvious to the reader that this violent reaction was due to anger and pain caused by the death of his brother Allie. Salinger uses the symbol of Holden's hand that 'still hurts me once in a while' (39) to show us that the death of Allie still causes Holden great emotional pain. He also uses the hand to show that The death of Allie has weakened Holden 'I can't make a real fist anymore - not a
Holden in The Catcher in the Rye
In this Catcher in the Rye essay I will discuss the topic "Holden's attitude to his society is a confused mix between defensiveness and derision. This is symbolised in his affectation of the hunting-cap and his relationship to his peer group". Holden's attitude to life in general is a very confusing and indecisive one. His constant criticism and dislike for "phonies" joint with his strange ideas about life and the way in which it should be lived creates an image of a confused, uncorrupted and socially unstable youth of the time. He seems to think that he is the only person who can see, or who can be bothered to stop and see, that people are becoming mechanical in their following of the same old path of life that they know as the only way to live. He argues throughout the novel that these people are all fake and do not have any original ideas of their own. Throughout the novel Holden weaves a complex web of different feelings, attitudes and thoughts that can only be described as naively cynical. Holden's attitude is negative towards all people who manage to enjoy the "phony" pleasures of life and live pleased that they have achieved the necessary. He feels this because he himself does not manage to fulfill the credentials needed to live this life both at school and outside. He does not contain any of the necessary qualities such as being an able sportsman, apt student or
The Catcher in the Rye - Symbolism of ducks.
The Catcher in the Rye . Symbols/Motifs Ducks: The ducks are a very important symbol when looking at Holden, as he identifies himself with them. He tries to find out, where the ducks go in winter. He doesn't know this and it can be transferred to his own life, as he also doesn't know where he should go. He thinks by finding the solution to the ducks problem he could also find a solution to his own one. So he keeps asking the cab drivers, if they "happen to know"(p.54) where the ducks go in winter, when the lake gets all "frozen over" (p.54), he sees only little chance in it, though. This "frozen over" can also be transferred to Holden's own life and feelings, as he seems to be stuck in his development and doesn't know where to go. Although he actually knows the ducks are gone, he wants to visit them. But the lake is already frozen over, as his life seems to, and they are gone. He is too late. But nevertheless he hoped to find them on the lagoon, as he hopes to find himself. The ducks also show the thinking about independence vs. independence. Holden thinks about the fact that the ducks might be taken away by "some guy who comes in a truck" (p.11) to collect them. The other opportunity he sees is that they fly away on their own. This means that he thinks about whether they are dependent or independent. Therefore he tries to find out if he himself now has to be
