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The Catcher in the Rye Expository Paper
The book The Catcher in the Rye captivates the audience of the adolescent age because it shows events and feelings, which that are found in that age groupthe teenager’s lives. One of the main ideas within that age groupCongregation is the role of seeking independence and becoming an adult like figure. Holden attempts to become a self-dependent adult figure that would ultimately create the person that he seeks in his eyes. He succeeds at this by living in the city, exploring his sexual desires, and finding out what true relationships are.
To start off, Holden creates his personality altering state by fashioning an acceptable environment:, independent city life. The idea of changing Holden’s life is shown under his mistakes and stupid decisions. But tThey are not merely stupid, but rather, underlying points to his personality and judgment. Perhaps his first judgment call that one would debate was “stupid” was his endeavor to spend a few days in the city. Holden begins his thoughts about what he is going to do:
“All of the sudden, I decided what I’d really do, I’d get the hell out of Pency-right that same night and all. I mean not wait till Wednesday or anything. I just didn’t want to hang around any more. It made me to sad and lonesome. So what I decided to do, I decided I’d take a room in a hotel in New York-some very inexpensive hotel and all-and just take it east till Wednesday, I’d go home all rested up and feeling swell.” (p.51).
Holden tells himself that he will “take it easy” until the time he has to go home. During that time though he will have some fun and possibly mature a little bit more. Because of this quote it is clearly stated that Holden has created his environment or in other words, living in the city.
Another example would be Holden exploring his sexual desires in the most primitive of fashions. For part of the time Holden was in the city he explores his sexual urges and impulses with a young prostitute named Sunny. Holden, at this point of the book, feeling quite low about his life and overall situation, makes a stupid yet simultaneously mature choice. In this scene Holden had just come back to the hotel, after a night at the bar. He is not feeling his best at this point. He goes into the elevator and on his way up the elevator operator shares a conversation with him:
“’Innarested in a little tail t’night’
‘Me?’ I said. Which was a very dumb answer, but its quite embarrassing when somebody comes right up and asks you a question like that.
‘How old are you, chief ?’ the elevator guy said.
‘Why?’ I said, ‘Twenty-Two’
‘Uh huh. Well, how ‘bout it? Y’innarested? Five bucks a throw. Fifteen bucks the whole night.’ He looked at his wrist watch. ‘Till noon. Five bucks a throw, fifteen bucks till noon.’
‘Okay,’ I said. It was against my principals and [next page]