Holden Caulfield is a seventeen-year-old boy from New York City. He is the protagonist and narrator of The Catcher in the Rye. Holden is discharged from an institution in California and intends to live with his aunt and uncle in New York, but he decides to leave them and wander around America instead. Holden is a troubled teenager who is constantly getting into trouble. He is expelled from his prep school, and his parents send him to live with his grandparents. However, Holden runs away from his grandparents’ house and ends up living on his own in New York City. Holden is a loner who does not seem to fit in anywhere. He is constantly getting into fights and getting into trouble with the law. He is also a heavy drinker and has a problem with gambling.
How to write essay about Holden Caulfield
To write an essay about Holden Caulfield from Catcher In The Rye, start by discussing his character traits, such as his anger and frustration with the world around him. Then, discuss how Holden’s relationship with his family and friends affects him. Finally, include a discussion of the ending of the novel and how it affects Holden.
Essay themes and ideas about Holden Caulfield
- Holden Caulfield’s Unique Perspective
- Holden Caulfield’s Struggles with Depression
- Holden Caulfield’s Relationship with Phoebe
- Holden Caulfield’s Isolation from the World
- Holden Caulfield’s Anger and Frustration
- Holden Caulfield’s Dislike of Adults
- Holden Caulfield’s Search for Identity
- Holden Caulfield’s Fear of Change
- Holden Caulfield’s Desire for Intimacy
- Holden Caulfield’s Legacy
Popular quotes of Holden Caulfield
- “I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It’s awful. If I’m on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I’m going, I’m liable to say I’m going to the opera. It’s terrible.”
- “I’m sort of an author, myself. I write this stuff down sometimes. It’s sort of like writing, only I don’t do it for money.”
- “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them.”
- “It’s funny. All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they’ll do practically anything you want them to.”
- “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.”
- “I’m quite illiterate, but I read a lot.”
- “I’m not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything. I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty sick.”
- “It’s funny. Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.”
- “I’m sort of an author, myself. I write this stuff down sometimes. It’s sort of like writing, only I don’t do it for money.”
- “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them.”
