Abstract
An exploration of the similar characteristics and personalities of Stephen Dedalus and Holden Caulfield. The writer shows that this similarity is not just in terms of the situations and incidents that occur in their respective novels, but also in the way both personalities are characterized. Both of these characters have the same outlook on life, the same voice and style, and the same attitude or temperament. Because of the authors' ability to portray characters so clearly, it is possible to draw some significant comparisons between the two protagonists.

From the Paper
"Neither Stephen Dedalus nor Holden Caulfield know exactly what to do with themselves in their respective futures, and both are extremely unsatisfied with their present circumstances. The only major difference between their characters is that although each of them are faced with similar problems and challenges, their reactions to these challenges vary significantly. This may be due to external circumstances, however, and not because of basic differences in the characters themselves."

Tags:style, voice, outlook, challenge, literature

Abstract
Many people find that their dreams are unreachable. This paper examines how Holden Caulfield realizes this in J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye". As Holden tells his story, he recounts the events since leaving the Pencey School to his psychiatrist. It looks at how at first, Holden sounds like a typical, misguided teenager, rebellious towards his parents, angry with his teachers, and flunking out of school. However, as his story progresses, it shows how it becomes clear that Holden is indeed motivated, just not academically. He has a purpose: To protect the young and innocent minds of young children from the "horrors" of adult society. He hopes to freeze the children in time, as wax figures are frozen in a museum.

From the Paper
"Holden wants to protect the innocence of his sister and every other innocent child in the world. Before Holden meets Sally for their date, he stops in front of the Museum of Natural History and begins to reminisce. He thinks about the way he visited the museum when he was younger. He also tells that every time one visits the museum, he is changed in some way, but the figures in the exhibits always stay the same. He wants to be able to preserve some things in the glass: "Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone," (122). "

Tags:phoebe, teenager, psychiatrist

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that the long and emotionally treacherous journey to develop integrity plagues the main character of J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye': Holden Caulfield. The writer maintains that J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye' illustrates the main character Holden Caulfield's journey through time and space and represents the development and expansion of integrity. The writer points out that Salinger's symbolism adds to his motive of having Holden hold onto childlike traits while enduring an age defying quest for moral understanding through relationships and interactions with people and society.

From the Paper
"The object of Holden's adulthood desire is clearly taking advantage of different vices: alcohol, profanity, and prostitution. Holden's encounter with the prostitute, Sunny, serves as the prime example of his inability to accept the consequences of desire; Holden wishes to have sex, but cannot bring himself to commit the act because of his level of immaturity and his actual age. Finally, Holden shows an immaturity and childlike personality through his actions and misuse of time. Holden's intellectual journey is plagued with periods of ordinary and dullness: time wasting. An example of Holden's disregard for time is when he is discussing his future with Mr. Spencer ... "

Tags:integrity, immaturity, character, society

Abstract
In this paper the author makes a psychological analysis of a 16 year old youth who is demonstrating various recognized symptoms for negative affectivity. The author looks at all of the symptoms and attempts to asses what has led both to the symptoms and behavior of the youth. The author considers the youth's relationship with his parents and siblings and also the effect on the youth of his brother's death.

From the paper:

"Vacillations such as declaring himself an atheist one minute and praying to God the next Caulfield is in a flux of coming to terms with his own identity, not an uncommon trait among teens. The difference in Caulfield's behavior and normal "growing pains" are the extreme inter personal negativity, paranoia (e.g. knowing he is going to die from cancer because of a canker sore), and the descent into delusional behavior (e.g. speaking with his dead brother)."

Tags:mood, swings, worry, social, discomfort, extreme, introspect, tendencies, to, dwell, negative, aspects, of, self, delusions, derailment, paranoia, signal, onset, schizophrenic, condition, deficiencies, paranoia, extreme, demonstrate, behavior

Abstract
This paper examines how the characters Holden Caulfield, in "The Catcher in the Rye" and Seymour Glass in "A Perfect Day for Bananafish, have many characteristics in common. It looks at how both characters are non-conformists who don't fit in with the traditional American culture, how both have a love for children, and a hatred for "phonies" and how both have an obsession with death.

From the Paper
"Seymour is interested in the company of four-year old Sybil Carpenter, a child he believes he can save from becoming a "phony". While swimming with the young girl, Seymour tells a tale of fish who swim into holes filled with bananas. These bananafish then gorge themselves on the fruit and, too fat to swim out of the holes, die of banana fever. Seymour is not a bananafish; it is the phonies of the world who are guilty of bingeing themselves with meaningless material objects until they become so superficial they are beyond hope of ever attaining spiritual purity. These people are intentional bananafishes."

Tags:muriel, jane, phony, death

Abstract
Non-conformity has always been a popular topic for novels, especially those with teenagers as the protagonists. The paper shows, however, that no two books have ever better expressed all of male adolescents' contradictions and rock-solid beliefs than J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" and Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". The paper shows that although the two novels are separated by seventy years, there are still many striking similarities between Huck and Holden in their attitudes towards conformity, religion, money, lying and most importantly, escape from the lives that they feel claustrophobic in.

From the Paper
"Both Holden Caulfield and Huck Finn refuse to conform to the rules and social mores of the society in which they are forced to live in. Although neither is exactly able to define what is wrong with their society, they know instinctively that it is wrong. Huck assumes that he is a moral reject for not accepting the beliefs that everyone swallows with absolutely no qualms, while Holden doesn't understand how people can accept such horrible beliefs merely because everyone else does. Meanwhile, they are both able to consciously say "This society is bad, it needs to change," but neither are able to affect any sort of permanent changes at all. Nor are they able to fully escape it."

Tags:widow, Jim, Southerners

Abstract
This paper explores the character of 16-year-old Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye," presenting arguments in favor of a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, or manic depression, in the character. The paper discusses various possible manifestations of the disorder, Caulfield's quality of being hyper-energetic and often subject to outbursts of violence. The paper considers, compares, and collaborates the symptoms indicated in medicine today and the story told by Holden Caulfield, and concludes that he is highly likely to have suffered from the illness. The paper explains that his illness could have been triggered or exacerbated by the extraordinary circumstances of his younger brother's death, the lack of awareness of his parents', professors and peers, and his own ability to hide his aggravated state of mind for several years.

Outline:
Abstract
Outline
References

From the Paper
"While telling his story, Holden Caulfield repeatedly says that people often do not pay attention to anything and he is specifically making reference to his own problems and manifestations, signs that no adult around him seemed bright enough to notice and treat appropriately. From the very beginning of his story he points out that his parents are not the kind of parents he would pick to talk to about his problems: "They're quite touchy about anything like that, especially my father. They're nice and all--I'm not saying that--but they're also touchy as hell. Besides, I'm not going to tell you my whole goddamn autobiography or anything" (Salinger, ch.1)."

Tags:manic, depression, literature, erratic

Abstract
This paper discusses J. D. Salinger's timeless novel, "The Catcher in the Rye." The paper focuses on the book's main character, the earnest and economically privileged, yet disaffected prep school student Holden Caulfield. It analyzes Caulfield as a character troublingly faced with a dilemma of remaining true to himself or 'selling out' to a "phony" society.

From the Paper
"But Holden now accepts, if still reluctantly, the realities of a world where phonies enormously outnumber non-phonies, there are only really ever fleeting essences of real purity: unspoiled white snow; the Museum of Natural History; Phoebie in her blue coat riding around and around on the Central Park carousel. Everything else is less pure, and therefore points toward adulthood, responsibility, phoniness, death" (Pinsker 3). Holden still longs, even now, for the much less cynical in which children still live, but to which he himself knows now that he can neither live nor ever truly return. A Life's unstoppable current has carried him out among the very adult phonies he most abhors. And a refusal or failure on Holden's part to now at least float in these uncomfortable waters could be, even worse than just swimming along. The current carries everyone toward adulthood, wanted or not. One must sell out, or at least appear to have done so, lest on risk being eaten by the sharks."

Tags:phony, society, reality, plot

Abstract
This paper provides a thorough explanation of the concept of teen depression as well as describes symptoms which could lead to alcoholism. Using the character of Caulfield, the writer looks at the process this youth went to in order to reach the lows of chronic depression and alcoholism. Various scenes in the novel are analyzed to provide a link between the character and this condition.

From the Paper
"Depression is a serious problem facing many in our society, but especially poignant when dealt with by youths. Depression often leads to other serious disorders such as alcoholism. J.D Salinger in his coming of age novel The Catcher in the Rye accurately portrays the mental chasm many teens fall into as a result of depression. The depression and subsequent alcoholism his protagonist Holden Caulfield experiences are unfortunately not just a work of fiction for many teenagers."

Tags:novel, depression, alcoholism, teeenager, youth, mental, illness

Abstract
The following paper examines how the character of Holden Caulfield still reminds us that cynicism and self-doubt are not characteristics that are proprietary to adults. The writer examines how teen-age Holden is cynical, defiant, and blind to what is actually going on around him, yet to the very end of the novel he continues to berate the "phoniness" of others, particularly adults. The irony of Holden's seeing the faults and foibles of others while not being able to recognize them in himself is Salinger's comment on the way society views the human condition . This paper discusses how society always views the human condition as "the other guy".

From the Paper
"The novel begins with Holden proving this point: We're introduced to Holden by his telling us that he doesn't want to talk about his "lousy childhood" -- he doesn't "feel like going into it" (Salinger 1). Holden is self-destructing but doesn't realize it because he's so intent on blaming everyone else for his problems. These psychological battles within Holden's own head serve as the basis for critical argument. As we read and learn more about Holden's situation, we must accept that society does indeed fail us because the finger is always pointed toward someone other than ourselves, whether it's to help someone in need or accept that we ourselves need help. Holden's character has sometimes been criticized for possessing the same characteristics he abhors in other people, but that, as I see it, is the point he is a teenager and as such, rather self-centered. He doesn't choose to see that the very qualities he finds fault with in other people."

Tags:criticism, insincerity, snobbery, injustice, callousness, feelings, novel